901am

New Media News Every Morning

Guitar Hero surpasses $1 billion sales in North America in 26 months

By 1 Comment

Activision, Inc. announced that Guitar Hero has set an industry record, surpassing $1 billion in North American retail sales in just 26 months, according to The NPD Group.

Additionally, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was the #1 title in units and dollars for calendar year 2007, making it the best-selling video game of all time in a single calendar year.

Since its initial release in fall 2005, the Guitar Hero franchise has sold in excess of 14 million units in North America alone, according to The NPD Group. In 10 weeks since the game’s launch, consumers have already downloaded more than five million songs.

guitarhero.png

Originally posted on January 21, 2008 @ 10:00 am

Amazon.com to premiere new Sheryl Crow unplugged performance from new album

By Leave a Comment

sherylcrow-detours.jpgAmazon.com and Interscope Geffen A&M announced the exclusive debut of a four-song unplugged session by Sheryl Crow, featuring the premiere of the title track off her new album, “Detours.” Additionally, the exclusive performance includes two new tracks (“Shine Over Babylon” and “Love is Free”) and fan favorite “If It Makes You Happy.” Fans will get their first and only look at the performance online at Amazon.com through March 17.

“Sheryl Crow continues to push the boundaries of her work by incorporating personal moments from her life’s experiences into her music and bringing forth genuine emotion,” said Peter Faricy, vice president of music and movies at Amazon.com. “We’re excited to bring her fans this exclusive, up close and personal look at her new music on Amazon.com. This unique opportunity to work with Sheryl to record an intimate performance of songs from her new album is truly an honor. We will continue to deliver innovative content that will excite and enrich our customers’ experiences.”

Originally posted on January 21, 2008 @ 5:31 am

Untraceable uses DNSstuff.com tracing and cybercrime prevention tools

By 1 Comment

untraceable.pngDNSstuff.com announced that the film Untraceable, a fast-paced thriller starring Diane Lane, used its tracing and cybercrime prevention tools.

“Malicious crimes such as human exploitation, cyber-terrorism, identity theft and larceny are tangible, growing global problems. Untraceable accurately incorporates certain DNSstuff.com tools and Internet management techniques now used by millions of businesses, law enforcement agencies and individuals. DNSstuff.com resources are invaluable in helping protect and safely manage Internet connectivity, and are used by law enforcement agencies worldwide to help combat the worst crimes,” Untraceable advisor and former FBI cyber-crime expert E.J. Hilbert said.

Untraceable will be released on January 25, 2008 by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Originally posted on January 17, 2008 @ 5:52 pm

Late night moble entertainment provider Waat Media partners with Vantrix for mobile video delivery

By Leave a Comment

vantrix.pngWAAT Media, provider of late night entertainment for mobile phones, has partnered with Vantrix, provider of mobile video delivery solutions, to facilitate the publishing and distribution of video clips over WAAT Media’s mobile media platform. This partnership is expected to reduce the time it takes to publish video content and will ensure unprecedented levels of quality and global device reach.

While WAAT Media and Vantrix have been working together since 2006, WAAT Media’s selection of Vantrix Store Optimizer as its video optimization and publishing platform marks an important milestone for both companies.

Vantrix Store Optimizer gives WAAT Media the flexibility to decide how and when to perform its video optimization tasks. Video clips can be adapted in real time when a user accesses the content, and they can also be pre-processed and optimized in batch mode for multiple handset profiles ahead of time, so they are ready to be delivered when a user requests them.

Originally posted on December 28, 2007 @ 6:44 am

Canada’s hit television programs now available on iTunes

By Leave a Comment

Apple announced that hit television programming from Canada’s top networks, US broadcasters and the National Hockey League (NHL) is now available for CAN$1.99 per episode from the iTunes Store in Canada. iTunes customers can choose from Canadian-produced favorites such as the top-rated, award-winning “Corner Gas” from CTV, smash hit comedy “Little Mosque on the Prairie” from CBC, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning “South Park” from Comedy Central and the NHL Games of the Year.

canada.png

Originally posted on December 12, 2007 @ 11:04 am