TECH ME, I'M YOURS
Sirius Satellite Radio announced the appointment of Joseph Clayton as President/CEO. Sirius is launching its national satellite radio service on Valentine's Day, though we don't recommend giving it as a gift—flowers are much more romantic. Clayton comes from Global Crossing, an international Internet and long distance service provider. "I'm very excited to take the helm of Sirius," said Clayton. "I've always wanted to go into outer space."
EMI OPENS VIDEO STREAMING
EMI and UK-based Newsplayer Group announced a five-year pact to license EMI's videos for NPG's upcoming VideoTV streaming service, which, despite its name, is an online subscription service. NPG expects to launch the subservice next March. The license is non-exclusive and includes currents and catalog video. As part of the deal, EMI will take a small equity stake in the company and get free access to Newsplayer Group's office beer cooler.
OU812, ER, OD2
Warner Music International has signed a licensing deal with On Demand Distribution (OD2) for recordings on OD2's WebAudioNet subscription platform. WMI's music will be available for subscription via European on-line retailers and portals using the WebAudioNet platform. Subscribers can either pick a fixed number of tracks or receive a pre-selected playlist that will include catatlog and current releases. Tracks are delivered to users via a secure digital format. OD2 was co-founded by Peter Gabriel and EMI Vice Chairman David Munns is on OD2's board. Neither will be delivered to customers via a secure digital format, but can be made available by phone.
PUT ANOTHER CREDIT IN THE VIDBOX BABY
Still reading? Neither are we. Eline Entertainment Group announced the release of Vidbox, an online database of music videos. The company apparently plans to follow The Box's pay-for-play/video-on-demand programming strategy, though the company did not announce any licensing deals in conjunction with Vidbox. Hey, the loud metal song that is provided as the demo sure makes the dot-com seem cutting edge. Said Eline CEO Sonny Paradise, "Joined with our mother ship Elinemusic.com, the Vidbox will sail into mainstreaming videos on 56k modems or higher speed connections." His name is really Sonny Paradise. We're not kidding.
