http://www.icq.com/press/press_release26.html
and the acquisition of Netscape for a billion or two . . .
check out:
http://www.mp3.com/news/262.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/990601/va_america_1.html
AOL has purchased two companies which play a leading role in the
Internet music fields of streaming audio and audio compression.
Spinner.com is an advertising supported service which provides over
100 channels of speciallised music via decent quality Real Audio G2
streaming audio, to "1.5 million unique users monthly".
(Real Audio G2 can do reasonable quality 10 kHz bandwidth audio at 20
kbps.)
Nullsoft are a freeware and shareware software company responsible for
"WinAmp", the most popular MP3 player program, with about 5 million
users. They also have a new thing: "Shoutcast", a "distributed
streaming audio system which enables anyone with the Winamp
high-fidelity audio player and a dial-up Internet connection to
broadcast or tune in to Internet streaming audio."
USD$320 million was the price for Spinner.com and USD80 million for
Nullsoft.
I think the people behind Spinner.com are in their late twenties or
early thirties. The Nullsoft crew (all six of them, including admin.)
are apparently in their early twenties. The founder, Justin Frankel,
started work on WinAmp in April 1997 soon after dropping out of
university.
- Robin
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Robin Whittle rw@firstpr.com.au http://www.firstpr.com.au
Heidelberg Heights, Melbourne, Australia
First Principles Research and expression: Consulting and
technical writing. Music. Internet music
marketing. Telecommunications. Consumer
advocacy in telecommunications, especially
privacy. M-F relationships. Kinetic sculpture.
Real World Electronics and software for music including:
Interfaces Devil Fish mods for the TB-303, Akai sampler
memory and Csound synthesis software.
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