Unsigned bands now have a new way to make money online by adding their songs directly to MySpace Music in exchange for sharing in the ad revenue with the service.

The deal, announced Monday, was struck by the digital-media distribution company Tunecore, will let any artist distribute songs directly through MySpace Music starting Thursday without having to have a music label or aggregator do so on their behalf.

Artists will simply pay a small flat fee for inclusion in the on-demand MySpace Music streaming service, which is partially owned by major labels. In return, MySpace promises to pay artists a percentage of the money it makes from the ads that accompany the music.

Thousands of independent unsigned recording bandswere dismayed to find last week that they almost certainly won’t be paid for songs they sold through imeem’s Snocap storefronts embedded on their MySpace pages. And that news comes despite the fact that MySpace just bought the company.

The MySpace Music on-demand and playlist-sharing service is owned by News Corp. and three of the four major labels. It also includes music from EMI and independent aggregators such as Merlin, The Orchard and IODA. This TuneCore partnership marks the first time unaffiliated artists have been able to add their music to MySpace Music (not to be confused for now at least with the site’s free, promotional band pages).

Although it failed to catch on with consumers initially, MySpace Music is growing thanks to acquisitions of imeem and iLike two of the services included in Google’s music search.

Sony’s latest foray into the world of noise cancelling headphones has resulted in good quality product. The market is clearly dominated by Bose with its’ QuietComfort 2 headphones, which are leading the way in almost every aspect of noise cancelling technology. However, Sony have come up with model, the MDR-NC6, which is a serious contender for those who are after serious sound quality and noise cancelling ability, while still keeping an eye on the budget.

For the techno geeks out there her are some specifications.

Specifications * Audio

* Sensitivity: Power On: 106dB/mW; Power Off: 104dB/mW

* Impedance: Power On: 20 ohms at 1kHz; Power Off: 65 ohms at 1kHz

* Frequency Range: 10 dB at 300 Hz

* Noise Reduction: 40 - 1,500 Hz

* General

* Type: Open air, dynamic

* Driver Unit: 38mm diameter, dome type

* Magnet: Neodymium

* Frequency Response: 30-15,000Hz

* Headphones: Adjustable; Foldable (Swivel)

* Power

* Power Handling Capacity: 100mW

* Battery Life: Alkaline: Sony LR03/AM-4(N) Approx. 30H; Manganese: Sony R03/UM-4(NU) Approx. 15H

* Weights and Measurements

* Weight: 5.29 oz (150g)

* Dimensions: 7 1/64 x 2 1/64 x 9 1/64 in

* Supplied Accessories

* Carry Pouch

* Inflight Plug Adapter

* Optional Accessories

* AAA Battery

Sony claims that their new headphones can reduce ambient sound by over 10dB at 300Hz. This is nothing short of spectacular when considering that the asking price for this unit is under half that of the Bose alternative. Bose’s headphones are also reviewed by this author at http://www.cancellingnoise.com. As should be expected from an established company like Sony, the MDR-NC6 comes with all of the standard features, such as:

-adjustable headset -swivel folding earcups -compact flat folding design and, -plug adaptor for both in-flight and home stereo compatibility

These features can be found on any noise cancelling headphones that are worth their salt.

Basically these headphones are best described as a close second to its Bose counterpart. Both the passive and active noise cancelling capability of Bose is superior to this model but the real advantage lies in the price. This model proves that you don’t need to pay exorbitant amounts of money for high quality noise cancelling headphones. Essentially, Bose have pioneered this new technology with a tremendous product, but Sony are blazing a new trail, which may just prove to be more successful in the marketplace. In any case, the duel between these two giants of the audio industry is destined to see consumers win. More information about other brands of noise canceling headphones is available at http://www.cancelingnoise.com.

So you have your computer loaded with all of your favorite photos and you don’t know how to get them on a dvd. Discover from this article how easily you can accomplish this.

Putting your photos on a dvd requires two software programs. You will need one for organizing your photos and one for burning them on to a dvd. In this article we will be covering Windows Movie Maker since it is a free program that comes with Windows XP users. You can also get it free through Microsoft if, you don’t already have it installed. Your computer must also have a dvd burner and software for the burning process. Since many new computers come with Nerovision Express 3.0 software, we will be using this program in the following steps.

