From Gavin: "Napster,
RealNetworks,
and MusicNet today
announced they have reached a licensing 
agreement
under which Napster will become an affiliate of MusicNet, the
digital distribution platform for downloading and streaming music
that is expected to launch later this summer.
"Under the deal, Napster becomes the third distribution
partner to team with MusicNet, joining RealNetworks and America
Online, both of which announced licenses for the MusicNet service
in April. BMG, EMI, and Warner had previously said that they will
permit their libraries to be delivered to Napster when Napster
operates in a 'legal, non-infringing manner' and successfully
demonstrates that rights holders will be appropriately compensated
for their works...
The deal marks several major milestones. Most notably,
it will be the first time that such a large number of Netizens
-- more than 83 million people have downloaded the Napster client,
and AOL is the world’s leading Internet service
provider -- will have legal online access to music from three
major labels."
Read the entire article here.
From CNet News.com: "In no small way, the deal also
marks a direct attack by MusicNet and its three labels against
Duet, the coalition formed by Sony Music and Vivendi Universal
to distribute their own music. As a part of this deal, Napster
is barred from striking any similar agreement with Duet -- unless
the other labels come to terms with MusicNet.
"'We're hoping that we'll be able to have agreements with
Sony and Universal through MusicNet,' Napster CEO Hank Barry said."
Read this entire piece here.
From FastCompany.com: "Put simply, the business world
is slower than it was a year ago -- which can be 
a
pretty tough adjustment for people accustomed to running in fast
company.
"Our advice? Recognize that slowing down is an opportunity,
not a punishment -- a chance to recharge your batteries, learn
new skills, tend to long-overlooked problems, and mend strained
relationships. Grab a cup of decaf and read through this advice
on how to slow down smart...
Stewart Brand, Founder
and president
The Long Now Foundation -- San Francisco, California
Cofounder
Global Business Network -- Emeryville, California
"If you don't have to sprint, why would
you? What's urgent isn't truly important. The urgent finds you;
you
have to find the important. So when you're going as fast as you
can, there's not much room for choice. Between urgencies, however,
you can work on the stuff that you really
care about because you can afford to slow down. Importance
is not fast. It is slow. It is not superficial. It is deep. And
as a result, it's extremely powerful. When important matters go
wrong, they undermine everything. When they go right, they sustain
everything...
Joe Grimaldi, President and CEO
Mullen -- Wenham, Massachusetts
"Right now is a good time to invest in your culture,
because talented people aren't just looking for stability; they're
looking for a sensibility. Having a cause
means making your people think your company is worth their time
and their energy. A cause keeps people focused, especially if
senior managers carry that cause through the organization and
live it themselves...
Patrick Lencioni, Founder and
president
The Table Group Inc. -- Emeryville, California
"For the employed, here's my advice: Jump off
the adrenaline
bandwagon and get yourself and your organization healthy again.
For starters, spend time investing in training
and development. You can't afford not to. When things
get crazy again, you will turn your attention to more urgent matters.
It's also a great time to hold an off-site and delve into some
high-level strategic planning...
Beth Sawi, Executive vice president and chief administrative officer
Charles Schwab & Co. -- San Francisco, California
"We're thinking harder about the
way to run good business. For one thing, we're trying to get more
synergy between different business units, so we can offer better
service to our clients. We're also more focused on cost effectiveness.
The truth is, when speed is paramount, you don't necessarily build
processes for efficiency. There's a lot of duplication
of efforts. So ask yourself, If I were going to completely redesign
a process, what would I do differently? My bet is that most companies
have a highly touted 'best practice' of the past three years that
could use serious tuning..."
Read this entire article here.
From the press release: "The
MeasureCast
Top 50 Internet radio stations ranking for May was topped by
Internet-only broadcaster
MEDIAmazing.com.
Taking second place was U.K.-based
Virgin
Radio, followed by another Internet-only broadcaster,
3WK Undergroundradio.com.
Internet-only stations made up half of this month's Top 50 list
and took seven of the top 10 spots."
Read the release and see the Top 50 for May
here.
From the press release: "The MeasureCast Internet
Radio Index for the week of May 28 to June 3
increased 2.4 percent from 149 to 152, meaning the total number
of hours streamed by on-line broadcasters measured by MeasureCast
has increased 52 percent since January. The weekly index tracks
the total number of hours streamed by on-line broadcasters, and
is a representation of the trend in Total Time Spent Listening
(TTSL) across a spectrum of stations measured by MeasureCast."
Read this press release
here.
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