Troubled free music site SpiralFrog made its debut today, after months of delays and management changes. The site, which lets visitors download music and videos free of charge, hopes to find success with a business model based on offering DRM’d music to users via an ad-supported site.

“We believe it will be a very powerful alternative to the pirate sites,” said Joe Mohen, chairman and founder of New York-based SpiralFrog Inc. “With SpiralFrog you know what you’re getting … there’s no threat of viruses, adware or spyware.”

The site lets you download tracks with Windows Media DRM. They can be used on some Windows computers and with compatible media players. Users need to register and visit the site every month or the tracks become unplayable.

The tracks cannot be burned to a CD and are incompatible with Macs and Apple’s iPods and iPhone.

While SpiralFrog was hyped when the company was announced last year, the limitations of Windows DRM have proven to be deadly to a score of iTunes-killer wannabees and are likely to limit interest in the new site.

Here’s a roundup of portable media news for Sept. 17th:

• EMusic offering MP3 audiobooks – eMusic is offering more than a thousand books for download, with many of them cheaper than on iTunes. For example, ‚ÄúThe Audacity of Hope,‚Äù read by author Barack Obama, will cost $9.99 on eMusic compared with $18.95 on iTunes. This is good for portable media owners, because you’ll see better prices. It also shows that content providers are wary enough of Apple’s dominance in the area of digital media downloads that they are open to using unprotected formates like MP3.
• The iPod touch isn’t a phoneless iPhone – when Steve Jobs introduced the iPod touch, we asked why Apple had crippled its capabilities, removing Google Maps, Stocks, Notes & Weather, and¬†handicapping other features. Now others are starting to pick up on this. iProng has a nice rundown of the iPhone features that are missing from the iPod touch.
• Linux users will get to use the new iPods – hackers have cracked the encryption that limited new iPods to working with iTunes. This is great for Linux users, because it means that you’ll be able to use the new portable media players with Linux systems. It also means that there will be more free software for working with iPods on Windows and Macs.

 

The popular podcasting tool The Levelator has been updated and has a new home at The Conversations Network.

The Levelator is a free, multi-platform tool that automatically optimizes the levels within audiofiles to even out the volumes of multiple speakers and to adjust the overall volume to a consistent standard.

The changes in the latest version primarily have to do with branding. Here’s what The Conversation Network’s Doug Kaye has to say about the release:

“We‚Äôve just posted release 1.2.1 of The Levelator for OS X and Windows. The Linux versions will follow shortly. User‚Äôs won‚Äôt notice any significant difference over version 1.1.0 other than the change in logos and graphics. The Levelator is now supported and distributed (for free, of course) exclusively by The Conversations Network. And you can expect another bug-fix release within the next few weeks.¬†”

 

Here’s a roundup of portable media news for Saturday, Sept. 15th:

TorrentFreak has an expos√© on Media Defender, publishing internal emails that appear to show how the company created a website and leaked copyrighted content to entrap people into infringement. According to TorrentFreak, “The sole purpose of the site is to trap people into uploading copyrighted material, and bust them for doing so.” Remember who’s paying to entrap you, and that there’s an alternative, next time you sit through all the warnings at the beginning of your DVDs.

Apple Screws Linux Users – with the latest round of updates to Apple’s iPod linup, it’s made changes to the database that shows what’s on your iPod. Apple added an encrypted hash that is effectively locking out anybody that wants to use a third-party content management tool – like Linux users. iPodminusiTunes is looking for hackers to break the encryption.

Forbes has a scathing article about the Apple TV, calling it The iFlop. “Steve Jobs tried to design ‚Äîand dictate‚Äîthe future of television,” according Forbes’ Scott Woolley, “Here’s how he failed.” The article makes some good points, and it’s true that the Apple TV has failed to become another hit like the iPod or even the iPhone. If you want to understand how important the Apple TV is to Apple’s long-term media strategy, though, and why the Apple TV is a success, you need to consider the 25,000 video podcasts that are now available via iTunes. Apple has created a complete ecosystem for publishing, delivering and viewing Internet media, and content producers are lining up to create content. While big media debates and experiments with Internet TV, Apple’s got 25,000 shows in their system, all of YouTube and more on the way. Where’s Apple’s competition? Forbes is going to wake up in a year and figure out that Apple’s competition has been iSleeping.

