Survey: iPods more popular than beer

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Move over Bud. College life isn't just about drinking beer. In a rare instance, Apple Computer Inc.'s iconic iPod music player surpassed beer drinking as the most "in" thing among undergraduate college students, according to the latest biannual market research study by Ridgewood, N.J.-based Student Monitor.

Nearly three quarters, or 73 percent, of 1,200 students surveyed said iPods were "in" — more than any other item in a list that also included text messaging, bar hopping and downloading music.

In the year-ago study, only 59 percent of students named the iPod as "in," putting the gadget well below alcohol-related activities.

This year, drinking beer and Facebook.com, a social networking Web site, were tied for second most popular, with 71 percent of the students identifying them as "in."

The only other time beer was temporarily dethroned in the 18 years of the survey was in 1997 — by the Internet, said Eric Weil, a managing partner at Student Monitor.

Though beer might soon regain its No. 1 spot, as it quickly did a decade ago, the iPod's popularity is still "a remarkable sign," Weil said. "For those who believe there's an excessive amount of drinking on campus, now there's something else that's common on campuses."

Hit TV show '24' coming to big screen: report

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The real-time TV thriller "24" is headed to the big screen under a deal between movie studio 20th Century Fox and the show's producers, trade paper Daily Variety said on Thursday.

The Hollywood publication said no deals are in place with the cast, although star Kiefer Sutherland -- an executive producer of the series -- has said he would like to reprise his role as sleep-deprived action hero Agent Jack Bauer in a feature version.

However, the paper said the "24" movie would likely abandon the TV show's distinctive real-time conceit, meaning that all the murder and mayhem will no longer be squeezed into one day. A rough plot outline has been drafted, but no details have been disclosed, it said.

Fox, a unit of News Corp., struck a deal with series creators Robert Cochran and Joel Surnow, who will write the script, and executive producer Howard Gordon, who will work on the story, Daily Variety said. The feature could potentially shoot next spring and summer during the hiatus between season six and a likely seventh season of "24."

New CD swap site to give back to struggling artists

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A new Web site that aims to transform music industry economics is set to go live on Thursday, giving musicians a major cut of the proceeds while largely freezing out record labels and other intermediaries.

http://www.Lala.com, which allows fans to trade music discs for just $1, plus shipping, pledges to give a fifth of its sales to all the musicians, including lesser known session studio players, involved in the making of CDs exchanged on its site.

In a move that is certain to stoke controversy with music promoters, the founder of the Silicon Valley start-up said Lala will circumvent traditional copyright and royalty payment systems to compensate identifiable working musicians.

The site works something like an eBay auction exchange as it encourages consumers who sign up for the service to list all the CDs they may want to exchange as well as ones they would be interested in receiving.

Once an exchange is arranged, the recipient pays $1.49, of which 49 cents pays for shipping the disc, leaving $1 for the company for musicians, administrative costs and its own cut.

Lala said 20 cents of each $1 will go into a charitable fund for the musicians. It is looking to pay the musicians via a charitable organization it has set up called the Z Foundation. It plans on keeping 20-30 cents for itself, with the remainder going on administration.

"We all have this music that sits in our homes - wouldn't it be great if people can exchange those CDs," said founder Bill Nguyen, a serial Silicon Valley entrepreneur.

He's a veteran of start-up companies including Seven, a mobile e-mail rival to Blackberry maker Research in Motion and OneBox, which was sold to Phone.com, which is now known as Openwave.

Lala has been testing the service for several months with nearly 100,000 people and claims to already have another 200,000 people waiting to join the service when it goes live.

The service is bound to raise eyebrows at record companies which have stepped up their anti-piracy drives in the last few years to combat both CD and digital music piracy.

But a spokeswoman for the Recording Industry Association of America said that, "To date we have declined comment on Lala.com - and will hold to that here as well."

Nguyen admits his company has had a mixed reaction from the record companies, with some viewing his plan as a threat along the lines of the pioneering peer-to-peer music file sharing service Napster.

"One label thought it would help them to know their customers for the first time," Nguyen said. "But others' view of us is as the devil, more like peer-to-peer services."

Lala argues that it offering a vibrant new way for consumers to discover new music and that if successful, it will encourage robust sales of new music, unlike the culture of pirated CDs and downloading that followed in Napster's wake.

Nguyen claims that Lala's research shows that for every five CDs exchanged on the server a new CD was bought.

Though Lala is a for-profit business, Nguyen envisages a community of fans and musicians running many key elements of the site with a relatively skeletal paid staff that he plans to keep under 30 employees.

For instance, fans and artists will jointly decide whether a musician who applies for compensation will get paid under the system. Nguyen described the site as having a business model inspired by Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia built from editorial contributions by its users.

Morning peeps....

Al Zarqawi is no more.......

Time to visit THIS happy go lucky gang again...

Bwahahahaha, check out the artwork page too funny

Satriella: Go with your intuition girl, and remember that if we never take chances, we never know.... If the job offer is with a more stable company, and the pay is the same or better, go for it!.... In todays society (at least in the states), your lucky to hold a job for that long and most people can expect to change jobs 3 or more times in their career, lol.... Good luck girl!....