Let’s give it a try shall we…

Step 1. Bring your Windows Movie maker software program up on your computer screen.

Step 2. Look for the task tab, under the capture video category, click on import pictures.

Step 3. Drag and drop your photos in the storyboard arranging them any way you like.

Step 4. Under the edit movie category you can add video effects and transitions. Drag and drop them also in the storyboard. Try all of the them to see which ones you like the best.

Step 5. To add one of your favorite songs change the storyboard view to the timeline view. Under the capture video category, click on import audio or music. Drag your music into the timeline, under your photo scenes, where it says audio/music.

Step 6. When you are satisfied with your preview choose, save to my computer located under the finish movie category. Your video will be saved with a wmv extension.

Step 7. Bring up your Nerovision Express software program and click on make DVD - DVD Video. Under the content screen, click on add video files. Locate the video you just created in Windows Movie Maker. (Remember it will have a wmv extension.) You can add more than one video here. When you see that your video and or videos have been added click on the next button.

Step 8. In the select menu screen click on edit menu. This is where you can choose from a wide range of layouts, background pictures, etc. Play around with the different options you have. When you get the menu just the way you want it click on the next button. (Click on save as template for saving your menu.)

Step 9. Now preview your video by clicking the play button on the remote control. If you are satisfied with the results click next.

Step 10. From the burn options screen, click on burn to located in the parameters for burning box. Locate your dvd drive. Click on the burn button when you are ready. This process takes a while so you have to be patient. Try not to do anything else on the computer while the burning process is in effect.

Note: If you find that the software won’t let you burn, you may need to purchase an additional plugin. If that is the case, you should see a pop up window with instructions on how to get it. Note:You will not be able to burn without it.

That is really all there is to it! Now wasn’t that easy?

Copyright © 2005 Lynn Quario - All Rights Reserved

Please feel free to reprint this article providing the links and author stay intact.

You probably would have heard or read about this example that I’m going to share, but for the sake of those who didn’t know…..

Do you know who wrote Snow White & The Seven Dwarves? Walt Disney? You know it wasn’t. But most people cannot name the original author because Snow White is almost synonymous with Disney. Why?

Disney took what was already in the public domain and REPACKAGED it into a brand new product. A cartoon feature-length movie, that has been watched all over the world. He created a classic out of public domain that is loved by people of all ages.

I’m not suggesting you go make a movie out of that public domain file in your hard disk. (Well, you can if you want to).

What I want you to see is the unlimited possibilities of working with a public domain content. Some people worry that, since others have access to the same public domain content, there’s going to be too much competition. But think about this. What you do with the content may be different from what I do with it. That’s known as a derivative work. And the new product is 100% your own. You can even copyright it as your own!

You might create an ebook with it. I might create a whole series of ebooks with the very same info! But someone else with knowledge in mutimedia might create a video or an audio on CD. Someone else might turn into an online training course. Exciting isn’t it? Even two websites utilizing the same content need not necessarily be the same.

You can also create special reports, manuals, newsletters, ezines, or training courses you can conduct via email or online.

Creating a training course is an excellent way of using public domain info. You string together half a dozen or more articles and turn it into a 7-day course. People are online to learn. And they’ll sign up for your course. You can even charge your readers a subscription fee to sign up for your course if you like.

You could also load your lessons in your autoresponder and anyone who signs up will automatically receive one lesson a day. You don’t have to keep hitting the send button everyday or worry if your readers are receiving their secheduled lessons. Using an autoresponder, everthing is done for you and you can focus on other things.

A word about making videos and audios. A ‘how-to’ guide is beyond the scope of this article. But with the right hardware and software, you could produce exciting multimedia products that will be your very own. If you don’t know anything about this but have the time and interest, then learn. If not, find someone who can do it and hire them to do the job for you.

To use Flash or not to use Flash, that may no longer be the
question.

