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INTO THE GREAT WIDE DOWNLOAD
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers have made its latest song, "Surrender" available for streaming at MP3.com. The songcomes from "Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Anthology: Through The Years," a two-disc set to be released 10/31. MP3.com features a link to the band's official Web site, where fans can buy the album at a discount and receive a free tee-shirt. The rock hitmakers forgedtheir relationship with the Internet music service in 1999, when "Free Girl Now," the first single off the album "Echo," was posted on the site. In a related story, MP3.com added $20 million during the third quarter to its reserve fund. The fund, which now tops $150 million, will go toward litigation and copyright settlements stemming from its MyMP3.com service, as well as executive trips to the Bambi Club in Tijuana.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH
RealNetworks and Sony have struck a strategic alliance to co-promote and co-market their products. Starting in 2001, Sony will include RealPlayer and RealJukebox on its portable music devices and VAIO PCs. RealNetworks has utilized Sony's ATRAC3 audio codec in its newly launched RealAudio 8. The single-audio solution offers high quality audio at the widest range of bit rates. RealAudio 8 uses half the file size of MP3 and uses two-thirds the bandwith of RealAudio G2. The Beastie Boys, Spice Girls, Yolanda Adams, Lyle Lovett and PJ Harvey are among the artists offering exclusive RealAudio 8 content on its site. Ironically, everyone's favorite eight-man band, The Osmonds, are not participating.

AKOO-KOO-KA-CHOO
Akoo.com has partnered with NetRadio.com to distribute its Kima wireless Internet audio device. Kima allows users to access Internet radio, MP3 files and digital music on a stereo or portable radio up to 1,000 feet from their computers. Kima is compatible with most streaming media players, including RealPlayer, Microsoft Windows Media Player, Apple's QuickTime Player and satellite and cable TV digital music channels. Kima's turn-ons includesunsets, kittens andrubber lingerie.

READY, STEADY, GO
Ready4Radio.com is celebrating its role as the first—and biggest—Top 40 radio panel. The service compiles radio programmers' opinions of major releases, streamlining relations between the stations and the labels. Ready4Radio.com launched in August 2000. Said Chris Bell, President and CEO of parent company PlanetJam Media Group: "In just a month's time, our model has proven itself to be overwhelmingly attractive to Top 40 programming personnel. Programmers love our model for the simple reason that it is the right balance of convenience and personal attention. Programmers can visit the site and complete surveys or listen to tracks 24/7, plus they can call our support staff to get personalized service...and of course the great incentives for participating don't hurt either." Those incentives include a million-dollar contest and an unlimited supply of midget porn.