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New Media News Every Morning

Internet Radio stations declare Day of Silence on June 26

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SaveNetRadioOn June 26, thousands of webcasters will go silent and cut off the music in protest to the royalty rate increase by the Copyright Royalty Rate Board.

Some of the participants of this protest includes Yahoo, Rhapsody, MTV Online and Live 365.

Jake Ward, SaveNetRadio coalition spokesperson, said in a statement:

“The arbitrary and drastic rate increases set by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) on March 2 threaten the very livelihood of thousands of webcasters and their millions of listeners throughout the country,”

“The campaign to save Internet radio — a genuine grass-roots movement comprised of hundreds of thousands of webcasters, artists and independent labels, and Net radio listeners — has quickly brought this issue to the national forefront and the halls of Congress, but there is still more to be done before the approaching deadline of July 15.”

On the SaveNetRadio website, countdown to July 15 starts, tagging that day as “The Day the Music Dies”. Internet Radio broadcasters are calling on Senators and Congressional Representatives to heed to their call and save the future of web broadcasting.

The decision made by CRB to make webcasters pay for music played over Internet radio stations is effective on July 15 and will include retroactive payments dating back to January of 2006.

Some say that while this is merely an appeal for drastic change, this event could also be the end of the Internet Radio industry. We’ll know soon.

Originally posted on June 22, 2007 @ 9:41 pm

Vibe Magazine picks KickApps to power search for next great rapper

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verses.jpgKickApps Corporation announced that it was selected by Vibe Magazine to provide the social media and viral video functionality for the Vibe Verses Rap Battle contest. The contest challenges aspiring rap artists to submit videos performing their original lyrics over pre-selected music tracks. The ultimate winner, to be selected by votes from other VIBE Verses community members, will get a $10,000 cash prize, a full page profile in Vibe Magazine and a recording contract from Actual Eyes Media

Over 12,000 members have joined the Vibe Verses community, uploading over 2,700 pieces of media and creating more than 500 videos that have been viewed over 472,000 times – and counting.

“The response has been phenomenal,” said John DeMarchi, General Manager, Vibe Digital Media, “The KickApps platform was easy for us to deploy and, more importantly, it’s easy for Vibe Verses contestants and members to use. It’s allowed hundreds of talented, new urban artists to be heard, seen and promoted.”

Originally posted on June 21, 2007 @ 5:04 am

Imeem launches ad-supported interactive music service

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imeem.jpgSocial media network site Imeem, which was recently sued by Warner Music over accusations of copyright violations, launched today a way to compensate artists when their music is streamed on the imeem service. The initiative is powered by SNOCAP, a music technology company for direct artist-to-fan online distribution.

imeem uses SNOCAP’s technology to give music labels and artists the choice to make their music available for streaming and earn income through an advertising revenue share. The new service automatically identifies uploaded content, determines if the content owner has permitted streaming on the imeem service and then distributes a pro-rata share of the advertising revenue to the proper recipient.

The service launches with three million tracks, including music from imeem’s record label partners Nettwerk, Beggars Group, Matador Records, Om Records, and XL Recordings, artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Barenaked Ladies, Public Enemy, M.I.A., Thom Yorke, Sarah McLachlan, Belle & Sebastian, and Thievery Corporation, and distributors including IODA, The Orchard, IRIS, INgrooves and Redeye Distribution.

Originally posted on June 20, 2007 @ 2:23 pm

ShowClix releases new version with more web 2.0 tools

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showclix.jpgTo help music fans keep track of their favorite artists as they hit the road this summer, ShowClix.com launched version 2.0 of its website, introducing a variety of new features to help music fans find, track and share live music.

The most notable addition to ShowClix’ feature list is the new “Tour Tracker” tool. Music fans registered on the site can use the “Tour Tracker” to keep tabs on their favorite musicians as they zigzag the country. To use the new feature, music fans simply enter the names of their favorite artists into their personal “Tour Tracker.” ShowClix then scours the database every two hours, sending email alerts to music fans when one of the artists they’re tracking announces a show in their city.

“As the ShowClix database continues to grow we want to make sure it remains easy for music fans to find and share live music,” said ShowClix CEO Joshua Dziabiak. “Our new features not only make it easier to search for live music, but they also feed information directly to music fans that don’t have the time to constantly search online.”

Originally posted on June 19, 2007 @ 11:40 am

Music startup Fuzz addresses emerging needs of artists and fans

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343976_fuzz_logo-tag.jpgFuzz, a music startup combining a next-generation music label, a powerful artist promotion platform and a feature-rich interactive community of artists and fans, officially announced the launch of its online platform: Fuzz.com. Fuzz is taking artist promotion to a whole new level, empowering artists to take control of and manage their music careers as a business, connect more deeply with fans and engage fans to connect with other fans to discover, share, review, influence and buy music.

Artists at all levels in their careers can use Fuzz to promote, stream and sell their music, and soon merchandise and concert tickets as well. Artists can also track and analyze sales, fan demographics, the success of their marketing campaigns, and more. The Fuzz community enables independent-minded fans to discover, share, review and buy music in a friendly, interactive forum that encourages participation. In addition, Fuzz has also created its own music label, which allows it to unearth and promote music it believes is deserving of a wider audience.

Originally posted on June 18, 2007 @ 9:23 am