Daily Marauder

ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA

Time Warner is making moves that could pave the way for a spin-off of its beleaguered AOL unit. Some fund managers speculate that the media giant will try to buy video-game makers Electronic Arts or Take-Two Interactive. Games are “the fastest-growing industry in the media field.” (Iwantmedia 4/07, http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002186.html?categoryid=10&cs=1 4/6)

Male-targeted online video network Break Media acquired HBOlab per NewTeeVee, HBO’s digital media studio created to incubate original web series such as the 10-part Hooking Up show starring LG15′s Jessica Rose. (Cynopsis 4/7)

Yahoo is launching Artist Pages that allow users to connect to digital music at YouTube, iTunes, Pandora and other sites. Artist Pages are designed to showcase music videos, streaming tunes and more. The online destination eventually will let users publish their own music. (Iwantmedia 4/07, http://tech.yahoo.com/news/afp/20090406/tc_afp/entertainmentusitinternetmusiccompanyyahoo 4/6)

Sugar Inc.’s flagship celebrity news and photo blog, PopSugar, has launched its 3rd annual PopSugar 100 tournament. It’s kind of like the NCAA’s March Madness, except this single-elimination contest is meant to determine who the most popular celebrities are in a given year. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/07/popsugar-launches-march-madness-for-celebrities-popsugar100 4/7)

So much fun…so much time wasting.

Music labels increasingly are bundling extra content with high-profile albums on Apple’s iTunes service in an attempt to boost flagging album sales. The companies are selling the additional material on a subscription basis, parceling content over time to help justify premium pricing. Labels also are going to begin using a variable price structure on iTunes, charging more for new hits and less for older catalog tracks. The Wall Street Journal (4/7) , Reuters (4/6)

A $17 iTunes “pass” for the Fray, above, buys songs, video footage and photos.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Web TV Network KoldCast TV signed a deal with Emerging Artist Productions to distribute a 13-episode theatrical themed web series EXIT Stage Left, about an off-Broadway theatre troupe staging a new play. The web series is produced in high-definition by creator Sinohui Hinojosa with a cast of Bay Area actors and crew members. (Cynopsis 4/7)

Nearly anyone who has watched TV in the last twenty years is familiar with The Simpson’s intro, which always features a different brief segment at the end as the family rushes to sit together on their couch. Even after 436 episodes it’s a gag that still hasn’t gotten old. Today The Simpsons is teaming with MySpace to launch a contest that invites users to create their own Simpsons couch gags. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/06/myspace-wants-you-to-make-your-own-simpsons-couch-gag/ 4/6)

Facebook is working together with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) to make its social networking service more accessible to users who are blind or visually impaired. In a company blog post, the non-profit organization’s President, Carl Augusto, explains which problems visually challenged users encounter when surfing the web and how they’re able to overcome these issues with the help of website publishers, developers and designers. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/07/facebook-commits-to-making-social-networking-more-accessible-for-visually-challenged-users/ 4/7)

Free entertainment hub Boxee keeps on getting better and better. A couple of hours ago, the venture-backed startup released a full API that allows developers to build applications for the open-source platform using a set of API calls in Python and writing the GUI using XML. At the same time, the company is laying the groundwork for a richer App Box, which it refers to as an open application store where they are not the gatekeeper (like Apple for its iPhone App Store) but rather a facilitator. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/07/boxee-continues-to-innovate-with-api-and-new-alpha-version-for-mac-apple-tv 4/7)