THIS WEEK IN THE MUSIC BIZ August 30, 2005 Edition
* David Ring Promoted To Senior VP Of Business Affairs & Business Development For Universal Music Group's ELabs
* The Urban Network Inks Strategic Partnership Deal in Europe with One Solution International
* PassAlong.com To Deliver Music Through Yahoo! Audio Search
* First-Ever Recording Arts Day On Sept. 7
* Carol Lipkin Named CFO, BMG Music Publishing Worldwide
* NetMusic Inks Content Acquisition Deal With South Asia's Number 1 Digital Music And Film Provider
* MusicGremlin Announces Connectivity Agreements With Leading Free Wifi Hot Spot Providers
* RIAA Lauds State Criminal Action Against A Peer-To-Peer Hub Operator
* MTV Video Music Awards Merge With On-Demand Access To Offer Audience The Ultimate Experience With 'My VMAs'
Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, has promoted David Ring to Senior Vice President of Business Affairs and Business Development for eLabs, the company's division responsible for handling electronic commerce initiatives, Internet exploitation, and new technology business opportunities. The announcement was made by eLabs President Larry Kenswil and Executive Vice President Amanda Marks. Formerly, Mr. Ring served as Vice President of the division. He will continue to head eLabs' Business & Legal Affairs team and will continue his ongoing Business Development duties.
"David's promotion is well deserved and recognizes his incredible work ethic and outstanding performance," stated Ms. Marks. "Since joining eLabs at its inception, he has displayed a keen sense of strategy in a rapidly changing business environment and an unwavering commitment to our labels and artists. David will continue to be instrumental in helping to take UMG to new heights in an increasingly challenging marketplace."
Prior to joining UMG in March of 1996, Mr. Ring was in private practice representing, among others, recording artists, labels, writers, and producers. He has also worked as an associate at the Los Angeles law firms of Phillips, Nizer, Benjamin, Krim & Riley and Rosenberg, Nagler & Phillips, where he handled intellectual property and business litigation with an emphasis on music and other entertainment-related issues. He holds a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of California, Berkeley.
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One Solution International a leading European Entertainment, Music & Media Network Consultancy Company, and the Los Angeles-based Urban Network, the premier print and online portal bridging the urban community, today announce a new Strategic Partnership marketing agreement.
The deal enables Urban Network to offer its extensive and highly-desirable US marketing and promotional services to recording artists and music-based companies in Europe via One Solution International. Importantly, One Solution International will offer sales and marketing opportunities to Urban Network's multi-million-person subscriber base, with additional opportunities for physical and online distribution services.
"Through this strategic alliance between Urban Network & One Solution International, gone are the days of Artists and Labels having limited or no access to quality marketing, networking, promotions and distribution from UK to US and US to UK. This could only mean a win-win situation for the Urban music industry," says Cary George Chairman, One Solution International.
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PassAlong.com To Deliver Music Through Yahoo! Audio Search
PassAlong.com, a division of PassAlong Networks, the only music company with the innovative Passing-and-Points program, announced that it is providing music through the new Yahoo! Audio Search beta application, the most open and comprehensive index of audio files on the Web.
PassAlong.com joins other companies to provide users access to over 50 million audio files including podcasts, music downloads, albums and spoken word such as newscasts, speeches, and interviews. Yahoo! Audio Search is currently available through Yahoo! Next at: http://audio.search.yahoo.com
"We are excited to offer consumers using Yahoo!'s new search the capability to pass links of newly discovered songs to their friends, multiplying the impact of Yahoo!'s service and encouraging the discovery of new music," said Dave Jaworski, CEO of Passalong Networks. "We are thrilled to add PassAlong.com's catalogue of over one million songs to the service, including thousands of independent artists to help fans broaden their horizons."
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The first-ever Recording Arts Day on Capitol Hill will take place Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2005, in partnership with the Recording Arts and Sciences Congressional Caucus (RASCC), The Recording Academy, and numerous music industry groups and associations. More than 50 music professionals from across the country will participate in this grassroots advocacy day designed to inform policy makers of the important role the recording arts play in the nation's culture and economy; stress the value of music education (especially in cultivating the next generation of artists); and raise the profile of the recording arts during meetings with legislators. Participating artists include songwriter Desmond Child ("Livin' La Vida Loca"), three-time GRAMMY winner Gloria Estefan, musician/"American Idol" judge Randy Jackson, producer and three-time GRAMMY winner Jimmy Jam, saxophonist Dave Koz, and jazz guitarist and GRAMMY winner Earl Klugh among many others. Recording Arts Day wil! l include:
* The Power of Music: Gloria Estefan will mentor young musicians, culminating in a unique jam session with members of Congress and other guest artists;
* Meetings and briefings with recording arts professionals and other key policy makers; and
* GRAMMYs on the Hill: The Recording Academy's annual Advocacy event will honor Estefan, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).
"The music community needs an annual presence in Washington to promote our unified message: Recording arts and sciences are an essential contributor and vital element of our nation's culture and economy," said Recording Academy President Neil Portnow. "And we are looking forward to capping off a successful, first-ever Recording Arts Day by celebrating the efforts of this year's deserving honorees at our annual GRAMMYs on the Hill event."
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Carol Lipkin Named CFO, BMG Music Publishing Worldwide
Carol Lipkin has been promoted to the newly-created post of chief financial officer, BMG Music Publishing Worldwide, it was announced by the company's Chairman and CEO, Nicholas Firth.
