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From CNET News: "A U.S. District Court judge has granted
a temporary injunction against Streambox in a lawsuit filed against
the software maker by RealNetworks last week. In the lawsuit, Seattle-based
RealNetworks charged Streambox with violation of the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act, copyright infringement and unfair competition, among
other allegations.
"The suit is focused on three Streambox software products,
including a product called the Ripper--software that converts CD
and RealAudio files to the popular MP3 format--and another called
the VCR, which records streaming media.
"Just last week, Microsoft took a $30 million stake in streaming
pioneer Intervu. The software giant also joined an investment coalition
that pumped $48 million into LoudEye, previously called Encoding.com,
which converts music and video into formats that can be distributed
over the Net..."
Read the full story here.
RAIN reader creates comprehensive
guide
to New Years Eve webcasts & webcams
"Several years ago, Kim Elliott at the Voice of America spent
his New Years Eve, listening to how the world celebrated using short-wave
radio to hear international and domestic stations ring in the New
Year..
 "It's
time to party like it's 1999. We have assembled a list of webcasters
(stations who transmit programs over the Internet), webcams (cameras
that take a photo every few seconds) and Internet only webcasters,
to usher in the New Year 2000..."
Check out Lou Josephs' guide here
(staging server, shown at right) or here
(live updates).
Sirius Satellite Radio gets
additional $200 million investment
From Radio Ink: "Sirius Satellite Radio (Nasdaq:
CDRD), the satellite radio broadcaster, today announced that Blackstone
Capital Partners III will purchase $200 million of newly issued
preferred stock in the company..." Click here
for the story.
From RBR: "The Blackstone Group purchased the stocks
using its Blackstone Capital Partners III fund which has approximately
$4B in equity capital. With this new deal, Sirius has, to date,
raised $1.2B. The deal is expected to close by mid-January 2000."
RBR is here.
CBS buys $7.6 million more
in
SportsLine.com stock
From R&R Online: "The broadcaster exercised warrants
that allowed it to purchase 380,000 shares of SportsLine.com at
$20 apiece. CBS now owns 4.04 million shares (16%) of the sports
site...According to their contract, CBS can buy another 1.96 million
shares at $23-45 each over the next two years..." Click here
for the full story in RROnline (subscription required).
MP3.com pays $190M in stock
for event website seeUthere
From Media Central: "MP3.com Inc., which posts music
from unsigned
bands on the Internet, on Wednesday said it was buying an event-planning
website to make it easier for artists to hold concerts, and saw
its shares rise by nearly a third.
"MP3.com said it was buying seeUthere.com, a privately held
website that helps musicians plan concerts and other events by offering
services like creating and sending invitations and selling tickets..."
At Wednesday's MP3 stock price, the purchase is worth around $190
million. Click here
for the full Reuters story.
Top-selling
MP3.com artist earns
$4,556 in November from downloads
From Gavin.com: "How (not) to get rich: Post music on
the 'net. The artist earning the most money from MP3.com's Payback
for Playback promotion pulled in an amazing...drum-roll, please...$4,556
in the month of November.
 "That's
the amount pulled in from the sale of audio downloads by the electronica
group Trance Control, and does not include sales of CD, concerts,
or merchandise..." Click here
for Gavin's story, which includes a chart of the top ten money-earners.
(Note: the #10 act earned barely over $1,000.)
New flat-panel Internet
appliance
coming in Q2 of next year
From CNet News: "In the latest bid to simplify Web surfing,
upstart Net appliance maker Qubit has teamed with software developer
Be for use of its Stinger operating system in a new line of wireless
devices.
 "Qubit
announced that it will adopt the Stinger OS from Be for its WebTablet,
a simplified Web surfing and email device that looks like an Etch
a Sketch. The product, due by the second quarter of next year, will
sell for around $400, according to the company.
"The WebTablet belongs to a family of pad products vying for
attention in the emerging market for easy-to-use appliances for
the home... The device lets users read on the Web or send email"
-- or tune in radio stations via the Internet (KH) -- "from
anywhere in the house.
"First announced a couple of years ago, limited-function Internet
appliances are now beginning to creep closer to actual products,
as opposed to pure hype."
Click here
for the full news story.
Microsoft continues battle with
RealNetwork
by buying Intervu stake
From CNET News (12/20): "Microsoft today moved
to expand its share of the streaming media market by taking a $30
million stake in Net streaming pioneer Intervu.
"Intervu said it plans to use the investment to expand its
broadband capabilities and to develop affordable applications based
on Microsoft's Windows Media software in an effort to lure a greater
number of users to streaming media.
"'Microsoft gains an ally in the war with RealNetworks,' Phil Leigh,
an analyst at Raymond James, wrote about his initial conclusions
on the investment...
"The investment allows Microsoft, which has been embroiled
in a long battle against rival RealNetworks in the streaming media
market, to bring its Media Player to a larger number of media content
companies. Recently, RealNetworks said it would focus its efforts
on being both a streaming media infrastructure company and a content
aggregator. Microsoft, on the other hand, is positioning its streaming
efforts to be an infrastructure player only.
Read the full CNET News story here.
Real bids close to $100 million
for entertainment search site Scour.net
From CNET News (11/9): "As part of its push to become
more of a Net media company, RealNetworks is offering to buy broadband
entertainment search site Scour.net, according to a source familiar
with the plan. Seattle-based Real has offered close to $100 million
for Scour, the source said. The deal is likely to be largely or
all in stock. Scour and Real executives declined comment. The offer
comes as Real is in the process of reinventing itself as more of
a media company, rather than as a firm focused solely on streaming
software..." Click here
to read more.
Want to read more? See menu at top left.
Season's greetings! More content coming all this week. Feel
free to check in regularly.
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