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"There is no one person better qualified to tell the story of music than Quincy Jones."
—--XM Chief Programming Officer Lee Abrams

TECH THIS NEWS AND SHOVE IT

Napster Use Down Some More, Q Jumps On XM's Satellite, Cantametrix Cuts And More

STOP US IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE
For the month of April, Napster use declined again. According to Jupiter Media Metrix’s U.S. Top 50 Countdown of web and digital media properties, hosted by Casey Kasem, the file-swappery dropped to 12.2 million unique visitors for the month. That’s down from a high of 16.9 million in February and puts the site just below Real.com and Viacom’s online properties. In case you were curious, hitsdailydouble.com’s number of unique visitors for the month was slightly higher than April 2000, when it wasn’t yet online.

IF YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE PRICE TAG,
YOU CANTAMETRIX
Digital file fingerprinter Cantametrix has chopped its staff by 55%, laying off 17 employees as part of prep for the $5 million in funding its seeking, Webnoize reports. Layoffs affected sales, marketing, business development, research and administrative staff. This left Cantametrix CEO Bill Koenig, his pet monkey, some tech guys and the catering staff to service clients. The netco, which boasts a database of more than a million fingerprints, recently partnered with German-based HiFind to market digital music ID, search and tracking services to music retail and publishing clients.

XM SATELLITE RADIO KEEPS UP WITH THE JONES
Music vet Quincy Jones has hooked up with XM Satellite Radio in a promotional partnership. Jones will host musical documentaries and specials on the radio service as well as act as creative consultant to XM’s programming and production departments. "Quincy is a master storyteller," said XM Chief Programming Officer Lee Abrams. "There is no one person better qualified to tell the story of music than Quincy Jones—and no one more likely to tell that story in space." In the meantime, XM launched its second and final satellite on May 8 and is now set to offer its 100 digital channels of music, news, sports and talk delivered car and home XM radios coming late summer. Jones is also prepped to release his boxed CD set on Rhino and his book, "Q: An Autobiography."

$100 MILLION LOAN SET IN-MOTION
In-Motion AG
today announced that its U.S. subsidiary, Myriad Pictures, had received a $100 million loan from Imperial Entertainment Group for future film productions. In-Motion expects the loan to heighten the number of productions for Myriad Pictures and expects its film library to increase in value. The German-based producer of music and television programs also signed a cooperation agreement with International Film Guarantors Inc., which guarantees the completion of film projects, including the ones guaranteed to flop at the box office.

THE SEASON’S ROWDIEST TOUR
Microsoft Corp.
today announced that it will utilize Pocket PC and Pharos’ Mobile GPS Navigator to travel through 11 U.S. cities with the Mobile Experience Tour. Microsoft’s Mobility Group designed the tour to inform people about new mobile technologies. The tour also will feature a 45-foot rolling Mobile Theater, packed with an array of the latest in wireless and mobile device technologies. Pharos will be showcasing the Mobile GPS Navigator, an alternative to traditional car navigational systems, which will be of no help to HITS’ perpetually lost assistant editor Yennie Cheung.

NEAR TRUTHS: SPRING BLOOMS
Here come the big guns. (3/28a)
THE COUNT: COLDPLAY IS HOT, COUNTRY'S COOKIN' IN THE U.K.
The latest tidbits from the bustling live sector (3/28a)
CITY OF HOPE TAPS MARCIANO FOR TOP HONOR
This year's philanthropic model (3/28a)
TRUST IN THE TOP 20
Hip-hop is no longer hibernating. (3/28a)
UMG BROADENS SPOTIFY OFFERINGS
Sir Lucian and Daniel are in harmony. (3/28a)
THE NEW UMG
Gosh, we hope there are more press releases.
TIKTOK BANNED!
Unless the Senate manages to make this whole thing go away, that is.
THE NEW HUGE COUNTRY ACT
No, not that one.
TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN PLAYLIST
Now 100% unlicensed!
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