A national survey of 1,200 consumers conducted by Solutions Research Group found that 3 out of 4 surveyed Americans wanted a new gadget this holiday season. The rankings went a little something like this:
- HDTV (35%)
- Windows-based notebook (20%)
- Digital camera (17%)
- Windows-based desktop computer
- GPS car navigation
- Cellphone
- Digital video camera
- Nintendo Wii
- Sony PS3
- HD DVD or Blu-ray player
No iPod,iPhone or MP3 players?
Google & YouTube Turn On Money Stream For Music Videos
Google is extending it's AdSense platform to video and giving content creators and the web sites that carry them a piece of the action. The new platform runs small targeted ads on the player which for the first time enables labels, bands and video producers to monetize their creations via "channels" offered to web sites and blogs. Sites are encouraged to post the channels because they also receive a portion of the Google sold ad revenue.
MTV style videos, live clips, interviews and more can be produced for almost nothing for use as viral promotional tools. Now these videos can be easily monetized; which in turn will only encourage content creation.
AIM Tunes: Beta Clunkiness, Fewer Illegalities
Against that background, AOL has tossed an interesting sharing feature into its latest AIM 6.5 upgrade. The beta AIM Tunes allows users to stream the collections of friends by diving into faraway music folders. AIM Tunes definitely functions like a beta release, but most of the framework is bolted together properly. Early users will have to endure some timeouts and other snafus, though beta testers are usually understanding.
And many features are well-executed. The application quickly finds the music folder of a friend, and presents the contents in a clear manner. From there, users can pick-and-choose tracks and stream selections. Songs can be sampled one-by-one, or assembled into a playlist. Currently, threading a continuous playlist together within the AIM Tunes application remains a challenge, though a playlist file can easily be saved and accessed within Winamp, iTunes, or another media jukebox.
MySpace Platform To Launch Next Week
MySpace is gearing up to launch MySpace Platform, according to a number of third party developers who’ve been contacted for input on the product. While this has been rumored since June, this is the first indication that the service is preparing to actually launch. And we also have information that suggests that it will be announced next week at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco.
The new developer platform, like Facebook Platform which was announced in May, will essentially be a set of APIs and a new markup language that will allow third party developers to create applications that run within MySpace. Developers will be able to include Flash applets, iFrame elements and Javascript snippets in their applications, and access most of the core MySpace resources (profile information, friend list, activity history, etc.). Applications will need to be hosted on MySpace servers.
KDDI Boasts 150M LISMO Download Sales
KDDI, Japan's second-largest mobile operator, said that a total of 150 million songs had been downloaded via its LISMO Music Store download service as of Oct. 2. LISMO Music Store, which launched in November 2004 as a mobile-based download service under the brand name EZ Chaku-uta Full, features some 700,000 songs -- mostly Japanese pop -- and is available through 118 Web sites. In May 2006 KDDI became the first Japanese telecom to launch a Web site featuring full-length tracks and master ringtones that can be downloaded onto personal computers. Users can then transfer tracks to the mobile phones, saving on airtime charges.
Music industry finds new beat in online recommendations
Several websites have latched onto the concept of recommendations as a way to sell new music, with one — iLike — attracting more than 10 million users in just a few months. Clearly, radio is losing its influence," says Phil Leigh, an analyst at Inside Digital Media. "This is replacing it as a way to discover new music, because we tend to appreciate what our friends appreciate. If a friend recommends something, we'll pay more attention."
MP3tunes Pimps New Version Of LockerSync With TuneWatch
MP3tunes has announced TuneWatch, a new feature incorporated into their music storage and optimization software, LockerSync. TuneWatch automatically detects the addition of all new DRM-free music, whether purchased from Amazon, iTunes, Walmart or directly from an artist’s website like Radiohead, and adds it to the user’s online Music Locker. TuneWatch also instantly sees the new content from personally ripped CDs, immediately backing it up in the Music Locker for secure storage, but more importantly access from any computer connected to the Internet. After creating a Music Locker and launching LockerSync the first time, the consumer’s Locker will remain in sync with that user’s digital music additions.
Warner intros DVD with bundled portable video
Warner Home Video today used the DVD Forum conference in California to announce the the first DVD to explicitly provide multiple formatted versions of the same video on a single disc. The release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on December 11th will include both the full-size DVD video as well as separate copies for playback on computers and on portable media players. Doing so will let viewers officially transfer copies to their computers without having to discover and use a DVD ripper or else buy a separate copy at an online store. It should also future-proof the release for users who abandon dedicated DVD players, said Warner senior VP Jim Wuthrich.
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