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TV Week’s will cease to exist as a print publication after this week. With ad revenue down, among other things, Crain’s will continue TV Week as a web-only destination. While some may toil over the loss, the move begs to ask “Is TV Week a metaphor for the industry it covers?” We’ll know soon enough.
Microsoft and Steven Spielberg introduced a new camera-based controller for XBOX 360. The camera eliminates the need for a handheld controller by capturing the gamer’s movements. This is way beyond cool.
The remaining Beatles, along with Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, announced 10 of the 45 songs the group has licensed for the video game Rock Band. Included are “I Saw Here Standing There” and “Here Comes The Sun”. Surely adults have reason to be psyched, but will their kids show similar interest?
Industry sites have been flooded with news that Sony has licensed its entire back catalog to eMusic. The site, one of few relevant music digital download, will sell songs for $.40-.50, more than half the price of premier iTunes songs. While this is big news for eMusic, the company will surely have trouble competing with iTunes, the number one music retailer in the US. Besides, Sony’s entire back catalog has been online for years.
Google announced that they plan to sell e-books. The search company, which has spent a significant amount of money archiving books, noted that it is open to letting publisher’s set their own prices, as opposed to Amazon, who sells all titles in $9.99 and takes 70% of the market. If the ebook market begins to really take off, Google could set itself up as one of the main retail outlets for digital books.