....Well today I got Andy T's Resolution.... I'm still a little unsettled as it hasnt shock and awed (sp?) me yet, lol.... I'm sure 962 will plug-in here (btw dude, I got a message that Mourning Windows is not printed anymore so I gotta go back to the used shops to find it, lol) with some reinforcement....

It is a great effort, and I need to dig in some more cause Andy covers a wide variety of tonal exploration.... I hear alot of the "old" riffage in there placed in a little different way, but I gotta tell ya.... The title track Resolution is a beautiful masterpiece of layered melodies and textures that take you on a journey to another place!!.... If there was a perfect song out there, this would be a close fit.... So simple, yet so intricate and beautiful.... Wow is all I can say, and if Mr. Hendrix were alive today, he would agree....

....Here is a recent Richie Kotzen show at The Gig in Cali, and the first two songs are off his new album Into The Black.... The 1st song Till You Put Me Down is why he is always at the top of my list.... Soul to die for and his git will cut you down, lol.... Then comes Doin What the Devil Says To Do.... Enjoy the show and also Franklyn Vanderbilt (I believe) playing some superhuman skins!!....

JonnyB: I have never had the platinum package but from what the peeps here on this board have said, there is a professional photographer who takes a digital picutre of you and Joe. You are later given a website where you can view/download your picture. I assume they will do the same thing at the shows across the pond...

ALL: Here is a link to a few tracks that my son TomJr has been working on. I would appreciate if you would be kind enough to listen and offer constructive criticism.

LINK

Thanks

YAY!!!! Finally heard from e-tix- anyone in the uk waiting to hear about plat tix info, check your junk mail folder, my email had gone in there!

PAULEMOZ- Got your e-mail from e-tix yet?

KENIKO- lol...I'm sure your Cindy must be looking forward to her well-earned rest! :) 6 more weeks for me... still it's ok, looking forward to starting my new job in the Autumn!

SLANSHROOM- Well just hope you can get back to your guitar playing as soon as possible! Thanks for the info about Barcelona- when we go on holidays we do try not to look like typical tourists (no cameras round the neck, streetmaps in the back pocket etc...) but I think you just have to keep your wits about you. Looking forward to it! Matt was just saying the other day what a shame it is you won't be in Barcelona the week we are there, would have been good to meet up with you :) Glad you are getting to see Joe, sorry to hear that the venue sucks, that's a shame...

BAHDUH- not long now til the World Cup!... Will have to watch the replay of the Saturday England game though! Damn wedding we have to go to...

JONNY B- Think they e-mail the photo to you- that's what I have heard on here before, I think... as Tom Sr said I think... not sure though??

Good Afternoon Satchland...... What a Beautiful day it is in Chicago.

Well, my son Aaron returned safely from his business trip. Thanks you lord....you've been good to me.....please keep it up.....lol.....Everything went well for him. He got the company on line and networked with only a few problems that he handled. Thanks Devry Institute. Money well spent.

Cuth..... That was beautiful. I saved the pic in my pic folder. I love rainbows( this is of a different type) I'm always lookin' after a rain storm when the sun comes out. We've seen some really good ones. Thanks for the pic.

Suzo.... Yeah, Cindy's really excieted. She returns on Fri. for an hour and than she's FREE.....Yippie ! ! ! Hugs

Captain Steve..... Coffee Man?.....I love it. Did you think I would forget? Take Care Bro....

cuthbert1776

"Write it down wolfie"

"simply too many notes, just cut a few and it will be perfect"

Suzie 2000:Yo Suzo, i,m kinda tryin t cure the frustration by posting here, by the end of 6 weeks i,ll be up for post whore of the year, lmao

Another pointer, usually after work i,m covered in crap from the day, i guess i,ve had a lot of luck for that.On that night i made an effort t dress well....that can also be a pointer for those willing t steal.However y,ll have Matt so all should be well, just dont fall asleep the 2 of yis!The metro at 45 degrees does that after a few ales if the AC is off!!!

The Razz venue in Barca just doesnt cut it for sound, i,ve seen people playing with great sound engineers,backing tracks there & it still sucked.I think its the shape of the venue...high ceiling arghhh, delay/reverb death that gives that woolie ball of crap sound or maybe its Speaker quality & placement, dunno, all i know is there are better venues t play.Unfortunately y have to be HUGE to play em & Catalunya is a lil behind the times when it comes to acts like Joe but i,ll be there

Jon (webmaster) No idea if you will read this, pass the word to someone to contact TV3 in Barcelona Catalunya for the gig, there are a lot of peeps here who have no idea who Joe is! With some luck next time around he could be playing a venue that would do justice to his sound, Razz in Barca sucks donkey balls.Also give the feckers a recording from the desk mixed with the crowd.The catalans are as tight with money as a ducks ass so there is no knowing how it would be represented if it was just by them!!!! Just a pointer & hope y read it

I think..... Joe Satriani For MTV Cribs...