You don't hear spots for CBS/Infinity-owned radio on Clear Channel- or AMFM- or Emmis-owned radio stations -- or vice versa. You don't see advertising for Macy's in Gimbles. And you don't see promotions for Burger King inside McDonald's.

But despite the fact that AOL spent hundreds of millions of dollars last year to buy multi-channel Internet-only music service Spinner, that doesn't stop promotions for multi-channel Internet-only music SonicNet from appearing prominently within AOL!

In fact, although Spinner seems to be at best infrequently featured on AOL's "Welcome" screen, the SHeDAISY promotion on AOL earlier this week (see screenshot above) was a direct link to SonicNet. And it turns out that SonicNet actually has its own keyword and proprietary section within AOL.

SonicNet, perhaps Spinner's most-direct competitor, is owned by MTVi -- although of course it's certainly possible that this deal was cut prior to MTVi's acquisition of the webcaster last year.

Even more suprisingly, though, the "Music" section of the web-based version of AOL, AOL.com, this week lists six "Top Sites" (see screenshot at left) -- and none of them are Spinner!

On a related note, although AOL and Yahoo! are in a heated competition for portal leadership, guess who's the provider of Yahoo! Radio's ten channels of music?

Of course: AOL's Spinner.







BY KURT HANSON
If you want to know what the world of wireless Internet is going to look like a year or two from now, but you want to live in that world today, the place to go is, I believe, Japan.

As last week's Business Week noted, "While Europeans lead in [cell] phones, Asians are kings of consumer electronics. As the mobile Internet advances into live video and stereo, Sony, Matsushita, and Samsung are likely to unleash an avalanche of multimedia phones. Most of them will be test-marketed first in Japan, home of the world's most advanced mobile Net."

That means that if you'd like me to report to you first-hand from where the action is -- i.e., from the home of the world's most advanced mobile Net -- then I have to get on an airplane and head for Tokyo.

All right, then, I'm on my way!

My plan is to arrive at Narita airport at 4PM Friday Tokyo time (which is only 1AM Friday CST). Upon arrival, I plan to immediately head by express train (see photo above) for Ikebukuro, the home electronics shopping capital of the world, where I intend to buy one of the newest cell phones I can find -- with wireless Internet access and MP3-playing ability and whatever other features they're offering -- so I can start to test the experience immediately.

Assuming I can find Internet access for my laptop -- which shouldn't be difficult, because almost every pay phone in Tokyo has a RJ-11 jack that lets you conveniently plug in any modem-equipped device -- and assuming my Sony VAIO laptop doesn't crash on me, I'll upload tomorrow's issue of RAIN before you wake up Friday morning with a progress report.

(However, if you're still seeing this issue of RAIN on Friday, that means I'm having trouble. Please check back again later in the weekend.)

While I'm on the airplane today, if you have specific questions you'd like me to investigate during my five days in Japan, or any recommendations you'd care to offer (people I should meet, restaurants, karaoke bars, etc.), please e-mail me here.

Or simply write to say "Gambatte!" ("Keep trying to give it your best effort!").




From a KNAC.com press release: "Hard rock icons the Rollins Band, Anthrax, Primer 55, Taproot, and Substance D, will headline the show as KNAC.com launches Karnival One at the Hollywood Palladium on Saturday evening March 4. In addition, many of metal music’s biggest stars will make cameos as the celebration becomes the year’s premier hard rock event both onstage and on the Net.

"The star-studded soiree, featuring the heaviest line-up of hard rock heroes past, present and future, will be Web cast live on KNAC.com beginning at 7PM PST. The multi-camera feed will give fans a virtual all-access pass, taking them on stage, backstage and into the VIP room, where KNAC.com DJs will monitor the action and chat with some of the many stars who are in the house that evening."

Event sponsors include Troma Films, Skechers, Apple Computers (sponsor of the webcast), Fireflies bodywear, Action Sports Network, Roadrunner Records, Noise Record, and Aggronation (a unit of DEN.net).

The press release continues, "KNAC.COM, powered by Enigma Digital, is hard rock's home on the Net. The site features a 24-hour live audio stream [and] hard rockin’ DJs that fans can watch on the studio cam."

If this is really a station-produced event -- and not merely a "presents" tagged onto somebody else's event -- then this, for an Internet-only station, seems pretty impressive.

Part Two:

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