MediaBay, Inc. (MBAY) - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

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Profile:MediaBay, Inc. is a media, marketing and publishing company specializing in spoken audio entertainment. The Company operates Audio Book Club, Radio Spirits and MediaBay.com as its segments. A fifth division, RadioClassics, is aggregated with Radio Spirits for financial reporting purposes. Audio Book Club is a membership-based club with licenses from publishers to distribute audiobooks in a club format. Radio Spirits, a seller of old-time radio shows, sells on audiocassettes and compact discs (CD`s) through retail, direct mail and online channels. MediaBay.com provides the infrastructure and support for all of the Company`s Websites. RadioClassics was created to distribute MediaBay`s old-time radio content across multiple distribution platforms.
http://www.mediabay.com/

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Auch MSN Music verkauft Hörbücher


Hörbücher scheinen sich gut zu verkaufen. Anfangs konnte man nur vereinzelt bei iTunes oder beim Spezialisten Audible.com Bestseller im MP3-Format kaufen. Nun will offenbar auch MSN Music ein Stück vom Hörbuch-Kuchen.



Zusammen mit MediaBay.com soll der Downloadshop von Microsoft um die Bücher erweitert werden. Neben Audible.com bietet MediaBay ebenfalls seit einiger Zeit Hörbücher im Abo (20 Stunden für 10 US-Dollar) oder als Individualkauf per Download an. Bestseller von John Grisham oder Danielle Steel kosten dabei zwischen zehn und 40 US-Dollar. Als Besonderheit bietet MediaBay alte Radioprogramme zum Download an.

Es tut sich was am Hörbuch-Markt

MSN Music wird MediaBay als Downloadshop in der Digital Media Mall vorstellen. Ab der Version 10 des populären Windows Media Player stellt Microsoft ausgewählte Onlineshops im digitalen Einkaufszentrum vor. Neben Walmart.com werden dort auch Downloads von Napster angeboten.

Pünktlich zur Eröffnung der Frankfurter Buchmesse fiel Anfang der Woche der Startschuss für den Hörbuch-Shop Soforthoeren.de. Das Angebot bietet Werke von knapp 20 Verlagen zum kostenpflichtigen Download an. Bereits vor einigen Wochen hat der bekannteste Hörbuch-Anbieter Audible bekanntgegeben, dass man einen deutschen Ableger plant.

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http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnF…


By MARTHA McKAY
STAFF WRITER



MediaBay`s fiscal results haven`t been pretty.

Shares slipped below $1 in January, sales dropped 35 percent last quarter, and the closely held public company lost millions.


But Morris County-based MediaBay has reason for hope.

Investors recently injected $35 million to help the digital media company wipe out debt and improve its balance sheet.

MediaBay, best-known for its Audio Book Club and large collection of old-time radio show recordings, has signed deals with some major companies - including Microsoft, HarperCollins and digital distribution expert Loudeye - as it gears up for a shift in strategy.

"We`re really changing the whole business model," said CEO Jeff Dittus, 38, hired in January 2004 to help guide the company.

MediaBay was founded by Norton Herrick in 1994 as a catalog business, and has grown through acquisition, buying the audio book arms of rivals Columbia House and Doubleday Publishing. The Herrick family owns about 40% of MediaBay.

Last year, faced with declining revenues, the company stopped marketing its Audio Book Club, a subscription-based business that mailed recorded books on cassette tapes and CDs to customers who would get several books at a deep discount in exchange for agreeing to buy more at the regular price. It was a business that involved significant warehouse and postage costs.

Instead, MediaBay is moving to a digital delivery format. Customers will be able to purchase digital recording of books via the Internet, download them to PCs and listen to them using portable MP3 digital music players.

To that end, MediaBay recently cut a deal with MSN Music, Microsoft`s Internet-based music Web site, and teamed with publishers such as HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Random House and Penguin Group.

MediaBay also forged a partnership with TV talk show host Larry King to launch Larry King`s On-line Audiobook and Entertainment Club.

The King Web site and other digital distribution will begin this quarter, Dittus promised. The MSN Music site has already begun to sell MediaBay`s collection of old-time classic radio shows for download on digital players, including "The Shadow," "Amos & Andy," "Jack Benny," "Dragnet" and "Gunsmoke."

Among the best-selling authors that MediaBay will make available are Patricia Cornwell, Michael Moore, Stephen King and Ken Follett, and dozens of works of classic literature by such authors as Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. MediaBay also will be offering the audiobook Bob Dylan`s "Chronicles Volume One," read aloud by Sean Penn.

MediaBay`s business-model shift puts the company in direct competition with Wayne-based Audible Inc., a digital audio book seller that survived the dot-com bust.

Audible`s fortunes have risen with the increased popularity of the Apple iPod, the portable MP3 player that plays digital recordings. Audible`s recorded books are available through Apple`s popular iTunes music Web store.

Audio books distributed by MediaBay will be available using many types of MP3 players, but not iPods.

MediaBay said it has chosen Microsoft`s method of protecting the intellectual property rights of recorded content, which allows a book recording to be downloaded to a handheld MP3 player.

Unlike Audible, MediaBay is not looking to become a brand name.

Rather, Dittus said, he wants his company to sell its book and radio content wholesale to music and broadband services. He also wants to make MediaBay books available via Internet sites and subscription services that carry their own distinct brands such as the Larry King Web site.

Dittus said there are other similar deals in the works, which he could not discuss.

For MediaBay, which has 37 employees, there is a lot at stake over the next few months as the company works to change direction. They have six months to get the languishing stock price over $1 or risk being delisted from the Nasdaq.

The recent $35 million investment made by Goldman Sachs and venture firm Satellite Asset Management LP is one sign that MediaBay`s plan has won some support on Wall Street.

"We`re very optimistic," said Dittus. "We have the backing of some very large financial institutions and we`re just on the cusp of launching all these new additional revenue streams."

According to the Audio Publishers Association, a trade group, the market for audio books is about $800 million annually. Downloadable audio books is the fastest-growing segment.

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http://www.dailyrecord.com/business/business3-mediabay.htm


MediaBay aligns its fortune with Microsoft, downloads
Hanover company tries to reverse years of losses by following Audible`s lead
By Tim O`Reiley, Daily Record

HANOVER - As MediaBay launches yet another strategy shift to attempt to reverse a dozen years of losses, it need only look a few miles away to find both its role model and its arch nemesis.

