Universal stretches out its hand and Microsoft gladly hands over the cash


Universal Music Group wants a piece of the action when it comes to Microsoft's Zune music player. Not only will the company receive a cut of each song sold, but it will also get paid for each Zune player that is sold.

The announcement could set a major precedent for mobile devices that playback music. Not only will Microsoft's Zune be affected, but future players from Apple, Creative, SanDisk and others could see a "tax" placed on player sales.

Apple, which is the dominant player in the music player market, currently doesn't pay music studios for each player sold although that could change in the future. "We were very early in working with Steve on the launch of the iPod and he's been a very good partner and done a lot for the industry. We have a current contract with him and at the end of that I'm sure we'll negotiate," said Doug Morris, chief executive of Universal.

BetaNews was able to provide these additional details concerning the royalty payments:

The formula for these proceeds will be calculated based on the number of Zune units that eventually sell through to consumers. This fact is critically important, especially since it distinguishes the type of royalty payments Microsoft will be making, and how they may be regulated under current US law. The royalty payments, UMG told BetaNews, will not be a percentage of the revenue from retail sales, but instead a flat fee based on the number of Zunes that end up in consumers’ hands...Though the spokesperson would not reveal the formula used to determine the amount of Microsoft payments, we were told it would be a flat fee, not a percentage. The fee will not be $1 per Zune sold, contrary to what The New York Times reported this morning, leaving us with subtle indications that the fee is actually higher.

It's interesting that Microsoft would agree to such terms with Universal given that the Zune will be a money-losing proposition for the company in the short term. Microsoft's 30GB Zune player is set to launch on November 14 at a price of $249. Songs will be priced at 99 cent each while an unlimited Zune Pass subscription will cost $14.99 per month.

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=4882 ...

Already a Plucky PS3 owner in Japan has updated his 20GB PS3 Hard Drive to a much nicer 120 GB, the full pictorial progress can be seen on Ruliweb.

Heres the screen showing the new hard drive size.

...

Unlike iTunes, with its draconian non-redownload policy, Microsoft's Zune Marketplace will let you re-download purchased songs up to five times (plus even more if you call up tech support). Apple has been known to let people download their purchased music library again—especially if your name is Wil Wheaton—but for the most part they recommend that you back up your music instead of rely on them to be your data repository.

This may be a small detail, but it's something that's nice to have if your hard drive ever gets corrupted ...

In sharp contrast to US reports that consumers are already lining up for the upcoming stateside launch of the PlayStation 3 on November 17, Japanese consumers are having to get decidedly more creative.

With reports that Sony cut its estimate of hardware for the Japanese launch by 20 percent--to roughly 80,000 units--many retailers have had to manage consumer expectations, as well as their own. Smaller stores initiated preorder programs for a very limited amount of units, while some chains decided simply to eliminate preorders entirely. Established chains such as Yodabashi and Bic Camera have opted to either sell units to whoever is lined up at their stores at 7 a.m. on launch day or hold raffles on the units they have to sell. Sony's online store in Japan, which took preorders for the PlayStation Portable before the system's December 2004 Japanese launch, is having nothing to do with the launch--offering none of the hotly anticipated consoles to gamers in Nippon.

The actual process of lining up for units, regardless of the number available, is turning out to be decidedly more challenging than it was for the PSP's Japanese launch, as well as the PlayStation 2's Japan launch in March, 2000.

While some stores are allowing consumers to line up, others are discouraging overnight camp outs. The Yodabashi Camera in Shinjuku, Tokyo's venerable electronic establishment, is informing passersbys and hopeful loiterers that they must disperse--in Japan, throngs are considered to be a public nuisance and the store risks being reprimanded by authorities and prevented from selling units at all.

This is a considerably different situation than the PSP launch in 2004, when hundreds of consumers were arranged in a serpentine line that sprawled through most of the area around the store. Still, despite the presence of police officers who are discouraging the crowd from congregating, it is expected that the growing crowds will shape themselves into a proper line as the evening wears on. ...

Sony Worldwide Studios boss Phil Harrison has declined to offer a guarantee that the PlayStation 3 will hit Europe in March as previously announced.

In an interview with Official PlayStation Magazine, excerpts of which have been published on Sony's "semi-official" ThreeSpeech blog, Harrison said, "Given that all of our previous statements about launching in Europe simultaneously with the US and Japan turned out not to be the case, I would not like to make any definitive statements on that.