Watch YouTube, Get College Credit – Michael Arrington points out a class that California’s Pitzer College is offering about YouTube. About 35 students meet in a classroom but work mostly online, where they view YouTube content and post their comments. While the class is likely to be held up as an example of the decline of higher education, the class isn’t really just giving students college credit for watching YouTube. YouTube is “a phenomenon that should be studied,” student Darren Grose said. “You can learn a lot about American culture and just Internet culture in general.”

Liz Gannes over at NewTeeVee reports that SonicMountain, the company that recently acquired the once-hyped podcasting startup Odeo, has purchased FireAnt, a stagnating Internet video startup.

FireAnt is a desktop media player and RSS aggregator for Windows and Mac. With an integrated guide to Internet TV, the FireAnt player lets users subscribe to, download, and watch videos in multiple media formats, and synchronize video with portable devices, including iPod, PSP, Zen, Archos, Zune, and mobile phones.

FireAnt has suffered from the fact that YouTube provides a larger selection of video content, without the need to install an application. FireAnt’s also an alternative to iTunes that’s not a better alternative for most iPod/iPhone users.

It’s¬†proven to be¬†very tough¬†for any portable media software or directory to gain much traction against Apple’s offerings. Apple has managed to deliver the features and reliability that people want, along with iPod/iPhone integration that only Apple can deliver.

Gannes notes that SonicMountain is also looking to acquire Blogdigger, a blog/podcast search site. It remains to be seen if the sum of these startups is more than the parts.  

 

Podcast advertising firm Kiptronic has¬†announced that Bill Loewenthal has joined the company as President and Chief Executive Officer. He will also join Kiptronic’s Board of Directors.

Kiptronic provides an ad insertion and campaign management technology platform as a service to leading rich media publishers. The company allows rich media content producers to dynamically schedule, insert and track pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll video and audio ads within content. Kiptronic’s system is designed to allow publishers to deliver content to users as they always have, while maximizing revenue from their libraries of programming.

Founder and current CEO Jonathan Cobb will remain with the company as Chief Technology Officer. Cobb will continue to focus on Kiptronic’s key technologies, strategic partnerships and business development activities. Cobb will also remain on Kiptronic’s Board of Directors.

“With Kiptronic ascending to its next phase of growth, I was looking for a specific set of characteristics: Extensive management experience, digital media technology fluency, and, above all, a passion for our industry. I found all of these qualities in Bill Loewenthal and we’re excited to add him to the team,” said Cobb.

Verizon Wireless is suing the Federal Communications Commission, asking a federal court to overturn open-access rules that the FCC is imposing on the winner a wireless airwave auction set for this winter.

The FCC’s¬†auction rules specifiy that:

• You should be free to download and use any software applications or content they desire; and
• You should be free to use your wireless communications device with whatever wireless network you want

The two elements of freedom outlined in the auction rules are a threat to traditional carriers, because you could choose to use Internet phone services to make your long distance calls, instead of paying for long-distance from carriers.

In a lawsuit filed on Monday, Verizon Wireless asked the U.S. Court of the Appeals for the District of Columbia to strike down the FCC conditions.

“The nation’s spectrum airwaves are not the birthright of any one company,” responded Google, which has pushed openness in the auction rules. “They are a unique and valuable public resource that belong to all Americans. The FCC’s auction rules are designed to allow U.S. consumers — for the first time — to use their handsets with any network they desire, and download and use the lawful software applications of their choice.”

The auction is set to pit traditional carriers, which have thrived on limiting your choices, with the tech industry, which sees open wireless spectrum as a new opportunity to expand further into mobile Internet media.