Wayne-based Audible, whose stock had sunk to 60 cents a share slightly more than two years ago, has seen its fortunes rebound sharply after obtaining fresh capital, hitching a ride on Apple Computer`s wildly popular iPod digital player and securing a spot in Apple`s iTunes music store for its recorded books.

Before the iPod`s unveiling, buyers of audio books saw little reason to abandon cassettes or CDs for a clumsier Internet. But the iPod`s simple format worked with books as well as music, helping to nearly triple Audible`s sales in the past two years and boosting it to profitability in 2004 after years of heavy losses.

The company`s stock closed on Monday at $13 but peaked at $30.65 in December before a February warning of weaker-than-expected earnings this year sparked a selling wave.

MediaBay is following a very similar path. In March, the Hanover-based company attracted $35 million in outside investments to pay off its debt and help finance its transition from selling books on CDs and cassettes to downloads from Microsoft`s MSN Music site, among others.

Although the stock has remained at about 60 cents a share, with shrinking sales and more losses in store this year, chief executive Jeffrey Dittus projects a turnaround in 2006.

By aligning itself with Microsoft, MediaBay has moved its rivalry with Audible to a different tier. The companies have competed for several years for customers but have become, at least in Dittus` view, foot soldiers in the much larger clash coming between the Microsoft and Apple music formats.

"Audible is married to Apple; we`re married to Microsoft," Dittus said. "Apple files are proprietary, and you can`t switch to other formats. We believe customers want to shop at all the other music stores, like Real, Music New, Wal-Mart, Napster, and they can do that with the Microsoft open format."

Others don`t expect the competition to follow a different score.

Analyst Mark Argento of Think Equity Partners in Minneapolis said Audible has benefited from the proliferation of iPods but has remained "technology agnostic," with its audio books compatible with about 80 percent of the devices on the market.

"What MediaBay says about the music sites is a little bit of spin," he said.

Argento said MediaBay has positioned itself as a wholesale provider of recorded books, with lower profit margins but lower risk than Audible`s thrust to build itself into a prominent retail brand.

In one sense, the rivalry is still a theory. MediaBay books don`t go live on MSN until June, although its recordings of old-time radio programs, which accounted for one-fourth of its sales last year, are available now.

Also, MediaBay has not yet started an in-house Web site.

Audible is selling through the iTunes site and draws the largest amount of its business through its Web site.

"Audible is way out ahead of the competition, and they have most of their bases covered for the future," said George Mihalos, an analyst at Gilford Securities in New York.

Besides the Apple connection, Audible`s alliances with other retailers, such as Amazon.com, create hurdles that MediaBay will find very difficult to surmount, Mihalos said.

In the near term, the spread of downloaded books may be governed by whether people are willing to use digital adapters in their cars, said Mary Beth Roche, president of the trade group Audio Publishers Association. Surveys have shown that about three-fourths of buyers listen to books while driving.

Although the Audio Book Club, MediaBay`s principal contact with customers, will be revamped substantially later this year, it can lay a strong foundation for download sales, Dittus said.

The club has been structured on the "negative option," in which books are mailed to members every month unless they indicate ahead of time that they don`t want them.

After being appointed MediaBay`s chief executive in February 2004, Dittus determined that the negative-option club would never make much, if any, profit, and it has ceased solicitation of new members. However, the 2.5 million current members form the spine of a download customer list, he said.

MediaBay also will continue to seek other outlets, such as an affiliation already in place with the Larry King Audiobook Club. The CNN interviewer will try to build the same type of following as Oprah Winfrey.

Besides navigating a market with several other rivals, including a nonprofit venture with public libraries that permits free downloads, MediaBay will need to convince investors that its past is truly past before investors warm to the stock.

Dittus, with a background in direct marketing, is the company`s fifth CEO in five years. Strategy has changed just as frequently, and the balance sheet was restructured several times to no avail.

Last year, revenues fell by nearly half, to $18.8 million, with further declines in store. The net loss soared to $30.7 million from $6.9 million in 2003, in part because of weak book club results and writedowns related to taxes and obsolete inventory.

As the book club marketing stops, the revenue slide will continue, Dittus warned.

However, he hopes the turnaround begins early next year, once a new generation of listening devices built on Microsoft`s product have been given as Christmas presents.

Past failures have cast a shadow over the company`s credibility.

"People are skeptical because MediaBay has made a lot of promises in the past and never made good on them," Dittus said.

Differences this time, he said, are that he has substantially revamped the management team, plus the $35 million invested by institutions in March.

The preferred shares and warrants convertible to common stock that the investors received dilute the voting power of company founder Norton Herrick from 62 percent to about 10 percent, marking a clean break with the past.

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MediaBay and OverDrive Partner to Provide Classic Radio Content to Select U.S. Libraries
Wednesday May 25, 1:41 pm ET
MediaBay`s Library of Classic Radio Programs Available for Download through OverDrive`s Digital Library Reserve Service


CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J., May 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MediaBay, Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY - News), a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment, and OverDrive, a leader in Download Audiobooks and eBooks for libraries, announced today a distribution agreement that will bring selections of MediaBay`s 50,000-hour library of classic radio programs to libraries across the United States through OverDrive`s Digital Library Reserve service. Through this agreement with MediaBay, radio classics such as The Jack Benny Show, The Shadow, Abbott & Costello, among many more will be available for digital download to OverDrive`s library patrons.
Leveraging MediaBay`s expansive collection of classic radio, OverDrive`s Digital Library Reserve service will give its library partners access to thousands of hours of old-time radio programs that originally aired from the 1930s to the 1960s, an era known as "The Golden Age of Radio." OverDrive`s network reaches nearly 1,000 libraries, including The New York Public Library, San Jose Public Library, Phoenix Public Library and Cleveland Public Library, to name a few. MediaBay`s collection consists of popular and old-time radio programs that span a wide range of genres, including vintage comedy, mystery, detective, adventure and suspense.

"We remain committed to preserving the history of American radio," said Jeffrey Dittus, CEO, MediaBay, Inc. "Our partnership with OverDrive allows us to deliver this beloved nostalgic content to a broader demographic who may have previously been unaware of how to access it."

