TECH ME, I’M YOURS
WHAT A GIRL WANTS IS ANOTHER CREDIT CARD
BMG Entertainment and Capital One Bank have teamed up to offer BMG Visa, a credit card aimed at music fans. The BMG Visa features the InMusic Rewards Program, where cardholders can earn three points for every dollar spent in the BMG Music Service, and one point per dollar for other purchases.
Cardholders can use the points toward CDs, concert tickets and audio equipment. Applications can be found online at www.bmgvisa.com. New cardholders will receive a free CD after their first purchase. Until January 1, 2001, a portion of all transactions will benefit the Christina Aguilera Foundation, which helps abused and homeless children. Said Aguilera: "I'm so pleased to be part of this program, especially because a portion of every BMG Visa transaction will support the Christina Aguilera Foundation's efforts to help kids in need. I am grateful for the success I've had over the past year and am glad that the BMG Visa will be helping me to help others." Aguilera plans to help build a children's shelter in her hometown of Pittsburgh, where she'll teach the youths in need how to apply black eye makeup and bleach their hair.
GETTING' MORE E-TAIL
Microsoft's MSN and Amazon.com will extend and expand their e-tail partnership. Under the new agreement, Amazon.com will receive more placement and merchandising opportunities on the MSN Network. Said Amazon.com Vice President of Business Development Owen Van Natta: "We're delighted to renew our relationship with the MSN Network of sites. Our goal is to help consumers find and discover anything they want to buy online, and our affiliation with MSN, the world's most popular internet destination, will help make that possible." While experts agree hitsdailydouble.com is, in fact, the most popular Web site ever, our morality clause limits our placements to liquor, guns and escort services.
YOU WIN SOME…
Warner Music Group is expanding its digital music distribution with Liquid Audio. Starting November 1, approximately 100 singles and Internet-exclusive tracks will be available from artists including Busta Rhymes, Hootie & the Blowfish, k.d. lang, Matchbox Twenty, Luis Miguel and Orgy. U.S. and Canadian music buyers can purchase the tracks via Liquid Audio's digital delivery at Mediaplay.com, Samgoody.com, Suncoast.com, Oncue.com, Towerrecords.com and Checkout.com. WMG struck a similar deal with RealNetworks last month.
YOU LOSE SOME…
Liquid Audio Senior VP/CFO Gary Iwatani has resigned from the company. Iwatani is making the move to a privately held, venture-capital-funded Netco. Corporate controller Lyman Yip will assume his finance management duties. Said President/CEO Gerry Kearby: "[Gary] added creativity, energy and leadership to our management team. We wish him the very best in the next phase of his career. And we hope the door doesn't hit him in the ass on his way out... Hey, we kid because we love."
CALL ME DOWNLOADABLE
A group of songs off Paul Simon's new album, "You're The One," have been released on MP3.com. The title track, along with "Old," "That's Where I Belong" and "Hurricane Eye" are available for download. "You're The One," which comes out Tuesday (10/3) on Warner Brothers, is Simon's first solo album in 11 years. Said MP3.com's Michael Robertson: "Paul Simon has always been among the leaders in blazing new trails musically and culturally and it should come as no surprise that he brings the same pioneering spirit to distributing new music on the Internet. Especially the way he deleted Garfunkel."
MAYBE IT WAS DRUG RESEARCH…
The 2000 Winter Olympic Games may have scored a television ratings low, but the events were high among Lycos users. For the second week, the Olympics earned the top spot in the Lycos Top 50. Lycos users also searched Halloween, Dragonball, Britney Spears, CBS' "Big Brother," football, Napster, tattoos, WWF and pro wrestler Chyna. For full results, go to http://50.lycos.com.
SOMEONE SHOULD DO THIS WITH PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE…
Live music portal Musictoday and online ticketer Ticketweb are pooling their resources. Ticketweb will carry Musictoday's local and national concert and venue listings, while Musictoday will be able to sell tickets to the events. The two sites are also plotting to storm the NBC studios in Burbank, in a fiendish plot to bring "Freaks and Geeks" back on air.
HOW 'BOUT ALL DRUNKEN HILLBILLY MUSIC, ALL THE TIME?
MusicMatch has unveiled its personal MP3 radio. The MusicMatch Jukebox 6.0 features personalized MP3 radio, by which fans can access customized radio stations matching their tastes within the various MusicMatch communities. Four types of customized stations will be offered; My Station creates playlists based on music the user already selected. Artist Match creates a station by a selected artist's work, as well as similar artists. Station Match mixes genres and formats. Popular Formats features genres programmed by radio industry veterans. MusicMAtch execs were dismayed to find out WKRP's Johnny Fever and Venus Flytrap are not real radio vets, and cannot head up their "Radio Luv Network."