Based in New York, Lipkin will continue to oversee all Finance and Administration activities for BMG Music Publishing's worldwide businesses including Copyright and Royalty operations and their international hubs. She continues to report directly to Firth.
"Carol has been an integral part of BMG Music Publishing's management team since our inception," said Firth. "She has been instrumental in the more than 240 acquisitions which the company has made since 1987 and in establishing our administrative procedures worldwide."
Lipkin joined BMG after a successful career at CBS Songs. Prior to CBS, she was at Ernst & Whinney.
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NetMusic Inks Content Acquisition Deal With South Asia's Number 1 Digital Music And Film Provider
NetMusic Entertainment Corporation announced that the company has closed a deal to distribute a large variety of Bollywood films and Hindu language music from hungama.com, a subsidiary and content distribution arm of South Asia's largest media marketing firms, Virtual Marketing India Pvt. Ltd., operating under the DBA of "Branding Brands" brandingbrands.net and indiafm.com.
The deal will launch NetMusic and its wholesale distribution partners into the exploding growth market of foreign language content. NetMusic will be able to market this entertainment to consumers both in the U.S. and across the globe. The company expects to begin generating significant revenues from foreign content by the fourth quarter of this year.
According to NetMusic Chairman and CEO, Glen Starchman, "We've been aggressively pursuing the foreign content and foreign language markets for over a year, and now those efforts are starting to be positioned exactly as we have desired. Reports have indicated a market of well over one million consumers in the U.S. alone for the content from this deal, not to mention even larger bases in Europe and Asia. We have always believed that the revenue opportunities for this type of material are substantial, and with this acquisition, we intend to deliver upon that belief."
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MusicGremlin Announces Connectivity Agreements With Leading Free Wifi Hot Spot Providers
MusicGremlin, Inc., the leading developer of wireless, direct-to-device music distribution technology and services, announced that it has signed WiFi access agreements with Austin, Texas-based Less Networks Wireless, LLC and Dayton, Ohio-based HarborLink Network, LLC. The two companies will make their networks interoperable with MusicGremlin-enabled portable digital audio players right out of the box. With no software installation hassles to endure or special codes to enter, consumers will be able to enjoy unlimited, free WiFi access at participating locations throughout the United States.
MusicGremlin licenses its technology to major consumer electronics companies, with the first-generation of portable devices scheduled for launch during the 2005 holiday season. By launch, the company anticipates there will be more than 10,000 MusicGremlin-ready public hot spots nationwide, giving users of MusicGremlin-enabled portable players instant access to the company's ground-breaking music service. HarborLink's hot spots currently provide coverage in 22 states, while Less Networks' coverage includes 31 cities in nine states.
"Free hot spot operators like Less Networks and HarborLink are an important component of the MusicGremlin customer experience, and we are delighted by their participation," said Pat Shah, MusicGremlin's Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. "We look forward to announcing additional agreements in the future with both free and pay hot spot operators that will offer our customers the broadest possible coverage to wirelessly access digital music whenever they are on the go," he added.
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RIAA Lauds State Criminal Action Against A Peer-To-Peer Hub Operator
Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley announced a guilty plea of conspiracy to commit grant theft in the first criminal Internet file-sharing case brought in California. According to the DA's office, the individual involved ran an Internet file-sharing hub that allowed users to trade large amounts of music, movies, television shows, and games with others. The Recording Industry Association of America issued the following statement from Brad Buckles, Executive Vice President, Anti-Piracy.
"With the conviction of a peer-to-peer operator for conspiracy to commit grand theft, California law enforcement officials have taken a strong stand to protect the thousands of artists, songwriters, sound engineers and producers whose work is threatened by the online theft of music. This action sends a clear message that the illegal distribution of music and other content to millions of Internet users around the world is stealing and will be treated as seriously as the theft of physical property.
"The online theft of music  whether on rogue file-sharing networks or in piracy distribution groups  directly affects our ability to invest in new bands and new music that fans want to hear. Along with our partners in the music community, many of whom live and work in the Los Angeles area, we applaud the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office and the Southern California High Tech Task Force for their commitment to the enforcement of our intellectual property laws."
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What do you get when you merge one of the biggest music events on television with on-demand access to bonus performances and original content available no where else? MTV today announced "My VMAs," where users can customize their own VMA experience on MTV's new broadband video channel, MTV Overdrive (overdrive.mtv.com).
Officially launching on August 29th following the live VMA broadcast, "My VMAs," a dedicated channel within MTV Overdrive, will allow viewers to re-live and re-mix their VMA experience by combining their favorite moments from the star-studded night with exclusive, bonus segments, all available in an a la carte, on-demand menu. The expanded VMA footage will include in-depth "white" carpet fashion coverage; arrivals by tricked out cars; backstage artist interviews; as well as more music performances produced especially for Overdrive. "My VMAs" puts control in the hands of music fans and allows them to experience the VMAs the way they want.
"My VMAs will be a true hybrid viewer experience where the audience can either lean back and watch the show as it unfolds or lean forward and create their own unique version of the show on demand," said Van Toffler, MTV Networks Music Group President. "We know our viewers enjoy watching the show live with their friends, but we also know they are looking for the added experience of being able to customize their own VMA -- re-watching their favorite moments and performances or creating their own director's cut with highlights from their favorite artists -- and that's exactly why we created MTV Overdrive."
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Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © Tag It 2005 - Republished with Permission
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