Stay tuned to RAIN for more updates on various parties' performance royalty rate proposals for 2005-2010, as well as more analysis on the news as it breaks.

From Media Daily News: "America Online and Warner Bros. today will announce an ambitious initiative to make scores of old WB programs available on demand on the Web. Streams of the programs will be available for free to all online users.

"AOL will launch the service, dubbed In2TV, in January with at least 40 old shows, ranging from the campy 'Wonder Woman' to the cult favorite 'Babylon 5,' to the family drama 'Eight is Enough.' AOL plans to rollout around 60 additional programs throughout the year...

"In2TV will include six channels — comedy, drama, animation, superheroes/villains, action, and classics — and each will carry different shows... Only a handful of the programs are available in some form on DVD... For instance, Warner Bros. put out a "Welcome Back Kotter" [pictured left] DVD, but it contained just six episodes out of 95...

"The company intends to offer marketers in-stream video ads, banners, and other sponsorship opportunities — for example, the prize for winning a quiz might be a free music download from a sponsor. The 15- and 30-second streaming video ads will run as pre-roll and once per half-hour episode at the original commercial break; they will be limited to one to two minutes within each 30-minute episode.

"The streams will be configured so viewers can't fast-forward past the ads — a feature of growing importance to marketers."

Read this story at Media Daily News.

From PC Magazine: "Today, Mercora unveiled a new version of [Mercora IMRadio, a way of sharing copyrighted digital music over the Internet] that ties into the Google Talk instant-messaging network.

"As with past versions of Mercora, you can listen to songs that other users are 'broadcasting' across the Net, but it also gives you complete access to the music collections of your Google Talk buddies, letting you play any of their songs at any time...

"In many cases, as you stream songs to your desktop, you can actually record them for later listening. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act prohibits this sort of VCR-like 'time-shifting' over the Web, but only if songs are broadcast from within the United States... The service shows you where each broadcast originates from and won't record a song unless it's coming from outside your country...

"At installation, the client gives you the option of inviting your Google Talk 'buddies' to join your Mecora 'friends' list, and if they accept your invitation, you have ready access to any song on their machine anytime they're online, and they have ready access to any of yours...

"The company also offers Mecora IMRadio mobile, which lets you use the service from any Wi-Fi- or GPRS-equipped PocketPC or PocketPC phone...

"Mecora tried offering IMRadio as a subscription service, but too many users complained. All revenue comes from advertising. The company is also considering the possibility of inserting audio ads between songs. At the moment, however, all channels are commercial-free.

Read the full story from PCMagazine.com.

From Reuters: "Virgin Group Ltd. on Monday is set to launch Virgin Digital Red Pass... In addition to its library and package of editorial and other features, Red Pass undercuts other services by offering unlimited access for $7.99 a month without a contract...

"Red Pass also provides 60 professionally programmed Internet radio stations, CD ripping and burning provisions and a host of other new features.

"All downloaded tracks can be transferred to portable music players that are certified 'Plays for Sure,' which includes many devices that can play songs in Microsoft's WMA format. Apple Computer's iPod devices are not compatible with any subscription service.

"One of Red Pass' unusual features is that users can let their subscription lapse, yet all of their downloaded music and options will be restored when the account is reactivated... Among its other features [is] a button that automatically fills any compatible portable player, laptop computer or mobile phone with a personalized selection of music."

Read the story online at Reuters.com.