For years we’ve been telling clients to restrain their Flash
impulses because, though the technology is admittedly cool, it
doesn’t add value to the typical website. During that time we
looked at Flash as something graphic artists learned to do so
they could not only control the look and feel of a site, just as
they do a brochure, but also attempt to control the visitor’s
path through the site. “Bad web design,” we said, because the
medium “demands that the visitor control the visit.” All still
true, the way most designers continue to use Flash anyway. BUT
(and we’re eating a baby crow here) we now believe that Flash
can be added to pretty much any website to improve the site’s
“selling characteristics” hence it’s longer term conversion rate.

Why have we changed our thinking? Three reasons:

1. The popularity, expense and even necessity of pay-per-click
advertising has brought the quest to improve conversion rates to
the forefront.

2. The spread of broadband has given virtually any web user who
wants it the ability to view large files without succumbing to
boredom.

3. The improvement in the way Flash handles video files has
created one multimedia platform of choice.

The buzzword is “conversion” - meaning that percentage of
a website’s visitors who take a desired action. As the price of
traffic continues to rise - whether you are paying an
optimization firm to help you with search engines or you are
conducting a pay-per-click campaign on Google or Yahoo, the need
to squeeze the most out of every marketing dollar rises with it.
For that reason, JI embarked on a program to use multimedia to
increase response. Simply put, the competition for attention
means that you need to start finding more and better ways to
convey your message and thus make the most of every site
visitor.

The spread of broadband Internet access, while not quite
reaching the growth predictions of many industry luminaries, has
now reached the point where most businesses and a large
percentage of households can get some value from multimedia
content. No more waiting forever for a video file that’s so
jerky that calling it a novelty is the nicest thing one can say.
Today we can pick appropriate spots to write, show and tell your
story so that it adds to the personality of the site and helps
to separate you from the competition.

While always an interesting way to combine text and images,
though not a practical one if you want your site to be found in
search engines, Flash has dramatically improved the way it
handles video files. The end result is that video files can
be substituted for still images and play seamlessly - now
combining motion, text and sound without breaking the bandwidth
bank.

The idea is to build once - use many times.
Simple. Say you run a real estate company and you’re looking for
something to do to set your site apart from the competition,
something effective yet affordable. So instead of the ubiquitous
virtual tours, you build a little application that combines
photos, maps, text and even sound (a narration, perhaps). After
you build the first one, new listings can be added quickly and
inexpensively (think hundreds, not thousands).

Now think what you could do with video instead of stills, or
using a voice over instead of just sounds. Say you’re in a
service business and therefore the show and tell part is
not as simple. How about an interview - giving yourself or your
spokesperson a chance to sell that service? You do it in
person and you do it over the phone, why not online? The cost is
modest, especially considering the mileage you can gain.

Think about it. We’re not suggesting a new website here, not
even a minor facelift. This type of multimedia content can be
produced independently and just linked to your site. It can, in
some cases, even be emailed to a prospect list. Here’s an example of a small Flash production that could reside
on any appropriate website.

Publishing this article is permited electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

Film Scanning has become a necessary piece of equipment for the digital darkroom that enables the photographer to continue to shoot pictures the traditional way with film and slides. The scanner allows you to convert the film to digital files and take advantage of the use of software editing, enhnancing and publishing. There are some clear advantages to using a dedicated film Scanner over a flatbed scanner when scanning film or slide negative transparencies. Both a film scanner and flatbed scanner operate using a light source and sensors that scan through the transparency. A dedicated film scanner utilizes a transmissive light source while a flatbed scanner uses a reflective light source. A transmissive light source is a direct linear light source that reflects through the transparency. A reflective light also shines through the transparency, however it is contained or diffused under the glass bed of the scanner and relected off another surface. This is the lid or top surface of the flatbed scanner. The result is greater density and clarity scanned from the transmissive light from a dedicated film scanner. Current higher quality flatbed scanners offer transparency and negative holders and often include an additional light source on the lid to mimic the transmissive light. However, the ultimate operation of a flatbed scanner is still very similar to that of a copy machine. Although some may see an advantage in the flatbed scanner to scan batch negatives or slides quickly, the disadvantge becomes the ability to customize each individual slide or negative that may have different densities or exposure. With a dedicated film scanner, you have the ability to expose or scan each frame at varying degrees of resolutions and corrections. Most dedicated film scanners also offer the batch feature as well. Two main components are essential for a quality scan: resolution and dynamic range. Resolution is the mesurement of pixels the scanner can capture within the scan. Dynamic range is the degree of tonality that is captured within the scan. Most dedicated film scanners offer dynamic ranges greater than 3.6 with 0, the purest white and 4.0, the deepest black. While flatbed scanners have improved greatly in the past few years with higher resolutions, you must be careful on those claiming very high resolutions. This is often interpolated resolution or in simple terms, the scanner guesses on the number of pixels rather than contain the true optical pickup of pixels in the film scanning process. Author: Kimberly Renter Copyright, 2005 Owner of a Film, Photo and Slde Scanning Service at http://filmnfile.com This site also offers more scanning information and a forum to discuss photography. email at inquiries@filmnfile.com

