TNC New Media, creator of the EndurancePlanet.com podcast, announced today that they have sold the online media property and its archive of endurance athlete interviews. The buyer, Kevin Patrick, is an accomplished broadcaster and multisport athlete already producing podcasts for clients.

“We‚Äôve sold the EndurancePlanet.com podcast,” Tim Bourquin, CEO of TNC New Media, told Podcasting News. “As far as I know, it‚Äôs the first time a podcast has actually been sold.”

“USA Triathlon and I are looking forward to continuing Tim’s mission of delivering practical and entertaining information for endurance athletes,” said Kevin Patrick. “Long-time listeners of the Endurance Planet podcast can look forward to some exciting new things beginning in March.”

Terms of the sale were not made public.

Vocalist and pianist Norah Jones is using a video podcast, Norah Jones Not Too Late, to promote her new album, Not Too Late, which will be releasted January 30th on Blue Note Records.

The video podcast features behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the new album.

Podcaster Michael Geoghegan has announced Podcast Release, a free WordPress plugin designed to help podcasters with getting legal releases for the use of a guest’s voice or likeness:

“The plugin, when installed, creates a Podcast Release page on your site and provides a link to send to your interview subjects. It also sets up an admin page in your WP admin section to enter whatever release text you require. When your guest comes to the page, they enter their name, email and check that they accept the terms. The plugin then sends an email to both you and your guest with the release text, name, email and the IP address of the submitter.The plugin is not distributed with Release Text because it should be custom tailored for your particular use case. You can cut and paste your current release text or create your own. If you need a example, the Podcast Brothers have posted a release on their site. (It is located in the section right above the shows.)”

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, YouTube CEO Chad Hurley said his company “is going to move in the direction” of rewarding video creators for their content.

Hurley says that he intends to share revenue with video producers, and that YouTube did not do that at first because he wanted to build a community of people who wanted to be there to be there and who would not just leave for the next best offer.

Hurley did not provide any real details, but this could turn into a significant option for video podcasters and video bloggers to make money from their work.

via Jeff Jarvis

First Beat Media has launched MyPodcast.com, a free podcast hosting service that offers a free recorder, hosting, unlimited bandwidth, and the ability for users to earn money with their podcasts. The site’s recorder application lets users include ad spots directly into recorded podcast episodes and earn a portion of the revenue.

Users can:

• Choose a podcast template, and set up a custom URL where their podcast will be hosted.
• Record podcasts using the site’s free recorder application.
• Host an unlimited number of podcasts and episodes, including unlimited bandwidth at no charge.
• Earn money through the podcasts by placing ad spots in the episodes.
• Have podcasts integrated into the iTunes music store.

via Digital50

The Dutch consumer protection agency Consumentenbond is the latest to pressure Apple on restrictions on downloads that tie songs bought on iTunes to being used with iTunes and iPods.

Consumentenbond spokesman Ewald van Kouwen said his group had filed a formal complaint with the Dutch antitrust watchdog NMa asking for an investigation into Apple’s “illegal practices”.

“What we want from Apple is that they remove the limitations that prevent you from playing a song you download from iTunes on any player other than an iPod,” van Kouwen said. “When you buy a music CD it doesn’t play only on players made by Panasonic. People who download a song from iTunes shouldn’t be bound to an iPod for the rest of their lives.”

The Dutch complaints follow similar ones from consumer-rights groups in Germany, France and the Nordic countries. Earlier in the week, Norway ruled that Apple’s iTunes DRM is illegal.

via Canda.com

Apple Recon reports that orders for the recently announced Apple TV have already exceeded the original 100,000 unit order that Apple had placed with its manufacturer, and Apple is preparing to place a second order for twice that number.

According to the site, Apple now expects to sell over a million Apple TV devices leading up to the 2007 holiday season, and at least that many again during the Thanksgiving – Christmas period.

Apple TV is succeeding where Windows XP Media Center has failed due to its simplicity and considerably lower price. It is odd to consider Apple to be in a value market, but strangely, that is exactly what Apple TV has become. You see, its competitor is not the various network vendor products, as they come no where close to the interface and simplicity of the Apple TV; further, they don’t have the iTunes store behind them providing content. Apple TV competes directly with Windows XP Media Center, and comes in at 25% of the price! While Windows XP Media Center has become a replacement for the terrible Windows XP Home, the actual sales of devices destined to be connected to TVs in family rooms, has been very poor. Their high price, along with the mess of patching, securing and maintaining a full Windows PC in the living room is not a very attractive proposition.

Apple has not publicly stated projections. If these numbers are accurate, though, Apple could establish iTunes & Apple TV as the dominant platform for Internet television by the end of this year.

The audience for Internet video has reached a critical mass, offering advertisers and television programmers lucrative opportunities, according to Nielsen Analytics.

Highlights of the the company’s research:

• There has been no measurable negative impact on traditional television viewing.
• Video on PCs and iPods is expanding the audience of traditional TV programs.
• Viewers prefer short web-served ads, though the market is split between 15-second and 30-second pre-rolls per program segment.
• Broadband video should have a higher CPM than television, because it offers greater levels of interactivity and viewer engagement.

“Advertisers and programmers using broadband have a unique advantage in the increasingly competitive advertising world,” continued Gerbrandt. “Ad models can be customized and managed in a broadband environment, and interactivity can be embedded into the program in such a way as to enhance engagement which does not take viewers away from the enjoyment of the program.”

The research also offers some insight to broadband users.

Starbucks and Apple today announced the availability of the Starbucks Hear Music catalog on the iTunes Store. Hear Music offerings will be available in a new Starbucks Entertainment area within the iTunes Store.

Hear Music produces a wide range of albums showcasing new and classic artists including the vArtist Choice series, Opus Collections, Debut Series releases by emerging artists, as well as new work from major artists.
The Starbucks Entertainment area within iTunes will feature a variety of playlists including unique music hand-picked by the same Starbucks Hear Music content team responsible for selecting the music played in Starbucks stores around the world. Playlists and content will include digital versions of many of Hear Music’s CD series. Customers can purchase either the entire playlist or individual tracks from the Starbucks Hear Music playlists.

The iPhone is not a smartphone, but “a second-rate cellphone”, according to ABI Research analysts Stuart Carlaw and Philip Solis.

‚ÄúConsumers will not be willing to settle for a second-rate cell phone just to have superior music,” argues Stuart Carlaw. “Apple must get the phone engineering part of the equation right, and it is difficult to see how they will accomplish that with no track record in the industry. Even though they are working with some prominent suppliers, the task of putting all of the building blocks together cannot be underestimated.‚Äù

ABI Research defines a smartphone as a cellular handset using an open, commercial operating system that supports third party applications.

‚ÄúIt turns out that this device will be closed to third party applications,” said Solis. “Therefore we must conclude at this point that, based on our current definition, the iPhone is not a smartphone: it is a very high-end feature phone.‚Äù