"Our libraries are very excited to have access to these classic programs in a format that provides the ultimate in convenience," said Steve Potash, OverDrive Founder and CEO. "We`ve seen a huge demand for this content, and we are thrilled to now offer MediaBay`s digitized collection. Consumers can download and listen to their favorite classic radio programs anytime, anywhere."

The Digital Library Reserve platform provides Web-based services to libraries allowing library members to download digital content from any location with an internet connection.

About MediaBay Inc.

MediaBay Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY - News) is a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment. The company maintains a library consisting of over 75,000 hours of content, including audio books from best-selling authors and the history of American Radio. Some of MediaBay`s digital content partners include Simon & Schuster, Random House, Harper Collins, Penguin Group (USA) Audio, Hay House, Sound Room Publishers, Oasis, Zondervan, BBC, Blackstone, and CBS Radio. In addition to its popular Audio Book Club, MediaBay distributes its content through proprietary web sites including audiobookclub.com and radiopsirits.com as well as through partner channels including LarryKingAudio.com, Loudeye, MSN Music, Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio. For more information on MediaBay, please visit http://www.mediabay.com

About OverDrive

OverDrive is the leading solution provider for digital media rights and distributes digital audio books, eBooks, and other digital content to retailers, wholesalers, and libraries in the US and the UK. OverDrive offers customized, web-based solutions that enable libraries to loan best-selling digital books and other forms of digital media to their patrons. Current customers include Cleveland Public Library, King County Public Library, Denver Public Library, New York Public Library, and San Jose Public Library among many others. Strategic technology partners include Microsoft Corporation, Adobe Systems, Inc., Sirsi, Dynix, and Mobipocket. The company is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and has been producing digital document solutions since 1986. For more information on OverDrive, Inc., please visit http://www.overdrive.com



MEDIA CONTACTS:
Elana Altshuler
For MediaBay
mPRm Public Relations
323.933.3399
[e-mail]

Brian Wright
OverDrive
216.573.6886 ext.207
[e-mail]

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding MediaBay`s future financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected costs and plans and objectives of management for future operations are forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward- looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, without limitation MediaBay`s ability to implement its new strategy and transition its business and the risks related thereto: its history of losses and declining revenue; its ability to license and sell new spoken word content, anticipate and respond to changing customer preferences, license and produce desirable content, protect its databases and other intellectual property from unauthorized access, and collect receivables; dependence on third-party providers, suppliers and distribution channels; competition; the costs and success of its marketing strategies; product returns; member attrition; and risks relating to its capital structure. Undue reference should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. MediaBay undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.




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Source: MediaBay Inc.

[ustrading]

naja, bei einem Umsatzeinbruch von -41% im 1.Quartal 05 scheint es mit dem Business aber nicht so zu laufen ... zumindest sind die Kassen noch gut gefüllt

[panik]

2-Jun-2005

Other Events



ITEM 8.01. OTHER EVENTS.
MediaBay, Inc. ("MediaBay") has entered into a distribution agreement with RealNetworks, Inc. ("Real") to provide spoken-word and audio entertainment content to Real`s subscriber base.

Pursuant to the agreement, MediaBay will provide its content library on an "a la carte" basis through Real`s Music Store or to the approximately 1.0 million subscribers of the Rhapsody music service. In addition, MediaBay expects users to be able to transfer their spoken word libraries onto hundreds of portable devices supported by Real. At the current time, these devices include the Apple iPod, and most models from Creative, i-River, Rio, and many other MP3 players listed at http://music.guide.real.com/rhapsodydevices.

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MediaBay Appoints Top Digital Media and Technology Executives From Microsoft/IBM, Time Warner Cable and Kagan World Media to Board of Directors
Tuesday June 7, 8:00 am ET
Industry veterans Robert Montgomery, Marshall C. Phelps and Carl Rossetti bring decades of experience in media convergence to guide MediaBay as it transitions into a complete digital distribution platform


CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J., June 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MediaBay, Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY - News), a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment, announced today the appointments of some of the top media technology leaders in the U.S. to its board of directors, including Robert Montgomery formerly of Kagan World Media, Marshall C. Phelps of Microsoft and Carl Rossetti of Time Warner Cable.



"Our new board members truly understand the demands of today`s rapidly changing technology platforms and enhance our expertise in the area of intellectual property licensing. Most importantly, we will be able to leverage their wide business networks at the most senior levels of the international technology and media industries for potential new content and distribution partners," said Joseph R. Rosetti, Chairman, MediaBay.

"We are privileged to be able to welcome these esteemed executives to our Board. Their powerful cumulative knowledge base in the converging media and technology space will be invaluable as we transform into a digital distribution business and position ourselves as a leading distributor for downloadable, spoken word audio entertainment," said Jeffrey Dittus, CEO, MediaBay. "The company`s ability to attract top talent is a reflection of its new strategy, greatly improved balance sheet, faith in our new management team and growing list of partners such as Microsoft and Real Networks."

Robert Montgomery, a leading executive and advisor for international media, communications and technology companies is joining MediaBay`s Board. He currently is a partner at Achilles Partners LLC, an advisory and research firm entirely focused on the media convergence space, and is dedicated to consulting companies on areas of operations, strategy, financing and development, market, financial and public policy analysis. Prior to this position, he served as managing director for Kagan World Media, one of the world`s leading media industry research and consulting firms.

Also newly appointed to the board is Marshall C. Phelps, vice president and deputy general counsel for intellectual property at Microsoft Corporation, he supervises the Company`s intellectual property groups and oversees the management of its intellectual property portfolio, which comprises of over 4,000 U.S. issued patents, their foreign counterparts and more than 12,000 trademark registrations. In addition, Mr. Phelps also overseas the business development group of Microsoft which specializes in the monetization of Microsoft`s intellectual assets beyond licensing. Prior to Microsoft, Phelps served as vice president for intellectual property at IBM Corp for 28 years. He was instrumental in establishing IBM`s standards, telecommunications policy, industry relations, patent licensing program and intellectual property portfolio development.

Finally, newly appointed to the board is industry leader Carl Rossetti. Rossetti is currently executive vice president of corporate development for Time Warner Cable. He also serves as President of Time Warner Cable Voice Services. In these positions, Rossetti oversees the digital phone business and is responsible for developing and launching new products, businesses and services for Time Warner Cable. Throughout his career, Rossetti has been a board representative for leading media and telecom companies owned by Time Warner domestically and internationally.

