RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter

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From the San Francisco Chronicle: "About a month ago, a coalition of record industry and technology

companies challenged computer hackers around the world to try to crack six programs designed to keep digital music out of the hands of pirates.

"For the contest, the SDMI proposed six technologies that can be used to embed music with codes that prevent

songs from being illegally copied. To test these codes, the group launched a ``Hack SDMI'' challenge in September, offering $60,000 in prize money to hackers who successfully cracked the codes.

"In just three weeks, hackers came up with 447 possible ways to crack the Secure Digital Music Initiative's music protection technologies. And that number could have been greater because an unknown number of hackers boycotted the contest...

"Critics believe the results of the contest will show no technology can completely stop music fans from trading and downloading songs in the age of Napster and MP3s...

Read the entire story here.

But, according to Inside.com, SDMI Executive Director Leonardo Chiariglione denies the code has been cracked.

Read that story here.

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From StreamingMedia.com: "Music site Farmclub.com today unveiled new features including a web

radio.

"Farmclub Radio includes nine Internet audio stations that cater to a wide range of music like hip-hop, rock, alternative and unsigned bands. It will also include links to downloadable songs from established artists.

"In a deal with Eveo, Farmclub will allow musicians to create and distribute their own music videos. Farmclub also added a wide range of big name music videos to its site...

"Farmclub.com acts as a talent search company,

with synergy between its web site and a cable TV show. Fans log on to the web site and vote for their favorite unsigned musicians. Winners then perform during the Farmclub TV show (airing on the USA Network) alongside established artists."

Read the whole story here.

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From Business Wire: "Pet enthusiasts can now tune-in to a radio station that offers new pet features and

information every day from their computers with the launch of the 'Purina Radio Voyager Network.' Programming began from the Purina Dog Chow brand dog food and Purina Puppy Chow brand puppy food web sites on Monday.

"An alliance between Ralston Purina Company and the Radio Voyager Network, has created a first-of-its-kind online radio network which offers contemporary music, live news, original companion animal programming, and contests and promotions every hour.

"The Purina Radio Voyager

Network plans to expand the radio network to other Purina brand cat and dog food sites in the future."

For the press release, visit BusinessWire.com here, and search for "Purina".

From the RadioVoyager.com site: "The Radio Voyager Network is a 24-hour a day, seven-day a week

audio service that converges Internet webcasting with traditional radio for global listener reach. The English-language service is currently heard via a network of websites and radio outlets on three continents. The service connects listeners around the world and provides a unique multi-media advertising vehicle for multi-national Fortune 500 corporations."

Visit RadioVoyager here.

BY PAUL MALONEY
KPIG has brilliantly translated the homespun, laid-back, rustic feel of their rural Northern California radio station into one of the most successful webcast operations in the industry, not to mention a pretty good site.

Any other design approach to the site other than its "low-tech" look (and I mean that in a good way, really!) would be totally inappropriate, and would diffuse the spirit of KPIG. As out of place as the homemade-ish cartoon pig, grainy photos, and "fashion-unconscious"

T-shirts they sell would be on a techno-music site; the music and attitude of KPIG insist the reverse (a site with a flashy, cutting-edge interface) would be as incongruent.

That's not at all to say that KPIG doesn't play some sophisticated music. The Adult Alternative/singer-songwriter format (see playlist), delivered "freeform" where the DJs call the musical shots, can draw a pretty mature palate (in spite of having

a poor signal, the station frequently lands #1 25-54). But think more "adult" and less "alternative:" it's much more about John Hiatt and Indigo Girls than Third Eye Blind and Garbage.

High marks here for website resources like archived shows, a "cumulative" now playing feature (you can keep clicking back for a song-by-song history of what you've heard), and one of the most active message boards

we've seen on a webcaster's site (there's some listener passion!). Also impressive are the opportunity to rate any song you hear (and view other listeners' ratings), and a database of nearly every song and artist you might hear on The Pig.

The broadcast world's first streamed simulcast (they hit the Net in August of '95) remains out in front when it comes to listening technology. The stream is available in stereo or mono, on RealPlayer, WindowsMedia, and streaming MP3.

KPIG's success is a bright light for the entire industry, one of the "happy ending" stories for which we've all been looking lately. Oink!

We'll send you a brief daily summary of each day's stories with a clickable link to the RAIN home page.

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November 5-7	NAB European Radio Conference, Berlin
November 12-14	Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) "Broadcasting 2000: On-air / On-line," Calgary
Nov. 28-Dec. 1	Radio Ink Internet Conference, Santa Clara, CA, featuring a brand-new national study on Internet radio usage presented by Eric Rhoads & Kurt Hanson
February 1-4, 2001	RAB 2001. Details coming soon.

xxx

Try it out! Explore the wide world of Internet audio by clicking the screenshot above.