Pimsleur Hindi I Part 3 by Dr. Paul Pimsleur might be an entertaining book, but busy life-styles make getting some time difficult to do. Extended journeys to the office and day to day activities may eat up large portions of your time without you recognizing it. Favorite interests take a back seat to your job, getting the children, or even household tasks. If you enjoy reading and are finding it challenging to fit it in, commuting might provide a chance for catching up. Thanks to technology, you can spoil yourself with Tales from the Black Museum: The Hammer Head by Kriswick Jenkinson by Download Audio Book Online, or audible books brought to life by John Assaraf when you are driving.

If you need additional suggestions, we suggest you visit this super source for Pimsleur Italian I Complete Course by Dr. Paul Pimsleur pointers…

Nowadays multitasking is necessary. Audio-books such as Pimsleur Haitian Creole Compact by Dr. Paul Pimsleur available from Download Audio Book Online make better use of of the wasted minutes everyday, it may be waiting time at the doctor’s surgery or buying groceries. An enormous variety of audio books can be downloaded right now as audio files these include Pimsleur Italian I Part 3 by Dr. Paul Pimsleur, so grab your mp3 player you have the chance to hear the current best seller, like audio books written by Joyce Sandilands without carting a cumbersome book around. Audio books extend a large number of advantages such as the ability to rent or buy many titles and savor them at your own pace. Interested in studying Polish? Why not give audio books a shot? You can review modern business practises, or you can enjoy studying modern notions in religious thought.

An extended selection of genres and titles are available. Whether you love travel writing, or if you are nuts over biographies or even if your interested in health and fitness, most can be downloaded right away. Choices are wide open; you can subscribe to a service and rent or alternatively make a purchase.

Reading will invariably be an essential skill, even so audiobooks offer a great alternative. A author or celebrity can enhance the enjoyment of some books. Reading a title isn’t quite the same as savoring audio titles told by Janette Oke, with niceties presented during a performance. Listening to audio books performed by Cash Peters can add more meaning to your reading experience and can mean a great deal more than written words. So next time in future should you think about buying the hard copy of a book that could simply collect dust on a shelf, don’t forget an audio-book as a different option.

Apple may begin selling subscriptions to podcasts via its popular iTunes service begining as early next year.

Although Apple currently offers a full podcast directory, all of the listed content–from both individuals and growing number of companies–is available for free; however, that may change soon. According to a Macworld UK report, Apple will begin offering fee-based podcasts through iTunes in early 2006.

The report draws from a press release from new company–called What I Want Podcasting–that promises to offer podcasts for sale through iTunes “in the very near future.” The company says it will offer live performance footage from the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues festival which takes place in late January 2006.

“We have developed exclusive video invitations from artists appearing at the festival and created a promotional podcast concert series. We then distributed it throughout the Web, on iTunes, podcast directories, Google Video, and many more websites.” says Martin Elmore, president of What I Want Podcasting.

“In the very near future, we are going to offer podcasts for sale on iTunes, which will feature clips of the concert this January 26-28.”

As the name suggests, Web conferencing services are services offered by vendors in terms of arranging online conferences between groups of people who may be situated at different geographical locations. Web conferencing services are increasing in popularity because they allow sharing of information in multiple formats such as presentations, text, voice and even video. Web conferences also allow users to share applications such as a spreadsheet and co-browse Web sites.