Continuing with the financial restructuring of the Company and as previously announced at the closing of the Company`s $35 million financing in March, the new directors are replacing independent directors Steven Yarvis and Paul Neuwirth who resigned yesterday and the Company`s prior CFO John Levy, who resigned from the Company and the Board of Directors in May. Rob Toro has officially been promoted to the CFO position after serving as senior vice president of the Company`s finance and Audio Book Club departments for more than six years.

About MediaBay Inc.

MediaBay Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY - News) is a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment. The company maintains a library consisting of over 75,000 hours of content, including audio books from best-selling authors and the history of American Radio. Some of MediaBay`s digital content partners include Simon & Schuster, Random House, Harper Collins, Penguin Group (USA) Audio, Hay House, Sound Room Publishers, Oasis, Zondervan, BBC, Blackstone, and CBS Radio. In addition to its popular Audio Book Club, MediaBay distributes its content through proprietary web sites including audiobookclub.com and radiopsirits.com as well as through partner channels including LarryKingAudio.com, Loudeye, MSN Music, Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio. For more information on MediaBay, please visit http://www.mediabay.com


MEDIA CONTACTS:
Elana Altshuler Tim Clemensen
mPRm Public Relations Rubenstein Investor Relations
323.933.3399 212 843 9337
[e-mail] [e-mail]


FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding MediaBay`s future financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected costs and plans and objectives of management for future operations are forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward- looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, without limitation MediaBay`s ability to implement its new strategy and transition its business and the risks related thereto: its history of losses and declining revenue; its ability to license and sell new spoken word content, anticipate and respond to changing customer preferences, license and produce desirable content, protect its databases and other intellectual property from unauthorized access, and collect receivables; dependence on third-party providers, suppliers and distribution channels; competition; the costs and success of its marketing strategies; product returns; member attrition; and risks relating to its capital structure. Undue reference should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. MediaBay undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.




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Source: MediaBay, Inc.

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MediaBay Partners with Media Legend Larry King to Launch Larry King Audio, A Premier Online Audiobook Download Service
New online audiobook subscription service will be MediaBay`s first private

label affinity site powered by its digital library of premium audio content

that includes thousands of best selling audiobooks and classic radio shows

CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J., June 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MediaBay, Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY), a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment, announced today that it will launch this month Larry King Audio (http://www.larrykingaudio.com), a premier online audiobook store that will offer customers digital downloads of audiobooks on an individual or subscription basis. The site will be hosted by Emmy Award winning media personality Larry King.

As part of MediaBay`s digital distribution strategy to power branded online entertainment services for affinity partners, Larry King Audio will build its subscriber base from King`s loyal following as well as tap into MediaBay`s 80,000 active audiobook buyers and the 2.5 million prior members of MediaBay`s Audio Book Club. The site will be branded with the distinct voice of Larry King and offer a large library of audiobooks and classic radio shows that can be downloaded via one off sales or as part of a subscription service. In a later release this summer, Larry King Audio will also offer thousands of titles on tape or CD with convenient drop shipping to customers. These two format options vastly increase the consumer`s option for selecting and purchasing audio entertainment. Each week, Larry King will discuss his top audiobook picks and offer his perspective on new titles that are published.

Launching with the official licensed version of the infamous 1938 Mercury Theater Sunday evening radio broadcast by Orson Welles, War of the Worlds, Larry King Audio will offer a limited collector`s edition, available as a 2-disc CD or audio download that includes: the original radio show, an exclusive interview with the last surviving cast member from the broadcast, a discussion between Orson Welles and H.G. Wells about the broadcast and aftermath, a recording of the press conference the morning after the broadcast aired, as well as a series of trivia tidbits from renowned radio historian Bill Nadel.

The thousands of audiobook titles and other classic radio shows available for download via PC, can be burned to a CD for listening in a car or transferred to nearly one hundred different portable media players that support WMA audio files from such manufacturers as Creative, Rio, i-River, Dell, HP and all of the Microsoft "Playsforsure"(TM) device partners. It also includes smart phones that support the mobile windows media platform. The service will provide its members with reviews and instructions on how to choose and use portable media players and demonstrate just how easy it is to transfer and listen to audiobooks on CD`s or on these portable devices.

By leveraging MediaBay`s partnerships with the industry`s leading publishing houses such as the BBC, Blackstone, Harper Collins, Penquin USA, Random House, Simon & Schuster and Time Warner, MediaBay expects to continuously offer the latest best-sellers and critically acclaimed books that resonate with Larry King enthusiasts interested in his broad range of literary expertise.

"We are thrilled and honored to have Larry King as our first affinity partner, providing him with a platform to interact with his fans on a literary level, share his passion for audiobooks and extend his entertainment brand through a new distribution channel," said Jeff Dittus, CEO of MediaBay. "We`re confident that Larry King Audio will be a leading online brand for audiobooks and become a successful business model to drive book sales for our publishing partners as the demand for our downloadable audiobooks and classic radio content grows."

About MediaBay Inc.

MediaBay Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY) is a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment. The company maintains a library consisting of over 75,000 hours of content, including audio books from best-selling authors and the history of American Radio. Some of MediaBay`s digital content partners include BBC, Blackstone, CBS Radio, Harper Collins, Hay House, Oasis, Penguin Audio, Random House, Simon & Schuster, Sound Room, Zondervan. In addition to its popular Audio Book Club, MediaBay distributes its content through proprietary web sites including audiobookclub.com and radiospirits.com as well as through partner channels including LarryKingAudio.com, Loudeye, MSN Music, Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio. For more information on MediaBay, please visit http://www.mediabay.com

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Elana Altshuler Tim Clemensen
mPRm Public Relations Rubenstein Investor Relations
323-933-3399 212-843-9337
[e-mail] [e-mail]


FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding MediaBay`s future financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected costs and plans and objectives of management for future operations are forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward- looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, without limitation MediaBay`s ability to implement its new strategy and transition its business and the risks related thereto: its history of losses and declining revenue; its ability to license and sell new spoken word content, anticipate and respond to changing customer preferences, license and produce desirable content, protect its databases and other intellectual property from unauthorized access, and collect receivables; dependence on third-party providers, suppliers and distribution channels; competition; the costs and success of its marketing strategies; product returns; member attrition; and risks relating to its capital structure. Undue reference should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. MediaBay undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