Us Internet users watch an average of three hours¬†of¬†online video per month, according to research firm comScore’s Video Metrix report for July 2007. Google Sites topped the July rankings with both the most unique video viewers and most videos viewed.

Google Dominates Online Video

July saw Americans view more than 9 billion videos online, with Google Sites once again ranking as the top U.S. video property with nearly 2.5 billion videos viewed (27.0 percent share of videos), 2.4 billion of which occurred at YouTube.com. Yahoo! Sites ranked second with 390 million (4.3 percent), followed by Fox Interactive Media with 298 million (3.3 percent) and Viacom Digital with 281 million (3.1 percent).

In total, nearly 134 million Americans viewed online video in July, or approximately three in four U.S. Internet users. Google Sites also captured the largest online video audience with 67.8 million unique viewers, followed by Fox Interactive Media with 35.8 million and Yahoo! Sites with 35.3 million.

Other Highlights:

• Online viewers watched an average of more than three hours of online video during the month (181 minutes).
• The average online video duration was 2.7 minutes.
• Nearly three out of four (74.2 percent) U.S. Internet users viewed video online.
• More than one out of three (36.7 percent) U.S. Internet users viewed video on YouTube.com.
• The average online video viewer watched 68 videos, or more than two per day.

SplashCast has announced a new partnership with Columbia Records and three new features designed to make the SplashCast experience more interactive. The new features include: FanCast, a new mobile publishing feature; live chat; and built-in Twitter instant messaging.

Here’s the annoucement from SlashCast’s Marshall Kirkpatrick:

New York’s Coheed and Cambria is the first Columbia band to have an artist channel built by SplashCast. Coheed and Cambria’s channel will also be the first to deploy two exciting new SplashCast features. FanCast, our new mobile publishing feature, will allow the band’s fans to upload photos, audio files and video from their mobile phones to the Coheed and Cambria channel.

The second feature that will be deployed first on Columbia Records artist channels is live chat. Fans will be able to discuss whatever is on their minds in real time with our new in-player chat functionality.

With this announcement, FanCast mobile publishing will be available to all publishers across all channels. Channel owners can designate any show in their channel to accept media files emailed from mobile phones or they can create a special show just for mobile submissions. Those email addresses chosen by publishers and can be kept private or shared with the world; all FanCast submissions can also be moderated by channel owners.

Our new chat functionality will be available first for branded artist channels, including soon some more Columbia Records artists with names everyone will recognize. Soon, all channel owners will soon be able to select whether or not to include chat in their SplashCast players.

Finally, our third new feature being announced today is immediately available on all channels Рand it’s an industry first. SplashCast now offers the only media player online that allows quick, inline messaging to Twitter. Your viewers will be able to click the Twitter icon in your players, provide their username and login and then enter a message to be sent with a link to your channel to their entire network of friends on Twitter. Think Twitter’s just for the early adopter tech crowd? Readers of Sally Forth in the Sunday comics and viewers of the MTV Video Music Awards might disagree.

How would you like to get $10,000 for blogging?

The Daniel Kovach Scholarship Foundation has announced a new $10,000 scholarship that will be awarded to a student blogger this year. Here are the details:

Scholarship Requirements:

• Your blog must contain unique and interesting information about you and/or things you are passionate about. No spam bloggers please!!!
• U.S. citizen or permanent resident;
• Currently attending full-time in post-secondary education in the United States; and
• If you win, you must be willing to let the Foundation user your name and blog on its site.

Important Dates:

• Submission Deadline: Midnight PST on Oct. 6th
• 10 Finalists Announced and Public Voting Begings: 9am EST on Oct. 8th
• Public Voting Ends and Winner Declared: Midnight PST on Oct. 28th

This Blogging Scholarship will be awarded at the Blog World and New Media Expo in Las Vegas, Nov. 8-9. Check the College Scholarships site for full details.