• Napster to deal with independent labels
  Time: 04:57 EDT/09:57 GMT News Source: CNet Posted By: Matthew Sabean

  Song-swapping software maker Napster said today it plans to forge a series of relationships with unsigned artists and independent labels to make their music available through its software.

  Until now, Napster's primary function was an online cooperative in which users sign on and trade libraries of digital music files. Napster calls itself a "file sharing community." The record industry calls it a haven for piracy and is suing the company for copyright infringement.

  Now, though, Napster has signed a promotional and marketing agreement with independent rap label 75 Ark Entertainment, home to such acts as The Automator and the Anti Pop Consortium. Napster plans to make free downloads available of unreleased tracks by its artists.

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• AOL releases its version of IM standards
  Time: 04:55 EDT/09:55 GMT News Source: CNet Posted By: Matthew Sabean

  The submission comes on the final day for companies to hand their proposals for open instant messaging standards to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the industry's standards body. The IETF allows any company to submit a version for the standards. IETF will review the proposals and eventually choose one.

  The move is significant given AOL's dominance in instant messaging and its lead in the marketplace.

  AOL has waged battles with rival instant messenger services that have tried tapping into AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). It has fought Microsoft, Prodigy, CMGI's iCast and Tribal Voice, and start-up Odigo after those services began communicating with AIM users without consent.

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• Study finds filters catch only a fraction of spam
  Time: 04:52 EDT/09:52 GMT News Source: CNet Posted By: Matthew Sabean

  Spam filters used by some popular Internet email providers weed out only a fraction of the junk they're supposed to but almost never bounce legitimate messages, according to a new study.

  A test of 15 email services over a 10-day period in March showed that AT&T WorldNet was the most effective at filtering spam among those rated, blocking 73 percent of unsolicited junk messages sent. The closest competitors were America Online, which blocked 40 percent of test spam messages, and Yahoo mail, which blocked 36 percent. Brightmail, which provides spam filtering services for AT&T, sponsored the independent eTesting Labs study.

  In addition, the report found that the controversial free spam filter run by the Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS), known as the Realtime Blackhole List (RBL), blocked just 2 percent of 922 spam messages sent. The RBL also blocked one of 220 legitimate test emails sent to check the services for accuracy--the only service to do so.

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• Net Body Opens ICANN of Worms
  Time: 04:50 EDT/09:50 GMT News Source: Wired Posted By: Matthew Sabean

  The Internet's managing authority posted a proposal for expanding the number of top-level domain names in a "measured and responsible manner."

  On Wednesday the non-profit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) posted a 25-page report on their website in preparation for a July 15-16 meeting in Yokohama, Japan. The report includes dozens of questions for public comment about the domain name system and electing officials for the Internet oversight body.

  In April, after a ten-month study, ICANN 's Names Council recommended a "well-controlled, small-scale introduction as 'proof of concept' for possible future (top-level domain) introductions." The board of directors is expected to consider adopting such a policy at the July meeting.

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• MP3.com CEO snubs record labels' pricing schemes
  Time: 17:15 EDT/22:15 GMT News Source: CNet Posted By: Matthew Sabean

  Embattled MP3.com chief executive Michael Robertson today criticized the music industry for its online sales strategies, saying efforts to charge customers several dollars for digital downloads will not work.

  In an address at a streaming media industry conference here, Robertson said that selling songs one at a time is not the way to go on the Internet. He said the industry would do better with subscription services, in which consumers gain access to large libraries of music for a monthly or yearly rate.

  "People are not buying things for $2 each on the Internet," Robertson said during his keynote at the Streaming Media East 2000 conference. "What they will do is 'all-you-can-eat' buffets for 10 bucks, for 5 bucks, for 20 bucks."

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• Real-Apple: Can You Say Monopoly?
  Time: 17:10 EDT/22:10 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Matthew Sabean

  What's the best way to combat Microsoft Corp. in the streaming media world? Take the No 1 and 2 streaming media companies and band them together.

  At least that's the bet of RealNetworks Inc. and Apple Computer Inc.. RealNetworks Chairman and CEO Rob Glaser used his Streaming Media East 2000 keynote address here Monday to announce that Real is building support for Apple's QuickTime streaming format into its RealServer 8 platform.

  RealServer 8, which is in alpha release now and due to ship commercially later this year, will allow the delivery of QuickTime-formatted content to QuickTime players. The two companies did not go so far as to announce that Real is adding support for QuickTime format to its RealPlayer, however.

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• Record Industry Seeks Napster Injunction
  Time: 17:08 EDT/22:08 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Matthew Sabean

  The record industry on Monday sought an injunction against Napster.com, a Web site that allows millions of users to trade music online for free, saying it was depressing sales of compact discs near college campuses.

  The motion for a preliminary injunction was filed on Monday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA).

  The groups argued in their filings with the court that Napster Inc., a closely held song-swap software company, was responsible for widespread copyright infringements and industry harm.

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Read more of the past months news in our News Archive for May and Previous June News.

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