SOURCE MediaBay, Inc.
-0- 06/22/2005
/CONTACT: Elana Altshuler, mPRm Public Relations, [phone],
[e-mail], or Tim Clemensen, Rubenstein Investor Relations,
[phone], [e-mail] /
/Web site: http://www.mediabay.com /
(MBAY)

CO: MediaBay, Inc.
ST: New Jersey
IN: BKS ENT RAD TVN
SU: PDT

RD-DE
-- NYW051 --
2075 06/22/2005 09:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

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MediaBay Adds Over 400 Titles from BBC Audiobooks UK to its Digital Audiobook Library
Thursday June 23, 9:00 am ET
Library includes top Titles from Renowned Authors such as Michael Palin, Dylan Thomas, Agatha Christie, P.D. James, Ruth Rendell, Raymond Chandler, Ian Rankin, Dorothy Sayers and Philip Pullman


CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J., June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MediaBay, Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY - News) today announced that it has reached an agreement with BBC Audiobooks UK to offer digital downloads of its vast library of audiobook titles. The premium content library includes a wealth of popular lifestyle categories and literary genres, including Biography, Comedy, Drama, History, Quiz Shows and Travel. In addition, the collection includes the famous series Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes, Monty Python, and The Hitchhiker`s Guide to the Galaxy.
ADVERTISEMENT


These titles will be offered via download to the millions of MSN® users in the United States on the MSN Music service (http://www.music.msn.com) as part of MediaBay`s exclusive agreement with MSN. MediaBay also plans to offer these titles on Larry King Audio (http://www.larrykingaudio.com) and will distribute the content throughout its growing network of affiliate sites that MediaBay powers.

Jeffrey Dittus, MediaBay CEO, commented, "The agreement with BBC Audiobooks UK is another giant stride toward building the digital future of MediaBay. This is a one of kind library that we are pleased to make available to our customers. We have had a long, prosperous relationship with the BBC and are pleased that they are supporting our transition to digital distribution and the use of the Microsoft digital rights management solutions to protect their intellectual property."

Stephen Davies, Business Development Director, BBC Audiobooks UK, commented, "We expect downloadable audio to be a significant part of our overall business in the years ahead and we are pleased to be offering our titles to MediaBay and its partners."

By making premium BBC Audiobooks UK content available to the digital customer, MediaBay is expanding the market for its audio content and considerably reducing the cost of delivery. According to the Audio Publishers Association, downloadable audiobooks are the fasting growing segment of the publishing industry. The current market for audiobooks is quickly approaching $1 billion and MediaBay`s longstanding leadership position as direct marketing cataloger makes it well positioned to participate in the high growth expected from the digital sales of its content.

About MediaBay, Inc.

MediaBay Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY - News) is a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment. The company maintains a library consisting of over 75,000 hours of content, including audio books from best-selling authors and the history of American Radio. Some of MediaBay`s digital content partners include BBC, Blackstone, CBS Radio, Harper Collins, Hay House, Oasis, Penguin Audio, Random House, Simon & Schuster, Sound Room, Zondervan. In addition to its popular Audio Book Club, MediaBay distributes its content through proprietary web sites including audiobookclub.com and radiospirits.com as well as through partner channels including LarryKingAudio.com, Loudeye, MSN Music, Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio. For more information on MediaBay, please visit http://www.mediabay.com

About BBC Audiobooks UK

BBC Audiobooks Limited is part of BBC Worldwide Limited, the commercial arm of the BBC. All profits generated by BBC Audiobooks are returned to the BBC for investment in new programming & services, supplementing the UK licence fee.

Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking" statements that involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause MediaBay`s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any results, performances or achievements express or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release including, without limitation, statements regarding our future financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected costs and plans and objectives of our management for future operations are forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations, include, without limitation, our history of losses; the success of our new digital media distribution strategy and new Larry King initiatives, our ability to anticipate and respond to changing customer preferences, license and produce desirable content, protect our databases and other intellectual property from unauthorized access, collect receivables; dependence on third-party providers, suppliers and distribution channels; competition; the costs and success of our marketing strategies; product returns; member attrition and other risks detailed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003. Undue reference should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.


Contacts:
Elana Altshuler Tim Clemensen
mPRm Public Relations Rubenstein Investor Relations
323-933-3399 212-843-9337
[e-mail] [e-mail]




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: MediaBay, Inc.

[sohu]

Larry King goes digital
Sun Jun 26, 2005 6:56 PM ET
By Chris Marlowe

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Digital audio entertainment company MediaBay has partnered with CNN mainstay Larry King to launch its first private label affinity site, Larry King Audio.

The site brings together King`s editorial voice and MediaBay`s library of audio books and classic radio shows. He will contribute commentary and select specific titles for particular attention each week.

"Just as I pioneered syndicated talk radio and call-in television programing, I`m hoping to use this Web site to offer you new ways to interact with my many famous friends," King posted.

King`s first pick is the official licensed version of Orson Welles` 1938 Mercury Theater radio broadcast, "War of the Worlds," coinciding with the June 29 release of the Tom Cruise movie. Available either as a download or a two-CD set, MediaBay`s edition includes the original show, a discussion between Welles and the original book`s author, H.G. Wells, the post-broadcast news conference and more.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

[panik]

MediaBay Reaches Agreement with Time Warner Audio for Downloadable Audiobook Distribution
Thursday July 7, 7:00 am ET
Titles to Include Bestsellers from Authors Including James Patterson, David Baldacci, Nelson DeMille, Nicholas Sparks and David Sedaris


CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MediaBay, Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY - News) today announced that it has reached an agreement with Time Warner Audio to offer downloadable audiobook editions of titles from the extensive Warner and Little Brown libraries. These audiobook titles include best sellers from authors such as Michael Connelly, Walter Mosley, Brad Meltzer, John LeCarre, Faye Kellerman, and the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series. In addition, MediaBay will offer audio versions of books penned by Jon Stewart, David Sedaris, Jack Welch and Bill Gates.
These titles will be available via download to the millions of MSN® users in the United States on the MSN Music service (http://www.music.msn.com) as part of MediaBay`s recently announced agreement with MSN, and will soon be available on its first company-owned storefront developed with Larry King (http://www.larrykingaudio.com), which is expected to launch later this month.

