IT TECHS A VILLAGE

MP3.COM’S AUGUST TOP 10
Just because it’s a Vivendi Universal property doesn’t mean that MP3.com is paying its Top 10 Payback for Playback artists in delicious French water. Artists on the list, announced today by Chairman/CEO Robin Richards, share $44k for the month of August. The Top 10 has Mexico’s Ernesto Cortazar at #1. Cortazar is followed by Warner Bros.’ Linkin Park, who raked in $6,413.47 in tattoo money. Though primarily a way for unsigned acts to gain exposure and make some bread, Epic’s Flickerstick are #4 and Columbia’s the Offspring are #8. Said Richards: "Digital music is a global phenomenon…The impact that online promotion has made on artists and consumers is remarkable. And I’m not just saying that because Messier told me to."

MATLOCK.COM A HUGE HIT
Senior citizens, those people driving very slowly in the left lane, are also on the information superhighway and they’re even more enthusiastic with the mouse than with their turn signals. The Pew Internet & American Life Project said that 69% of senior citizens use the Net every day, 13% more than the general online population. Seniors are also more likely to visit Grannygetslucky.com.

TREMBLE, MORTALS—I AM THE DUOLIZER!
EMI Recorded Music will use BayView Systems’ Duolizer technology on advance releases (that is, CDs that go to media slime like us) to protect them from piracy. This will ostensibly prevent those journos with the ability to actually work their computers from, say, ripping new music and trading it online in pristine form prior to the release date. "Protecting pre-release tracks from music pirates is very important to EMI and our artists," proclaimed EMI New Media guy Jay Samit. "BayView Systems technology makes it easy for journalists and radio programmers to access new music without the risk of unwanted leaks. Of course, for HITS staffers to avoid unwanted leaks, we also recommend an adult diaper of some kind." The tech splits music tracks into dual files. One is a "Flexible File" that can be shared but don’t sound near as purdy as it do when combined with the other, the "Secure Stream," which lives only on the content owner’s server. The idea is to permit the dissemination of music for promotional purposes without cannibalizing sales. Sounds simple, huh? Well, skeptics can check out a demo by clicking here.