Wpisy z March 14th, 2008
Santa Monica-based ArtistDirect, an online music download and digital media site, said earlier this week that it has shuffled its executives. The firm said that it has appointed Dimitri Villard as the firm’s interim CEO, replacing Jon Diamond. Diamond has become chairman of ArtistDirect. The firm also said that Frederick W. Field, the firm’s chairman, will remain a director. The firm said the move was made to “maximize the inherent value of its digital media entertainment assets.” The move comes a month after the firm reported that it has hired investment banking firm Salem Partners LLC to shop the firm; ArtistDirect also owns anti-piracy firm MediaDefender, which it purchased in 2005 for $43M.
Continue Reading Skomentuj March 14th, 2008
For the second year in a row, Intel is a sponsor of PBS’ Design Squad, a reality how-to television program that shows kids that engineering can be fun, and gets them excited about learning. The program takes on client-driven problems and assigns teams to create solutions. Intel sponsors Design Squad because it supports Intel’s quest to encourage the next generation of innovators.
Continue Reading Skomentuj March 14th, 2008
Los Angeles-based music subscription service Napster said Friday that it has launched its Napster Mobile music service on O2 UK, the UK-based wireless carrier. The service, which Napster is co-developing with Ericsson, allows users to subscribe to and purchase music tracks. Ericsson is hosting, integrating, and managing all of the operations of the service for O2 UK. Napster is also in a deal with Ericsson to bring its services to Latin America.
Continue Reading Skomentuj March 14th, 2008
Editor’s note: We’d like to welcome author Tom Taulli as an occasional contributor to socalTECH. Tom is the author of The Complete M&A Handbook, and has contributed to Forbes and AOL’s Bloggingstocks. Tom comments on the recent spate of digital media venture capital funds which have hit the market this month.
So far this month, we’ve seen a couple new digital media funds hit the market. They include:
Saban Capital, which is headed up by Craig Cooper (who has served as a venture partner at VantagePoint Venture Partners and the SoftBank Capital Technology Fund).
A joint fund that includes William Morris Agency (WMA), Accel, Venrock, and AT&T (NYSE: T). The fund has no name (so we’ll just call it the “Joint Fund” for now).
Oh, and in December, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) joined with Draper Fisher Jurvetson to raise a fund of $150 million to $200 million.
As seen with the success of Google’s YouTube and Will Ferrell’s FunnyorDie…. (more)
Continue Reading Skomentuj March 14th, 2008
San Diego-based Sony Online Entertainment, the online gaming unit of Sony, said Thursday evening that the group has officially become part of Sony Computer Entertainment. The group develops massively multiplayer online games, along with games for the PC and PS3 entertainment systems. Until now, the group had actually been part of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Sony Online Entertainment said that the unit will report to Kazuo Hirai, President of SCEI effective April 1st. Sony Online Entertainment is best known for its EverQuest title, and also develops PlanetSide, Untold Legents, and Champsions of Norrath and other titles.
Continue Reading Skomentuj March 14th, 2008
Long Beach-based Apriso, which develops software for managing manufacturing operations, has signed on a new customer for its products, the firm said Thursday. Apriso said Spellman High Voltage Electronics has selected the firm’s FlexNet software for its high voltage power supply manufacturing operations. Terms of the win were not disclosed. Apriso’s also counts General Motors, Lear, Honeywell, and others as customers, and is venture backed by Brentwood Venture Capital, CMEA Ventures, LogiSpring, SAP Ventures, and Wallstreet Technology Partners.
Continue Reading Skomentuj March 14th, 2008
Laguna Niguel-based Reliant Solutions has launched a new software product focused on auditing and risk management, the firm announced this week. The company said its ReliantAuditor product provides continuous monitoring of internal controls for financial auditors. Customers of the firm include Mindspeed Technologies. Reliant said its products is targeted at helping auditors streamline and increase the accuracy of their Sarbanes-Oxley, financial and operational audits. Reliant Solutions was formerly known as DBxel, Inc.
Continue Reading Skomentuj March 14th, 2008
San Diego-based MIR3, a provider of emergency notification and messaging systems, announced Thursday that the firm has signed on Texas Southern University as a customer. MIR3 said TSU has awarded the company a contract to be the official emergency notification platform for its Houston Texas campus. Financial impact of the contract was not disclosed. MIR3 provides messaging services which deliver messages via phone, SMS, email, FAX, and pager; the firm’s systems are used for both emergency notification as well as routine message broadcasting.
Continue Reading Skomentuj March 14th, 2008
Carlsbad-based Enviance, a provider of Internet-based environmental compliance information and related systems, said earlier this week that it has combined its systems with a vehicle diagnostic systems as a part of an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The firm said that it has tied with the City and County of Denver to track driving behavior as part of a program called Driving Change. The firm’s Internet-based systems will be used to analyze driving behavior of participants, and suggest how those drivers can reduce their CO2 emissions. Enviance is venture backed by Enterprise Partners.
Continue Reading Skomentuj March 14th, 2008