"This deal with Time Warner is extremely significant to MediaBay, as we have now signed deals with the five major publishing houses in the United States for digital distribution of audiobooks," said Jeff Dittus, CEO, MediaBay. "We have worked closely with Time Warner Audio for many years with our Audio Book Club, and we are pleased we have extended our relationship to offer downloadable audio to our customers and those of MSN Music Service."

"The downloadable audio market was identified as a significant growth opportunity during the Time Warner Audio initiative," said Maja Thomas, Vice President and Publisher of Time Warner AudioBooks. "This agreement enables us to extend our reach into this explosive new market, introducing our authors to new consumers and sharing our exceptional audio content with a growing audience."

About MediaBay, Inc.

MediaBay Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY - News) is a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment. The company maintains a library consisting of over 75,000 hours of content, including audio books from best-selling authors and the history of American Radio. Some of MediaBay`s digital content partners include BBC, Blackstone, CBS Radio, Harper Collins, Hay House, Oasis, Penguin Audio, Random House, Simon & Schuster, Sound Room, Time Warner Audio, Zondervan. In addition to its popular Audio Book Club, MediaBay distributes its content through proprietary web sites including audiobookclub.com and radiospirits.com as well as through partner channels including LarryKingAudio.com, Loudeye, MSN Music, Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio. For more information on MediaBay, please visit http://www.mediabay.com .

About Time Warner Audio

Time Warner AudioBooks publishes a variety of popular genres in audio form, matching Time Warner Book Group material with talented actors, composers and producers to find its fullest expression. Abridged, unabridged and original audio including Grammy Award winning programs are primarily based on books published by Warner Books and Little, Brown & Company. Hyperion AudioBooks, comprising titles from Hyperion and Miramax Books, are also produced and published by Time Warner AudioBooks. Gildan Audio, a line of self-help and language learning programs, is a distribution client. Programs are available on CD, cassette, and via digital download.

Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking" statements that involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause MediaBay`s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any results, performances or achievements express or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release including, without limitation, statements regarding our future financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected costs and plans and objectives of our management for future operations are forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations, include, without limitation, our history of losses; the success of our new digital media distribution strategy and new Larry King initiatives, our ability to anticipate and respond to changing customer preferences, license and produce desirable content, protect our databases and other intellectual property from unauthorized access, collect receivables; dependence on third-party providers, suppliers and distribution channels; competition; the costs and success of our marketing strategies; product returns; member attrition and other risks detailed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003. Undue reference should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.


Contacts:
Elana Altshuler Tim Clemensen
mPRm Public Relations Rubenstein Investor Relations
323-933-3399 212-843-9337
[e-mail] [e-mail]




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: MediaBay, Inc.

[Megapol]

Ziemlich heftige Umsätze für MBAY die letzten Tage. Mal schaun

[HGDM]

Weiß jemand was Neues zur Aktie???

[panik]

MediaBay and Brilliance Audio Sign Digital Distribution Deal to Offer Nearly 1,000 Titles to the Consumer Market
Includes Bestsellers from Authors Dave Barry, Sandra Brown, Michael Connelly, Al Franken, Jack Higgins, Dean Koontz, Nora Roberts, John Saul, Stuart Woods,

Zig Ziglar and many others
CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J., July 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MediaBay, Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY), a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Brilliance Audio, the nation`s largest independent audiobook publisher, to offer downloadable audiobook editions of its extensive library of fiction and nonfiction bestsellers. Nearly 1000 titles of downloadable content will include works by authors such as Nevada Barr, Suzanne Brockmann, Lee Child, Catherine Coulter, Kay Hooper, Fern Michaels, Perri O`Shaughnessy, Sara Paretsky, Amanda Quick, and also includes the best- selling children`s series such as Pendragon. In addition, MediaBay will offer unabridged Brilliance Audio versions of classics such as Little Women, Robinson Crusoe, Great Expectations, Dracula, and The Last of the Mohicans along with a faith-based line of fiction and nonfiction titles.

These titles will be available to the millions of MSN users to download throughout the United States via the MSN Music service (http://www.music.msn.com) as part of MediaBay`s exclusive agreement with MSN. MediaBay also plans to offer these titles on its own branded sites and will distribute the content throughout its growing network of affiliate sites that MediaBay powers.

This agreement with Brilliance Audio is a major milestone in building the digital future of MediaBay," said Jeff Dittus, Chief Executive Officer for MediaBay. "We are fortunate to have re-established a partnership with the nations largest independent audiobook publisher and are pleased to be the first audiobook reseller to bring these books to the digital download retail marketplace."

"Brilliance Audio is delighted to work with MediaBay in expanding consumer listening options for some of the best in fiction and nonfiction from today`s leading authors," said Eileen Hutton, Vice President and Associate Publisher of Brilliance Audio. "Our agreement expands both companies` reach into the exciting new digital audio space, and will enable our authors to reach consumers in a new distribution model."

About MediaBay, Inc.

MediaBay Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY) is a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment. The company maintains a library consisting of over 75,000 hours of content, including audio books from best-selling authors and the history of American Radio. Some of MediaBay`s digital content partners include BBC, Blackstone, CBS Radio, Harper Collins, Hay House, Oasis, Penguin Audio, Random House, Simon & Schuster, Sound Room, Zondervan. In addition to its popular Audio Book Club, MediaBay distributes its content through proprietary web sites including audiobookclub.com and radiospirits.com as well as through partner channels including, Loudeye, MSN Music, Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio. For more information on MediaBay, please visit http://www.mediabay.com, http://www.audiobookclub.com, http://www.radiospirits.com.

About Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Brilliance Audio is the country`s oldest trade audio publisher, and is the only independent to rank in the top three overall. Founded in 1984 by Publisher Michael Snodgrass, it was the first publisher to offer unabridged audiobooks for sale in bookstores, giving birth to a whole new industry. Brilliance publishes a wide range of bestselling adult fiction and nonfiction in both unabridged and abridged audio formats, and sells to all classes of trade, as well as to the library market. Celebrating its 21st year, It remains a privately held company, with Snodgrass and Hutton as principals and partners. For more information, please visit http://www.brillianceaudio.com.

Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking" statements that involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause MediaBay`s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any results, performances or achievements express or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release including, without limitation, statements regarding our future financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected costs and plans and objectives of our management for future operations are forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations, include, without limitation, our history of losses; the success of our new digital media distribution strategy and our ability to anticipate and respond to changing customer preferences, license and produce desirable content, protect our databases and other intellectual property from unauthorized access, collect receivables; dependence on third-party providers, suppliers and distribution channels; competition; the costs and success of our marketing strategies; product returns; member attrition and other risks detailed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003. Undue reference should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.


Contacts:
Elana Altshuler Tim Clemensen
mPRm Public Relations Rubenstein Investor Relations
323-933-3399 212-843-9337
[e-mail] [e-mail]


SOURCE MediaBay, Inc.
-0- 07/28/2005
/CONTACT: Elana Altshuler of mPRm Public Relations, [phone] or
[e-mail]; or Tim Clemensen of Rubenstein Investor Relations,
[phone] or [e-mail]/
/Web site: http://www.mediabay.com
http://www.audiobookclub.com
http://www.radiospirits.com
http://www.brillianceaudio.com /
(MBAY)

CO: MediaBay, Inc.; Brilliance Audio
ST: New Jersey
IN: BKS PUB MLM ECM CPR RAD
SU: CON

KO-BE
-- NYTH073 --
0420 07/28/2005 08:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

[wutank]

Now Hear This ... MediaBay Launches SoundsGood.com, a New Consumer Shopping Service for Audio Entertainment
Wednesday October 5, 8:30 am ET
Powered by a leading playback technology and supported on Windows Media capable devices
New online spoken word retail site will offer thousands of audiobooks, newspapers, magazines, lectures and other audio media for traditional purchase or download


CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MediaBay, Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY - News), a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment, announced today that it has launched SoundsGood.com (http://www.soundsgood.com), a premier audio download and traditional media service providing consumers with an easy way to access thousands of best selling audio books, classic radio shows, theatre performances, and a growing collection of audio newspapers, magazines, lectures, self help and wellness courses, modern day radio shows and other spoken word entertainment.
ADVERTISEMENT


SoundsGood.com is a unique one-stop shop that provides customers with both digital downloads for immediate listening as well as the ability to purchase CDs and audio cassettes for those more comfortable with traditional media. SoundsGood supports digital downloads that are compatible with MP3 players, CD players, PCs and some high-end smart phones that support the Windows Media audio format. (For a complete list of devices visit http://www.playsforsure.com/FindPortableDevices.aspx)

SoundsGood offers a wide range of audiobook titles ranging from New York Times best-sellers to the obscure. There is a $19.95 monthly subscription for two downloads, or individual purchases of CDs, cassettes and digital downloads are available at everyday low prices, up to 80 percent off retail.

"While digital downloads are the fastest growing segment of the publishing industry, we recognize that traditional media is still a very popular format for audio consumption. Therefore, Soundsgood was built to cater to our 2.5 million traditional media buyers, while enticing them to try digital downloads for the savings, convenience, and ease of use," said Jeff Dittus, CEO of MediaBay. "We hope to quickly build a loyal customer base for SoundsGood by marketing to our 2.5 million prior members of the Audio Book Club and through our partnerships with MSN Music, Loudeye, and others in the future."

SoundsGood.com incorporates software designed by OverDrive, an audio playback technology designed for enhanced audiobook listening in combination with the Windows Media Player. Benefits of the OverDrive system include the ability to bookmark audio points, utilize visual chapter marks to more easily jump between chapters, and to audibly slow down or speed up the reader`s pace of the story playback. Such features will allow the consumer to very simply mark where they are in an audiobook, find their way back to the point, and skip ahead or back if necessary. The system is also fully enabled to provide ease of use for the visually impaired and blind community.

In addition to the unique playback features, SoundsGood.com will support several tiers of consumer payment including a download subscription plan that gives significant discounts for audio content. Special promotional offers for devices and content will also be exclusive to the site, including an introductory offer for two free additional audiobooks upon sign-up at the regular rate of $19.95 per month.

About MediaBay, Inc.

MediaBay Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY - News) is a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment. The company maintains a library consisting of more than 75,000 hours of content, including audio books from best-selling authors and the history of American Radio. Some of MediaBay`s digital content partners include BBC, Blackstone, Brilliance Audio, CBS Radio, Harper Collins, Hay House, Oasis, Penguin Group USA Audio, Random House, Simon & Schuster, Sound Room Publishers, Time Warner Audio and Zondervan. In addition to its popular Audio Book Club, MediaBay distributes its content through proprietary web sites including audiobookclub.com and radiospirits.com as well as through partner channels including Loudeye, MSN Music, Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio. For more information on MediaBay, please visit http://www.mediabay.com, http://www.audiobookclub.com, http://www.radiospirits.com.

Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking" statements that involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause MediaBay`s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any results, performances or achievements express or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release including, without limitation, statements regarding our future financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected costs and plans and objectives of our management for future operations are forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations, include, without limitation, our history of losses; the success of our new digital media distribution strategy and new Larry King initiatives, our ability to anticipate and respond to changing customer preferences, license and produce desirable content, protect our databases and other intellectual property from unauthorized access, collect receivables; dependence on third-party providers, suppliers and distribution channels; competition; the costs and success of our marketing strategies; product returns; member attrition and other risks detailed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003. Undue reference should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.


Contacts:
Michael Hope Tim Clemensen
mPRm Public Relations Rubenstein Investor Relations
[phone] [phone]
[e-mail] [e-mail]




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: MediaBay, Inc.

[wutank]

mediabay notiert unter cash gerade!

dazu noch überverkauft

[panik]

[nete]

auch ein klarer kauf !notiert am cash



traffi ranking enorm gestiegen

[serena]

warum sind die letzten antworten nicht zu sehen?

[serena]

ich habe gerade mediabay gekauft


grüße

[INXS]

soundsgood.com geht ab!!!!


http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/movers_shakers?lang=en

1,100% ~ Weekly Traffic Rank: 6,548 (was 57,484)

Soundsgood.com

[serena]

ich rechne mit kursen zwischen 5$-10$

grüße

[nete]

Audio books expand to cells, MP3 players
By Francine Brevetti


BOOK PUBLISHERS and booksellers aren`t just battling for your business on Main Street or on Amazon.com. They also are slugging it out through your iPod and your MP3 player. And soon digital literature will be on your cell phone, too.
Audio books used to be limited to literature recorded onto cassettes or CDs. But now literature is available to be downloaded onto your computer and onto your digital device. The new turf for competition is ear buds.

