Paramount plans a slate of Web video serials

The story begins with an attractive young woman moving into a mottled and murky Los Angeles apartment building, where all her neighbors are either beautiful or look like gnomes.

A viewer doesn't have wait long before Circle of Eight, a Web-series from Paramount Digital Entertainment, fills up fast with supernatural events and dead bodies. Circle debuted Tuesday on MySpace.

Remember the glory days of online video, when amateur-made fare, such as the Lonelygirl15 series, were the rage? Consider that Web video's silent era. It's all about professionally created content now.
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Google to launch One Box for music

Google will soon launch a music initiative, which the company at this point is calling a One Box for music, to offer song previews, artist bios, graphics, and video.

The search engine, however, will not be selling downloads or offering subscriptions.

TechCrunch reported on Tuesday that Google is entering the music business but said the search engine would launch a music service. That's not really what the One Box for music is, said sources familiar with the deal.

The music initiative, which is expected to be announced sometime next week, will offer people a means to buy songs by featuring links to music sites Lala and iLike, according to the sources. All four of the top record companies are on board, the sources said.
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YouTube in talks with movie studios to offer film rentals

YouTube wants to offer movie rentals and is in talks with several top movie studios about obtaining licenses to stream feature films on a rental basis.

YouTube is discussing the service with Sony Pictures, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., and Warner Bros. Studios, according to a story published Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal.

This is a natural progression for YouTube which has been engaged in a year-long campaign to secure more professionally made content. The Google-owned video company offers films on an ad-supported basis from Sony Pictures and MGM. YouTube declined to confirm or deny the Journal report.
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Ready-made ringtones from Apple soon

Apple has obtained the rights to offer ready-made ringtones for the iPhone and managers are trying to have them available in time for next week's press conference, music industry sources told CNET News.

Owners of Apple's iPhone have long had the ability to create custom-made ringtones for their devices. The new music snippets are mainly a convenience, as they make it possible for iPhone owners to obtain a pre-cut ringtone instead of having to create their own.

Apple will announce the ringtones on September 9, the day the company has scheduled a press event, if managers can get them ready in time to sell, the sources said. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

At the event, Apple is expected to roll out a new digital album cover codenamed Cocktail. There are also persistent rumors that upgraded iPods will also debut. That Apple has scheduled the event for a Wednesday, instead of the company's preference to make announcements on Tuesdays, there is speculation that there could finally be an announcement that a Beatles catalog is coming to iTunes. September 9 is also the day the Beatles' remastered digital albums and Rock Band video game will be released.
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HP, Dr Dre teaming up for a new "digital music ecosystem"

A new alliance between hip-hop impresario Dr Dre, Interscope Chairman Jimmy Iovine, and computer maker Hewlett-Packard aims to save digital music.

No, this is not an attempt to fix the record industry's business woes. The goal is to lift the sound quality of the too-often tinny tunes squeaking out of our earbuds, and it's an ambitious plan nonetheless. HP will release premium-priced laptops, headsets, and software featuring the "Beats by Dr Dre" brand some time this fall, music industry sources with knowledge of the offering told CNET News.

In an interview last week, Iovine declined to discuss HP or any other company that may be involved. He confirmed, however, that he and Dr Dre are part of a plan to reconstruct the entire "digital music ecosystem" from the sound file to the computer and culminating with high-end headsets.
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