TECH IT TO THE LIMIT

E-STATIC
Things are looking rosier for EMusic.com. The digital download service has reported increased earnings for the fiscal first quarter, ending Sept. 30. EMusic's earnings of $4.6 million were up 23% from the last quarter. The company's music revenues increased a whopping 195% to $1.5 million. In addition, EMusic has sold more than three million songs. Said EMusic President/CEO Gene Hoffman: "This quarter, we not only strengthened our business by increasing revenue and decreasing operating costs, but we added new opportunities for our customers to discover and experience music, including an inexpensive subscription program and quality recognized artists." EMusic.com has added new releases by John Hiatt, Slash, Ricky Skaggs, Dan Hicks, Southern Culture on the Skids and Tiffany to its roster. The company is now issuing dividends in the form ofsouvenir mouse pads.

KNOWING ME, KNOWING UNIX
IBM and RealNetworks have teamed up to provide Internet media solutions for IBM's UNIX server line. Using RealNetworks' RealSystem, UNIX customers can add high-quality digital streaming audio and video to their Web sites and internal applications. By internal applications, they mean intranet and extranet, not the ever-popular alien anal probes. We think.

LET YOUR SPOTLIGHT SHINE
Digital music destination Riffage has shed light on "Riffage Spotlight," an online roundup of indie acts. The bands will be showcased alongside the established BMG and Universal Music Group artists who inspired them. The section also contains profiles of famous special-guest artists and streaming or downloadable music. Dido is the first artist to grab the spotlight. Upcoming acts include Rachael Sage, Karry Walker and Ann Hudspeth. Other scheduled performers include Outkast, Toni Braxton, Jay-Z, Eminem, Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise and the Who. We make sure to get our daily allowance of roughage everyday. Oh, you said Riffage?

TICKLING THE IVORIES FOR A WORTHY CAUSE
Entertainer Dudley Moore wants to draw attention to Progressive Supranuclear Palsey with his new CD. "Dudley Moore-Live From An Aircraft Hangar" is Moore's first release since being diagnosed with the rare, degenerative condition that affects some 20,000 people. PSP affects balance, speech and swallowing, and causes those stricken to become bedridden or wheelchair-bound. Sales of the CD will benefit the Dudley Moore Research Fund For PSP, as well as Music For All Seasons, which brings music to confined audiences in nursing homes, hospitals and prisons. "Dudley Moore-Live From An Aircraft Hangar," which culled Moore's 1992 concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, is available through Amazon.com and his own DudleyCD.com site. The CD can be purchased by everyone, not just six-foot-plus blondes, but does not include a version of Ravel's "Bolero."

BUY, BUY, BUY
NSYNC's Lance Bass is the latest teen dream to become an interactive PC-pal. The singer joins bandmates Chris Kirkpatrick and Justin Timberlake as a real-time character created by MediaX Internet design studio. Bass and his pals can help navigate around the band's official site, let fans in on NSYNC secrets and take fans to secret parts of the site. Animated dopplegangers of Joey Fatone and J.C. Chasez are soon to come, and they're reportedly pissed at being left for last.