Considering the cost savings that Web conferencing can deliver, the market is geared to take off in the next few years. According to a prediction by the Radicati group, a consulting and market research firm, the Web conferencing services market could grow to $2.2 billion by 2007.

An increasing number of companies are now present in the Web conferencing marketing. Some of the leading names include Cisco, GoToMeeting, IBM, Oracle, Batipi, Centra, Elluminate, Genesys, iLinc, Intercall, Interwise, iVocalize, Voxwire Web Conferencing, Linktivity,Raindance Communications, Macromedia, LiveOffice, Netspoke, OpenSpace-Online, WebDialogs, WiredRed amongst several others. In 2003, Microsoft acquired a company called PlaceWare which offered Web conferencing software and renamed it Microsoft Office Live Meeting. It also began phasing out support for NetMeeting.

While selecting a service provider one must take into consideration the features, cost, and the references given by the service provider. The reputation and experience of the provider are important because most of the group communications require that the conference proceeding be secure and free of technical glitches. The conferencing service providers are responsible for security, including SSL encryption, management tools for administration, and installation of solutions that can be set up behind a corporate firewall.

Web conferencing service providers have different models for charging their customers. Some service providers may charge based on the number of participants in the conference, others may charge based on the usage in terms of time.

Today’s business world is very diverse and many companies have employees as well as customers located all over the world. As you can imagine meeting with coworkers and clients can be time consuming and expensive if you are not located in the same area. Luckily, there are several types of conference call services options that you can use in order to effectively communicate without having to jump on a plane every time you want to meet.

Audio conferencing has been widely used for quite some time and is a cost effective way to hold a meeting with folks from around the globe. This type of conference call service uses the telephone and enables all the attendees of a meeting to hear each other in real time. People dial in to an open line and have a meeting much like they wood if they were physically located in the same room.

Video conferencing has been around for over a decade but has been mostly used by big companies due to the costs of the equipment. Today, however, costs have come down and this type of conferencing is available to even small business owners. A step up from audio conferencing, video conferencing involves the use of a camera and large television or monitor so not only can you hear each other, you can see each other as well. This works well for sharing visual info via a white board and is nice as it gives the team a more cohesive feel if they can see one another. Years ago I worked for a company that had two offices located about 1 hours drive away. We were in one office and our “sister” team in another. We had weekly meetings via video conference and it was a huge time saver not to have to drive for two hours just to attend a 1 hour meeting!

Web conferencing is a newer technology and makes use of the internet. People simply surf to a web site and the conference is held online. This is a great way to share files or visual aids and can be used in a power point presentation type of style. It can work well for training as well as for troubleshooting problems in software. Web conferencing has audio as well as visual and another technology that the others don’t have - text messaging. In a web conference, attendees have the ability to send a text message - be it a question or comment and you can hold the text for later rather than interrupt your presentation.

While these new technologies open up doors for different ways of meeting, the age old business etiquette of holding a meeting still holds true - with a few new requirements. Here’s some tips on how to hold a successful teleconference.

1. With teleconferencing, you need to be aware that your attendees might not all be in the same time zone. Therefore, you want to schedule the meeting for a time that is convenient for all. Whether you are holding an audio conference, video conference or web conference, you will need to schedule the media for the time you want the conference held. it’s a good idea to give yourself some leeway and schedule extra time before and after the meeting. This gives you time to iron out any technical issues before hand and allows for some wiggle room if the meeting runs overtime.

2. Once you have scheduled the room, be sure to send an invite to the attendees with the appropriate information. For a video conference it might be the channel or just the room if you have a video conference room. For an audio conference you will need the phone number and password. For a web conference, you will need the web url and password and, depending on the type of conference call service you are using, perhaps a phone number to dial in to as well.

3. Be sure to try out the call ahead of time. Dial or surf in to be sure everything is working. You want to be there first so you can “greet” your attendees and make sure everyone is online before you start the meeting.

4. Audio conferences and web conferences have another factor - the noise factor. With people dialing in from all over the place you can get a lot of background noise. It’s a good idea to ask everyone to mute the phone so the noise does not detract from the meeting. When it is their turn to speak, the can turn off the mute button.