Downloaders Prefer Napster And iTunes

Ipsos Tempo Digital Music Brandscape study released today indicates that Apple’s iTunes continues to cement its position as the primary fee-based digital music destination, while a number of other services are trying to grow their consumer base and establish points of differentiation.
For many brands awareness was consistent in 2006. For American downloaders aged 12 and older, iTunes saw an increase in both unaided and aided awareness over 2005, rising from 57 percent to 66 percent for total awareness.

Microsoft: It’s Official, We’re Buying TellMe

In a statement today, Microsoft has confirmed its intentions to purchase TellMe, a provider of multiple different types of voice information services. Specific terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed as of yet.

It looks like you can chalk this one up as gossip that actually came to fruition. The last week has been rife with speculation that Microsoft would be purchasing TellMe. It was actually one of the more prominent news pieces until Viacom came along and stole the spotlight by dropping a billion-dollar bomb on YouTube.

Raising Startup Funding Without A Plan Or A PowerPoint

Before we get too deep into this, let me clarify two things.  When I say without a “plan”, I mean without a formally written business plan – not that you should be clueless about what you want to do.  And, when I say startup funding, I’m talking more about early stage seed funding via angels (though most of these tips should apply to VCs as well).

When Good Companies Go Public

This is what happens when good companies go public: the principles that made them good, even necessary, to the point of inspiring a romantic loyalty among their customers, are whittled away at until only those principles which are profitable remain. If it’s true that Google is reconsidering its view of Network Neutrality, let it be said that this is the reason why.

Google says it’s not true, by the way, but we’ll get to that later. This is an exploration of what could happen, a seemingly very likely ethical pickle the search company could find itself in down the road.

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