Napster asked US lawmakers last week to force music publishers to offer content online. Interim Napster chief executive Hank Barry told a Senate Judiciary Committee that there was a "failure in the marketplace" and that compulsory licenses would provide consumers with a wide range of content online while at the same time ensuring publishers and artists were compensated for their work. Barry cited music on the radio as an example of how the system may work. However, Hilary Rosen, who represents the music publishers' trade group, called the possibility of compulsory licenses a disaster for the music industry. The submissions were witnessed by some high profile supporters of the embattled online music swapping service. Alanis Morissette and Don Henley of the Eagles, as well as users of Napster were present. Prince used the site on Friday to promote his new single "The Work - Pt. 1". Meanwhile Canada, Argentina, Spain and Brazil have a higher percentage of Internet users logging into Napster than US users, according to Jupiter Media Metrix consultancy, based in New York.
LONG DIVISION: The issue of the global digital divide is divisive in itself an international survey has found. The survey by the Global Information Infrastructure Commission suggests business leaders in Europe and North America, who believe information security may pose a problem for development, were less concerned with the digital divide than their African counterparts. "The survey demonstrates that until business and government leaders sit down and discuss the breadth of issues surrounding the digital divide, the gulf will continue in many directions", said John Lacopo one of the architects of the study.
FREE KNOWLEDGE: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is to put its course material on the Web for free in a $100 million venture. The MIT wants everyone to have access to knowledge, a spokesperson said. MIT students currently pay about $26,000 a year, or around $18,000 in tuition fees. The website will include lecture notes, course outlines, reading lists and assignments. Visitors to the site will not earn college credit. MIT, in partnership with the Government here has set up an institute MediaLab Europe in Dublin. Students will begin studying there this September.
KEEPING IT REAL: RealNetworks has struck a deal with three record label owners to form what is being called the biggest online song subscription service to be licensed by the recording industry. Seattle-based RealNetworks with record label owners AOL Time Warner, Bertelsmann AG and EMI Group is planning to make MusicNet available this year.
STATION TO STATION: David Bowie is launching his online BowieRadio service this Thursday. It includes a collection of Bowie recordings as well as "stations" streaming material from other artists. Additional stations will become available in coming months, including one featuring Bowie as a disc jockey. The service will not allow users to copy and exchange music.
WEB AWARDS: Oxygen.ie has announced the shortlisted nominees for the first ever National Student Media Awards which will take place on Wednesday. Up for website of the year are Erasmusstudent.com from Letterkenny IT, the DCU Media Production Society site, SIN of NUI Galway, and the DCU Students Union site.
RATE MAIL: Researchers for Microsoft are working on software that can rank and deliver e-mails - on a PC or mobile phone - that are important enough to interrupt whatever you're doing, Bill Gates has said. The "e-mail rater" learns by observing who you communicate with most often and which e-mails you read first, among other things.
TRUST US: Thirty one per cent of Americans trust their government to "do the right thing" when it comes to e-mail surveillance by Federal agents, a survey has said. Fifty four per cent of those surveyed said they approved of the FBI monitoring suspect's e-mails. However only one in five Americans said they had heard of the FBI's e-mail monitoring system DCS1000, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project study.
IN BRIEF... Twenty new jobs are to be created by Irish technology company Mapflow to support its expansion into overseas markets. . . Ireland's largest IT event, e-XPO 2001, will take place in Dublin's RDS on May 2nd and 3rd. . . TSB Bank has launched an online facility for personal customers. . . Shares in Lucent hit an all-time low last week with denials from that the firm was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. . .