Indie News Beat - 08/11/2004

INDIE NEWS BEAT 
November 8, 2004 Edition
* DJ Jaspa Lends Music To Innovative X-Box Game
* UK And European Independents Appeal Sony BMG Merger
* Pathbreaking Forum on Creative Industries
* Snoop Dogg - "The Puff Puff Pass Tour" Debuting On DVD
* Creative and Media Business Alliance Launches
* Musicnotes' Royalty Payments Pass $1 Million Mark
* A New Era In Portable Entertainment Electronics
* Enter The Garage Radio Don't Look Down Giveaway
* FTC To Host Two-day Peer-to-peer File-sharing Workshop
* 7 Arrested In Major Investigation On CD-R Piracy In Italy
* RIP Terry Knight, 1943-2004
* Lead Singer Of Doug & The Slugs Passes Away

New Frontiers: DJ Jaspa Lends Music To Innovative X-Box Game

Music is always finding exciting opportunities for synergy, in particular, fresh mergers of sound and media to create an even greater effect. Over the past few years, musicians have been getting more involved in the video gaming industry, lending their luscious tracks to the game's visceral ambience. In the footsteps of this growing trend, underground Canadian DJ/producer and lyricist DJ Jaspa has joined B-Real of Cypress Hill and various other artists on the soundtrack for Greg Hasting's Tournament Paintball published on X-box. The game is the brainchild of WXP and is the first venture into the genre for the video industry.

Jaspa has 3 tracks from his debut album "A Long Time Coming" featured on the video game which will be available in four languages and distributed by Activision. The tracks, as well as the entire album, are a stylized freshman effort described by Fmagazine as "an eclectic mix of house, trance and techno, minus the hardcore head-bleeding."

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UK And European Independents Appeal Sony BMG Merger

Independent music companies are appealing the decision of the European Commission on 19 July 2004 to approve the Sony/BMG merger. The Commission's decision was notified to IMPALA on 23 September 2004. The independents decided to appeal following a vote by the IMPALA board and consultation at national level, both of which showed overwhelming support for the appeal. This is the first time an approval of a merger in the entertainment sector has been appealed.

The independents want to address the market imbalance and play their part in establishing a fair and competitive market place. They owe this to their consumers and music fans. AIM and IMPALA members have already committed the necessary finances for the appeal to a fund which has now been made open to interested parties who wish to show their support.

The European Commission recognises that independents are marginalised and have increasing difficulty in competing. Its decision to approve the merger goes against this and its responsibility to promote competition, consumer choice and diversity. When the market favours the strong multinational companies, anti-trust regulators need to address the market failures and also safeguard the potential of the emerging digital business for all players - large and small.

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Pathbreaking Forum on Creative Industries

Participants lauded the recently concluded forum on creative industries and trade. "The workshop has been a tremendous success. It was very well attended, having brought together a diverse group of stakeholders in the regional creative industries. Importantly, this unique forum has enabled them to conceptualize and outline the interests of the industries, and identify how they can be brought forward to the negotiating table as regards the region's external trade negotiations effort." This was the view of Mr. Ian Randle, a participant in the forum and a leading regional publisher.

The Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM) conducted a two-day 'Regional Workshop on the Impact of Trade and Technology on Caribbean Creative Industries' that took place in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on October 28-29th. The activity was part of a CRNM project on the creative industries funded by the European PROINVEST/TRINNEX program for the private sector. The workshop brought together key stakeholders involved in the cultural or creative sectors (music; performing/visual arts; motion picture and video; publishing; fashion/glamour; radio, television and cable broadcasting) from across the Caribbean to examine the culture-trade interface, and discuss issues of common and specific concern.

A common theme throughout the workshop was that the region's creative industries are already very important and have the potential of adding significant new economic value to Caribbean economies. External trade negotiations must provide avenues for maximizing trade in creative sectors by securing greater and wider market access for Caribbean cultural goods and services. But at the same time, domestic policy space must be maintained for governments to support this sector.

In this regard, there was a spirited discussion on the regulatory aspects and the commercial policy environment of Caribbean countries and their effects on the creative industries. Numerous workshop participants stressed the urgent need to put in place the appropriate regulatory and policy measures for an enabling environment for creative industries to realize their full growth potential. The workshop unanimously agreed that the effective protection of intellectual property rights is critical to the success of all creative industries. The attitude of the banking and financial system towards intellectual capital also needs to be addressed urgently since creative firms seldom have physical capital or collateral. The lack of access to finance is a major constraint to the further growth of this sector.

