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EMI has licensed Jamba to provide what the News Corp. and Verisign-owned mobile entertainment JV says is the label’s first DRM-free repertoire in Europe to cross both mobile and the PC, we’ve learned. Though tracks may not appear online for another couple of months, the deal was signed off late today. EMI is giving access to the copyright protection-free catalog it introduced almost a year ago now. Jamba Music will give customers MP3 files to the PC and the smaller, compressed AAC+ files to the mobile handset. Prices are not yet known.

Jamba Music is a music rental and purchase store, offered over both the desktop web and mobile, with synchronization of the music archive carried out over a data cable, Bluetooth or the net. It currently operates in Jamba’s native Germany though the outfit is keen to grow it through white-label deals with ISPs and in other countries this year. Previously, Jamba Music’s major-label repertoire had come in WMA format for PC but still AAC+ for mobile. Though Jamba claimed this deal is a European PC-and-mobile first for EMI, if you stretch it, you could say the iPhone/iTunes Store combination already offers DRM-free PC/mobile tunes.

Just as the labels have begun experimenting with DRM-free more generally, that notion is on some music industry lips in Barcelona. RealNetworks SVP Larry Moores told a session on the topic earlier today: “We’ve taken the dream and turned it in to a nightmare through DRM. Consumers expect their music to play everywhere. We’ll be offering DRM-free in some of our services this summer.” HP’s content, media and entertainment VP and CTO Brian Levy acknowledged DRM had posed serious problems but maintained artists had the right to earn money from protecting their wares.

Original Story

Tags: EMI, Jamba, News corp, Verisign

The business social networking site LinkedIn has appointed a European managing director, heralding a new wave of European expansion.

LinkedIn said Kevin Eyres, the former general manager of search engine Alta Vista, will head its European service from a new office in London. The company is already recruiting six more staff in sales, marketing and business development. However, technical development will remain based at the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, California.

LinkedIn has been benefiting from the growth of interest in social networking sites, along with rival services Facebook, Bebo and MySpace, but offers a more niche service for professionals that it hopes will tap into a more lucrative business demographic. Eyres said LinkedIn’s strategy would be to target each country in Europe individually, with localised versions of the service under development.

LinkedIn now has 5 million users in Europe. It has big plans for growth in 2008 and will concentrate on the 25% of the population that fits its target demographic. Industry commentators have been predicting that LinkedIn will be bought by a major media firm, with some tipping Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation as a potential buyer.

About

LinkedIn is an online network of more than 13 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries.

When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional accomplishments. Your profile helps you find and be found by former colleagues, clients, and partners. You can add more connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you.

Your network consists of your connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know, linking you to thousands of qualified professionals.

Investors: Sequoia Capital, Greylock Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, European Founders Fund.

Story 

Tags: Alta Vista, Bessemer Venture Partners, European Founders Fund, Greylock Partners, LinkedIn, News corp, Sequoia Capital

SEATTLE, Nov 28, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) –
AdReady, an innovative advertising technology company, announced today the appointment of Jason Kilar, CEO of Hulu, to its board of directors. Kilar brings extensive Internet sector experience to this role, having spent nearly a decade in key management positions at Amazon.com.

As CEO of Hulu, a joint venture of News Corp. and NBC Universal, Kilar leads the growth of an online video service that aims to help people find and enjoy premium programming when, where and how they want. Previously at Amazon.com, Kilar developed the initial strategy for the company’s entry into the video and DVD businesses and ultimately became vice president and general manager of Amazon’s North American media businesses, which included the books, music, video, and DVD categories. Kilar later served as senior vice president, Worldwide Application Software, where he led an organization of hundreds of world-class technologists and he reported directly to CEO Jeff Bezos.

“Jason knows how to build scalable businesses on the Internet, and his experience at Amazon and Hulu will be invaluable as we expand,” said Aaron Finn, CEO and president of AdReady. “Jason understands first-hand the opportunities and challenges companies face as they grow, and his guidance will help us make effective choices quickly.”

“AdReady makes the luxury of effective online display advertising available to all at low-cost and in a self-service manner,” said Jason Kilar, CEO of Hulu. “I look forward to working with the management team and fellow board members to support the compelling and ambitious vision of AdReady.”

www.adready.com, www.hulu.com

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Tags: AdReady, Amazon, Hulu, NBC Universal, News corp