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THE INDUSTRY STANDARD'S
B E A T S H E E T
A Weekly Report on the Convergence of Music and the Net
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| http://www.thestandard.com |
Tuesday, January 18, 2000
TOP STORY:
* Where's the security for My.MP3.com?
NET NOISE:
* Review of the week: Streambox.com
UPBEAT:
* CMGI bets Green Witch can save iCast
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TOP STORY:
~~~~~~~~~~
Where's the Security for My.MP3? Right now, downloading music from
major-label artists is easy as pie.
By Julene Snyder
Less than a week after the Beta launch of MP3.com's latest product,
dubbed "My.MP3," security holes gape. Even the most tech-challenged
can download and e-mail just about any MP3 file accessible through
MP3.com's server, including tracks from major-label artists.
Of course, the company posits that "music stored in My.MP3.com is
meant to be streamed only." But as the rabble-rousers at Canadian
startup Indiemusic.com can tell you, the system's protections can be
easily circumvented.
"Using standard functionality found in Winamp and the Windows Media
Player, you can pull the MP3 files off easily," explains
Indiemusic.com Project Development Manager Mike Morley. "You can
borrow a CD from somebody, plug it into the system so the songs become
available, and by copying the URL out of Winamp and pasting it into
your browser, get around the so-called no-downloading policy."
Once downloaded, the music can be e-mailed to a friend who might
choose to put it on a Web site for all the world to hear.
Of course, reproducing music in this way is expressly prohibited by
the My.MP3.com "Terms and Conditions" statement. The terms also
threaten termination of use for anyone who "infringes the intellectual
property or other rights of a third party." But law-benders can easily
escape detection since (so far) MyMP3.com does not verify e-mail
addresses.
Who cares if some folks are passing on tunes? Morley thinks we all
should: "This is really not a concern for the indie music on their
site, because most of that's available for [legal] download anyway.
But when you're talking about the commercial side of things, that's
not the case. We're a little bit worried about this, because it's not
just our music that's up there, it's everybody's. And if [the site]
create[s] a precedent where the record companies aren't convinced that
this is secure, it could have implications for sites like ours."
MP3.com CEO Michael Robertson has already heard more than he'd like
about the product's potential for abuse: "ANY new technology can be
used in a malicious manner. Cars can be used to run over people or
drive away from crimes - and if that's all you focused on, you might
even conclude that cars are bad. But of course, there are enormous
benefits that cars offer which far outweigh the negatives."
Nonetheless, a look at MP3.com's job board reveals an opening for a
senior network and systems engineer
(http://db.mp3.com/jobs/opening.php3?job_id=38) with "'Guru' level
knowledge of Unix and Network security." The job posting warns, "You
are expected to be well-connected in the security community." Stay
tuned for further developments.
Related links:
http://www.indiestore.com/news_circle_of_friends_01132000.html
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1521803.html?tag=st.ne.1002.bgif.1005-200-1521803
http://www.mercurynews.com/svtech/news/breaking/merc/docs/041155.htm
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NET NOISE:
~~~~~~~~~~
REVIEW OF THE WEEK: Streambox.com
If you came here knowing nothing about the lawsuit that RealNetworks
slapped on Streambox last month, you might think that you'd lucked out
in finding a cool portal for streaming audio and video files. So let's
put aside the lawsuit - which resulted in a temporary restraining
order keeping Streambox from distributing its Ripper and VCR products,
and is due to be decided any minute now - and look at what is
available right now at Streambox. We're talking smart-aleck commentary
(emphasis on smart) pointing you to both "sweet" and "stinky" streams.
Examples? A video of Ol' Blue Eyes belting out "I've Got You Under My
Skin" on the sweet side, and the supremely irritating Little Amber
Morgan weighing in on the stink-o-rama scale.
- Julene Snyder
--------------------------------
UPBEAT:
~~~~~~~
CMGI Bets Green Witch Can Save iCast
Just when you were starting to wonder what was up with CMGI's iCast,
it makes a move. Today, CMGI announced it had acquired the S.F.-based
Net radio company Green Witch to develop the guts for the "iCaster"
personal broadcaster. At present, iCaster only exists in skeletal demo
form.
The partnership, from the outset, looks offbeat. ICast, CMGI's attempt
to take on Hollywood, has assumed tragicomic stature with the
high-profile hire, then ouster, of former NBC president Neil Braun. On
the other extreme, the 14-person Green Witch works with zero VC
funding out of the basement of its CEO's Victorian house in San
Francisco's funky Mission District. At parties thrown at local bars,
Green Witch employees persuade Silicon Valley VCs and Internet execs
to don the green wig that symbolizes the company's "Witch" mascot -
the invisible force behind the Green Witch radio applications.
(Morning-after photos are posted to the company's Web site.)
CMGI knows appearances aren't everything. ICast, when it finally
launches, will be competing against serious software heavyweights,
including RealNetworks, Music Match and Winamp, to name just a few.
Why would a consumer want to download the iCaster, anyway? Music fans
already have plenty of ways to access radio stations and chat. If
there is anybody who can figure out how to make the iCaster unique,
it's the team at Green Witch, which has operated for months as talent
in search of a cause. The company is home to the programmers who
created the first version of Icecast - an open-source alternative to
the streaming MP3 software, Shoutcast. And the team continues to focus
on R&D related to Net radio, which means CMGI gets first dibs on any
new cool toy to emerge from the Victorian. Now let's see if Green
Witch can persuade CMGI head David Wetherell to wear the green wig.
-Lessley Anderson
STAFF
~~~~~
Written by Lessley Anderson. Send newstips and press releases to
lessleya@thestandard.com.
Edited by Lori Patel (lorip@thestandard.com).
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