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From CNET News: "Entertainment technology firm ZapMedia.com
has teamed with online CD distributor Amplified
 and
music catalog Muze to distribute
music and videos through an all-in-one Net device.
"Under the agreements, ZapMedia will offer Muze's music
and movie database as well as Amplified's CD and DVD titles.
"The Atlanta-based company's device, ZapStation,
combines audio and video content. It  includes
MP3, CD and DVD players; jukeboxes for MP3, CDs and video; Internet
radio; email; and Web browsing.
"Instead of using a PC for Web access, ZapStation can
be plugged into a television or stereo and a telephone outlet or
digital subscriber line. The device is priced to sell for $599 at
retail stores this fall.
Analysts said the agreement will strengthen ZapMedia's
move to combine music and home entertainment,  but
the company still needs to expand its distribution.
"'It's a step in the right direction to the extent that
you could really have an entertainment experience in one location,'
said CyberDialogue
analyst Ed Lopez. 'You're going to need to open the distribution
channels first before the content can...flow through in each of
these appliances.'"
Read CNET columnist Gwendolyn
Mariano's entire story here.
 BY
PAUL MALONEY
Non-commercial folk radio lives on
the Internet!
Operating
from the
University
of Massachusetts
in Boston, WUMB
is the flagship of a four-station
"Folk and Roots" network in
New England.
The station, while more formatically unified than many non-com's,
is still block-programmed. In
other
words, while most everything you'll hear somehow fits into the general
scope of folk music, there are periods of time during the week dedicated
to more specific programs.
And like a lot of other non-com's, there's plenty of human
interest news and community-interest items on the
air. And plenty of requests for listener support.
 As
for the website itself, they're undoubtedly on a budget; the
site is pretty utilitarian-looking. (There's a link to Boston Internet
Technologies, but we're pretty sure they're not behind to front-end
design of this site. They probably handle database management, hosting,
etc.) There's no specialized player (the stream is Windows Media,
supplied by Magnitude), very few graphics, and  the
pages load quite slowly (especially considering they're mostly
text).
But there's plenty of information for the devoted listener
-- programming schedules in both graphical (see left) and textual
forms, live performance
schedules, a Boston venue directory, a "top 100 CDs" list,
a pretty exhaustive list of artist links, and more.
Listener service pages including a FAQ, directory of station
personnel, and even a cool "how-to" on making your own
antenna to improve reception.
Visit the WUMB website by clicking here.
|
Clicking the
headline at left should bring up a nice pop-up window. (Thanks
to RAIN interns Ralph Sledge and David Don for designing
this new feature.) |
From InternetNews.com: "VMail
Corporation, a streaming audio/video company in Los Angeles,
is offering free  audio
web commercials to qualified small businesses.
"At the company's site, a small business owner can write
his own 'script' for his commercial. He then submits the script
to VMail where it will be voiced, receive a music background appropriate
to the industry, and within 24 hours, the business  owner
receives a link to their streaming audio commercial.
"'We want to make streaming affordable for everyone,' said
VMail Webmaster Carlos Saenz. 'By convincing our customers
of the power of audio in their websites, we believe they'll be future
customers for our affordable streaming video services. No business
should sell their products or services on the web with simple pictures
and text.'
In addition to its streaming audio services, VMail also sells
fully-produced streaming video ads to small business owners for
as little as $98...
Read the full story in InternetNews.com here.
...
 |
...
So what is the small business supposed to DO with
the audio spot that they wrote themselves? The firm's website
suggests, "Use your free web commercial to offer your
visitors an audio navigation guide to your site, an 'audio
welcome' to your website, or use it in your next email marketing
campaign.
Note that it's essentially a come-on to get clients
to buy hosted streaming video presentations.
...
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Lots of feedback is still coming in regarding last week's
various threads (Napster, GlobalMedia, etc.). Look for more feedback
shortly...or discuss among yourselves
on the new RAIN Message Boards here.
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 We'll
send you RAIN's e-mail news updates on a regular basis,
plus bulletins when important news breaks. (In addition, we'll
appreciate knowing that you're reading our efforts -- and
you'll hopefully appreciate reminders to read RAIN.)
You should be receiving
a confirmation e-mail from us shortly.
Thanks!
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Try it
out! Explore
the wide world of Internet audio by clicking the screenshot above.
Miss an issue?
Visit the RAIN News Archives here.
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