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Snoop Dogg - "The Puff Puff Pass Tour" Debuting On DVD

Join Snoop, Nate Dogg, Warren G, Bishop Don "Majic" Juan, and many more as they take their fans on the legendary Puff Puff Pass Tour. Get a personal look at Snoop as he takes his camera where no camera has gone before. Debuting on DVD November 16th, SNOOP DOGG: THE PUFF PUFF PASS TOUR gives fans an all-access, back stage pass to never before seen footage ­ catch a look at what REALLY happened behind the scenes.

SNOOP DOGG: THE PUFF PUFF PASS TOUR features exclusive footage of this exciting tour, which covered 29 cities across the United States including, New York, Dallas, Atlanta, St. Louis, Chicago and many more. The DVD features live performances of well-known hits, such as "The Next Episode," "Gin & Juice" and "Murda Was the Case." The program also reveals Snoop's more personal side, his family and his advice to up-and-coming rappers.

As an added bonus, SNOOP DOGG: THE PUFF PUFF PASS TOUR, takes viewers behind the scenes of the NORML Conference (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) with legends such as Ed Rosenthal, Jeff Jones, Jack Herer and High Times Magazine editor Steve Bloom.

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Putting The Creative And Media Industries At The Centre Of Plan To Make EU The Leading Knowledge-driven Economy

A group of Europe's top creative businesses, media and industry associations have joined forces today to launch the Creative and Media Business Alliance to give the sector a strong and united voice in Brussels. This launch coincides with the presentation today of the Kok report which assesses the EU's progress towards creating the world's most competitive knowledge-driven economy by 2010.

The Alliance calls for a re-thinking of the "Lisbon Agenda" which sets out the EU's plan for achieving a knowledge-driven economy. The results achieved so far are unsatisfactory, or even "a failure", according to the just-published Kok Report. No substantial progress has been made with growth and employment in Europe in the past five years, let alone with competitiveness.

One of the failures of the Lisbon agenda is its one-sided focus on new technologies. This approach neglects the fact that a dynamic and competitive Information Society will not be created by hardware technology and distribution networks alone. Creative and media businesses are more than a mere driver for technology deployment or 'added value' to the Lisbon Agenda. They are the true value of the Information Society.

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Musicnotes' Royalty Payments To Publishers/Songwriters For Digital Content Pass $1 Million Mark

Musicnotes, Inc. announced today that with its September quarter royalty payments the company has passed the $1 million mark in digital royalties paid to music publishers and the songwriters they represent. Musicnotes started sending royalty checks to publishers in 2000, but the bulk of royalties have been paid in 2003 and 2004.

"The digital sheet music market is growing rapidly as consumer awareness builds," stated Musicnotes' Chairman Tim Reiland. "We have sold over 600,000 downloads since mid-2000 and should sell over 300,000 downloads in 2004 alone. Although these numbers are smaller than the audio market, our average selling price per download is $4-5, approximately five times the price point of a digital audio download."

"We offer generous royalty payments to publishers and songwriters," said Musicnotes' CEO Kathleen Marsh. "To borrow a phrase from a recent article in Wired Magazine, we believe Musicnotes is a quintessential 'Long Tail' on-line business, and we believe the ultimate market size for sheet music is some multiple of the current $1 billion worldwide market. Publishers and songwriters who have embraced our business model are starting to receive meaningful royalty checks. We expect this to grow rapidly in the quarters and years ahead."

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The iRiver PMP140 And PMP120 Herald A New Era In Portable Entertainment Electronics

The iRiver PMP series offers a striking design, 3.5'' colour screen, a Linux-based operating system and support for all standard video and audio formats.

iRiver, the leading provider of innovative portable audio and video solutions in the digital entertainment segment, has launched its new Portable Media Player (PMP). The perfect travelling companion, the iRiver PMP is the most versatile entertainment device available on the market today, with the ability to watch movies, listen to music, check out the latest news headlines on the radio and even view your latest snapshots, since shots taken on a digital camera can be downloaded to the PMP in seconds. Available in 20 and 40GB versions, the Linux-based operating system sets the iRiver PMP apart from the personal media centres (PMCs) currently on the market by offering the ability to play MP3, ASF, WMA and WAV audio files, as well as numerous video formats, including AVI in MPEG4, DivX and XviD.