"It’s not my job to comment on hardware supply issues other than to say some very smart people are working very hard to catch up," he continued.

"In fact, the ramp up is already starting to happen in supply and output, just obviously too late for us to have launched in Europe at the same times as the US."

In the same interview, when asked if the PS3 browser will let users visit any site and download files, Harrison replied, "No. It has to be done through the store. Although it’s built on the same technology as the open Internet browser, it’s a special version. That’s completely understandable from a DRM point of view. But some streaming sites, such as music on MySpace, will work."

Harrison said he is "delighted" that the PS3 is launching with a stronger first-party software line-up than the PSone, PS2 and PSP, adding, "Bearing in mind that we launched PS2 with Fantavision as a first party title - great game though it is - it’s by no means the game on which you would rest an entire format."

He went on to confirm that the PS3 will launch in North America with Resistance, Genji, NBA and Motorstorm, and revealed that a downloadable demo for F1 will be available from day one.

"That's a pretty compelling line-up," Harrison concluded. ...

Eidos is bringing back Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, and interestingly the PS2 version of the game will now support use of the Buzz! controllers.

Due out on PS2, PSP and PC this December, the new Millionaire game will include the voice of Chris Tarrant, along with a new range of questions made up by the people who actually do them for the show.

There'll be four-player multiplay, as well as a "play or pass" mode where you can force another person to answer a difficult question.

The PS2 version sounds like the one to go for, though, with EyeToy support also included so you can put your face in the game.

Via Eurogamer ...

Sony has whacked its PlayStation 3 User's Guide onto the Internet, giving you the chance to explore the console's functionality through the medium of badly worded paragraphs. (No change there, then.)

For instance, you might like to know what you can download and upload using the PS3 web-browser, or to get an overview of the PS3 Store.

You can also see how the Friends stuff works, and investigate the sorts of photo, music and video the PS3 will play back from storage devices and the console's internal hard disk. It also helps explain all the system settings, so you can see clearly what's alterable

More Info ...

The latest studio to be approved by Microsoft as an Xbox 360 developer is Frozen Codebase, a Wisconsin-based independent developer which has been founded by veterans from a number of major studios.

The firm started work on Xbox 360 titles earlier this year, and boasts former staff from developers including Raven Software, Radical Entertainment, GarageGames and Astral Entertainment among the talent who have come together to create the studio.

One of the interesting aspects about Frozen Codebase, which was founded by industry verteran Ben Gelsler, is that it is funded with venture capital rather than depending on publisher advances from the outset - a relatively rare thing among independent development studios.

"Frozen Codebase is receiving fantastic feedback on our first game and is poised for success," claimed Gelsler in a statement today. "We have a strong working relationship with Microsoft whose XBox 360 console provides an exciting game development platform. GarageGames is providing the underlying 'Torque' game engine."

None of which, sadly, gives us any idea of what exactly Frozen Codebase is working on for the 360 - but given the talent involved, and the creative freedom which being venture capital funded gives a studio, we'll be sure to keep an eye on it. ...

Xbox 360 titles Forza Motorsport 2, Crackdown, Shadowrun and Too Human are now down for release at the end of June 2007, Peter Moore has admitted.

Speaking to MTV, the Xbox boss also said he'd recently played a build of Halo 3 - expected by most to release in late 2007 - and that it was "everything people would expect to see in a next-generation version of Halo".

Sadly though he didn't have an update on what film director Peter Jackson's doing, with no word on whether any of his Xbox projects would launch in 2007.

Moore's comments come in the same week as Microsoft revealed its plans to launch digital TV and film downloads in the US on 22nd November - with the Xbox man describing it as "a shot across the bow" of competitors Sony and Nintendo.

And on the subject of films, he also had some encouraging words for those still hoping for the Halo film to get going. "While we have no deals to announce, everyone in Hollywood is looking at it," he said. In fact, "several studios" have popped round to see the work that's already been done.

"For the magnitude of what the script is - I've read the screenplay - and what we need to do to uphold the 'Halo' universe for its legion of fans in the way they want to see a movie being made, no, it won't be next year," he added.

Finally, he responded to criticisms recently of publishers' behaviour on Xbox Live Marketplace - where Electronic Arts in particular has come under fire for charging consumers for things they can unlock in-game, and holding some elements back to sell separately.

"The consumer has the ability to vote. And they vote with the A-button most of the time. Either they download it or not," he said. "I think publishers, and we're a publisher as well, will get the message." ...