MMW-49 -- Desktop Software Update

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J@pan Inc Magazine Presents:
M U S I C M E D I A W A T C H
Commentary on the week's music technology news
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Issue No. 49
Thursday, September 25, 2003
Tokyo

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CONTENTS

++ FEATURE: Desktop Software Update

++ NOTEWORTHY NEWS:
** RIAA Sues iMesh
** Samsung to Introduce "Napster-Compatible" Music Player
** Senate Subcomittee to Meet with RIAA and P2P Reps
** Beatles' Record Company Sues Apple over iTunes

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++FEATURE: Desktop Software Update

With so much happening in the mobile music sector, it's been a while
since we last looked at any PC-based music software. In this feature,
then, we've decided to present an update and review of a few of the
more useful and interesting programs available for the PC desktop.

MP3 Search Applications
With lawsuits and the legal aspects of online music sharing receiving
more and more media coverage, it seemed like a good time to review the
current state of P2P file-sharing software. Despite the recent spate
of RIAA lawsuits targeting individuals, usage does not appear to have
decreased by much, and new services for finding/downloading music are
very much on the rise. We tried out several of the more popular P2P
services, including Kazaa, Morpheus, AudioGalaxy, iMesh, 2FindMP3,
Ares Galaxy, Limewire and Blubster.

While each of these programs has its strengths, a few comparison tests
in finding and transferring material quickly showed that the gap
between Kazaa and the other programs is increasing. Many searches and
downloads that took hours on some of the other services required only
a few minutes with Kazaa. No doubt this is due mainly to the sheer
number of users. That said, however, the annoying amount of adware,
spyware and pop-ups (not to mention the virus risk) found on the
latest version is a tremendous drawback. If you don't mind a smaller
selection and waiting a little longer for transfers, Ares Galaxy and
2FindMP3 both offer very clean, simple interfaces with no advertising
or other pop-ups.

Streaming Audio Ripper
One of the more useful streaming audio applications we've seen in a
while is StreamRipper32, which is able use the ID3 metadata from
Shoutcast.com streams to rip separate MP3 files of each song in the
broadcast. You can select a genre of music, and the application will
display a list of Shoutcast stations for that genre. Selecting a
station then causes its IP address to be loaded, and the songs played
on the station can then be automatically ripped to individual files.
StreamRipper32 doesn't seem to allow listening to the broadcast while
the ripping is taking place, but it does display track information for
many of the stations, allowing you to see which songs are about to be
played.

Media Player for Musicians
If you've ever tried to learn the instrumental part for a song by ear,
you've probably had the experience of wanting to slow down the CD or
MP3 of the song in order to work out the faster passages. Previously,
most methods of doing this caused the pitch of the song to be lowered,
requiring a transposition after the part was learned. Roni Music's
"Amazing Slow Downer" is a media player that lets you adjust the speed
of a CD or MP3 file without changing the pitch. The tool allows the
music to be stretched by -50 percent to 400 percent, and any section
of the song can be repeated by setting loop points. This application
is highly recommended for anyone who likes to transcribe music or play
along with recordings.

-- Steve Myers

Links:
"P2P: The Japanese Angle" from our April 2001 issue
http://www.japaninc.net/article.php?articleID=112

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=============================================

++ NOTEWORTHY NEWS

** RIAA Sues iMesh

In brief: The RIAA said last Friday that it had sued Israel-based
file-sharing service iMesh, alleging that the company has contributed
to massive copyright infringement online. The lawsuit comes despite a
recent ruling by a federal judge in Los Angeles, which declared that
Grokster, a similar file-sharing company, was not responsible for
copyright infringement by people using its software.

Source:
http://news.com.com/2100-1025-5079454.html

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==============================================

** Samsung to Introduce "Napster-Compatible" Music Player

In brief: Samsung announced last week that it will introduce a new
line of digital music players this fall which contain the upcoming
Napster 2.0 service from Roxio. According to Roxio, the new Napster
service will contain around 500,000 songs from all of the major record
labels as well as hundreds of independent labels. The new music
players will be co-marketed by the two companies and labeled as
"Napster-compatible."

Source:
http://news.com.com/2100-1027-5077824.html

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** Senate Subcomittee to Meet with RIAA and P2P Reps

In brief: The US Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), which
is chaired by Senator Norm Coleman, will hold a hearing on Sept. 30 to
"scrutinize the RIAA's crackdown on illegal file sharers." Coleman
said he wants to "seek balanced solutions that preserve individual
privacy, protect industry copyrights and look to a future in which the
music and motion picture industries are ahead of the digital curve in
creating new customers rather than alienating them." Among those
expected to attend the hearing are representatives from the RIAA and
the peer-to-peer industry.

Source:
http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/2003/coleman.html

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** Beatles' Record Company Sues Apple over iTunes

In brief: Apple Corps, the record company set up by the Beatles in
1968, filed a lawsuit in London's High Court last week against Apple
Computer. The suit charges that Apple Computer, with the launch of its
iTunes music download service and iPod MP3 player, is in breach of a
1991 agreement preventing the computer company from entering the music
business.

Source:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/eo/20030915/en_

Link:
"Faux Four Trump Elvis" from our August 2002 issue
http://www.japaninc.net/article.php?articleID=865

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STAFF
Written by: Steve Myers (steve@thetamusic.com)
Steve Myers is president and chief enthusiast of Theta Music
Technologies, which specializes in the development of music-related
software applications.

Edited by J@pan Inc editors: (editors@japaninc.com)

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