The iRiver PMP offers a market leading array of features and functions including: a built-in FM tuner; microphone; USB on-the-go function for direct data transfer from other mobile products; and a line-in to record straight from external audio sources. The 3.5" display shows up to 260,000 colours and displays films, photos or e books in crystal-clear resolution. Users also have the option of watching movies or viewing photo slideshows on a TV screen (with no loss of resolution) via a TV output channel (NTSC or PAL).

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Enter The Garage Radio Don't Look Down Giveaway

Garage Radio, Nitro Records and The Roadrash Bash are excited to give 5 lucky people the opportunity to win the new CD from Don't Look Down, "The Fear In Love."

To qualify, all you have to do is become a Garage Radio member, listen to The RoadRash Bash on New Artist Radio and identify the Don't Look Down song played on the show. Then, send the name of the song along with your Garage Radio username and valid email address to contest@garageradio.com. Five people will be lucky enough to win a copy of "The Fear In Love" in a random drawing. Contest ends on 11.15.04 ... so HURRY!

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FTC To Host Two-day Peer-to-peer File-sharing Workshop

The Federal Trade Commission will host a public workshop, "Peer-to-Peer File-Sharing Technology: Consumer Protection and Competition Issues," to explore consumer protection and competition issues associated with the distribution and use of peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing. The workshop will be held December 15 and 16, 2004. It is free and open to the public.

A Federal Register Notice to be published shortly says the workshop is intended to provide an opportunity to learn how P2P file-sharing works and to discuss current and future applications of the technology. The workshop will focus on:
* The uses of P2P file-sharing technology;
* The role of P2P file-sharing technology in the economy;
* Identification and disclosure of P2P file-sharing software program risks;
* Technological solutions to protect consumers from risks associated with P2P file- sharing software programs;
* P2P file-sharing and music distribution; and
* P2P file-sharing and its impact on copyright holders.

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7 Arrested In Major Investigation On CD-R Piracy In Italy

In one of the largest CD-R music and DVD piracy cases in Naples, the Fiscal Police and the District Attorney's office, assisted by FPM Anti-Piracy Unit, arrested seven people who were involved in the manufacturing and distribution of counterfeit music CD-Rs, movie DVDs and PC games.

At a press conference, Saturday, the Public Prosecutor, Francesco Soviero and the head of the GdF announced the end of "Operation Jolly Roger" which led to the arrest of the leaders of four criminal organizations involved in the illegal audiovisual piracy in Naples. More than 32 people are under investigation for conspiring to infringe the copyright. Those arrested are Pasquale and Francesco Esposito, Luigi and Giovanni Bergamé, Antonio and Vincenzo Pelliccia, Angelo Frattasio. The investigation started one year ago and led to several seizures of high speed cd-burners (140 in one location, in early 2003) and a total of 3 millions music cds, dvds, videogames, PSX software and inlay cards. Four major printing facilities were also seized. The Judge for the Preliminary Investigation, Aldo Esposito, who signed the arrest warrants said "piracy has now replaced cigarette smuggling in Naples" and it is a "business very attractive for organized crime linked to the loc! al mafia"

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RIP Terry Knight, 1943-2004, Statement From Grand Funk's Don Brewer

TERRY KNIGHT was murdered defending his daughter at his home in Killeen, TX on the night of Nov. 1. It is with sadness that Grand Funk Railroad issues a statement regarding the death of Terry Knight.

"We were shocked to here that Terry had been murdered. Even though we have not had a friendly relationship with Terry over the last 30 years it still was very distressing to hear of his death.

"Terry Knight was instrumental in the birth and early success of Grand Funk Railroad from 1969 to 1972. Having been a former bandmate in previous bands with Grand Funk's Don Brewer and Mark Farner (The Pack, and Terry Knight and the Pack) Knight later became manager and producer of Grand Funk Railroad. During those years Grand Funk sold millions of records and toured the world as one of the biggest rock bands of all time even selling out Shea Stadium in NYC faster than The Beatles.

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Doug Bennett, Lead Singer Of Doug & The Slugs, Passes Away

We regret to inform you that Doug Bennett, lead singer of Doug & The Slugs, died on Saturday, October 16th at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary. He was admitted to hospital on October 9th, suffering acute symptoms from a long-standing illness. He lost consciousness soon after his arrival and remained in a coma on life support until he passed away.

Mr. Bennett was born in Toronto in 1951, moved to Vancouver in 1973 and formed Doug & The Slugs in 1977. Doug wrote a number of hits for the band including; Too Bad, Day By Day, Making It Work, Tomcat Prowl, among others. He toured with The Slugs extensively throughout Canada and the US over the past 27 years.

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Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © Tag It 2004 - Republished with Permission