While a traditional audio book on cassette or CD costs between $25 and $50, downloadable books are a lot cheaper. For example, two book cassettes or CDs might cost $75 at a bookstore but only $22 through market leader Audible Inc.`s download program. And they don`t have the shipping and packing costs associated with cassettes and CDs. Consequently, the audio book market, which had focused on the elderly and disabled, has broadened considerably. Now commuters, fitness enthusiasts and travelers have become avid users of downloadable literature. Not to mention the occasional homemaker dusting the house.

Kenneth Li lives in Emeryville but works in San Jose, a 100-mile round trip everyday. He has been using Jiggerbug`s audio book service while in his car to listen to "The Da Vinci Code," parts of the "Harry Potter" series and Bill Bryson`s "A Short History of Nearly Everything." "I spend 10 hours a week in the car. In the morning, I listen to the news. On the way back, I listen to a book. I probably go through about a book a week," Li said. "It`s a relief from the technical reading I do on the job going through prospectuses."

He used to listen with a cassette player. When Jiggerbug came out with the download service, he tested its beta version on his audio MP3 player.

Audible is the download book market leader with an 80 percent market share, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said. MediaBay`s Audio Book Club has a 15 percent share, and Jiggerbug has 5 percent. Audio Book Club has been the mainstay of cassette audio books for the disabled for decades, but it is trying to catch up to Audible. And upstart Jiggerbug refuses to be overlooked as well.

Exponential growth


Since analysts expect exponential growth in the download area, not only can new entrants be expected, but also new technologies, especially now that cell phones and PDAs are creating a whole new landscape.

A raft of free services offer downloads of works in the public domain. Just search the Web for "audio book" and check it out. Increasingly, you will find access at your public library. (See accompanying story.)

Amazon.com is expected to join the ranks of downloadable audio book providers, according to Munster. He puts the market for digital spoken word content at $80 million in 2005, climbing to $175 million in 2006.

"We expect the area to explode exponentially. It`s the same difference between television and cable — it`s a new market for premium content," he said. Not only will free access to public libraries make this more attractive but eventually podcasting will be brought into play as well.

The Audio Publishers Association estimated that 23 million American households listened to audio books in 2001. And a lot has happened in four years. MediaBay`s Audio Book Club already has 1,500 download titles. But the company has been




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Advertisement


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struggling through the financial investment it required to keep membership up, explained Chief Executive Jeff Dittus.
Audio Book Club`s revenue fell by half in 2004 to $12.3 million, and the division posted a $30.7 million loss. MediaBay had a reverse stock split this fall to help keep it listed on the Nasdaq. Its shares have fallen 80 percent this year to below $2. Meanwhile, Audible`s shares have dropped 50 percent this year to below $13. West Hollywood-based Jiggerbug is privately held.

In October, MediaBay launched SoundsGood.com strictly for digital audio content. It has kicked off with 5,000 titles. The industry`s next likely step will be downloading books, newspapers and periodicals through cell phones.

MediaBay`s Dittus said he doubts that audio books will reach critical mass on American cell phones in the immediate future because of the challenge involved with downloading 100 MB files via current networks. Downloads to cell phones are feasible now in Asia and Europe, which have high-speed capabilities. Nevertheless, Dittus just let it be known that he was pursuing such technology

JIGGERBUG offers audio books to download on your digital audio player. (Nick Lammers - Staff)

and would make an announcement of a collaboration with a carrier in 2006.

Now Audible is testing the transmission of digital audio content from "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy to "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman on a cell phone with Palm`s Treo.

Rental option


Jiggerbug has distinguished itself with its rental rather than purchase policy, which is similar to Netflix`s DVD rental service. For instance, Jiggerbug`s premium package offers five CDs or cassettes at a time and two downloads every two weeks for $40 a month.

It has finalized a deal with book distributor Ingram to bring its inventory to over 25,000 titles, of which 3,000 will be downloadable. The company says its transmissions are accessible on the Treo if you have enough memory — echoing the limitations mentioned by Dittus. Audible`s download service is compatible with Apple`s iPod and a variety of other MP3 players. MediaBay`s and Jiggerbug`s formats are compatible with Windows Media Digital Rights Management and therefore with MP3 players, not with the Apple iPod.

According to AudioFile magazine, cassettes and CDs for both abridged and unabridged books are slowly becoming obsolete. They cite Ward`s Automotive Yearbook, which states that "29 percent of new cars had factory-installed cassette players, a precipitous drop from the 43.3 percent of the previous year." In fact, AudioFile magazine projects that someday cassettes and CDs will cease to be manufactured at all. "One day — sooner, perhaps, than you think — audio books might not exist as physical objects at all. You either digitally download them or go without," a recent article stated.


Francine Brevetti can be reached at [phone] or [e-mail].

[yoppu]

MediaBay Taps Entertainment Technology Veteran Gui Karyo as Chief Technology Officer
Tuesday January 10, 11:50 am ET
Former Marvel Entertainment Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President of Operations to Drive MediaBay`s Technology Growth in the Wireless Content Marketplace

CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J., Jan. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MediaBay (Nasdaq: MBAY - News), a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment, today announced its appointment of Gui Karyo to the position of chief technology officer.

ADVERTISEMENT
In his new role, Karyo will take on a key leadership position for MediaBay, directing the company`s overall information technology strategy and driving systems implementation initiatives. He will work directly with the company`s information technology partners on the prioritization and execution of all development and operational programs.

"As millions of consumers begin to use their mobile devices to purchase and listen to digital entertainment, MediaBay is moving quickly to make its deep catalog of audio books, educational courses, and classic radio shows available to the wireless marketplace," said Jeff Dittus, chief executive officer for MediaBay. "We have significant distribution partnerships in place with MSN, MusicNet and both satellite radio channels, and 2006 will be the year we expand our wireless offerings. Gui will provide experienced technological leadership to MediaBay so the company can execute on delivering a great customer experience across all these platforms."

"I`m very excited to join the MediaBay team," Karyo said. "It is a phenomenal time for the company and for the delivery of the digital spoken word. MediaBay`s extensive content libraries and rock-solid relationships with top partners in the publishing and digital music world will propel the company to a leading role in the future of the online audio marketplace."

Karyo most recently served in the roles of chief information officer, president of publishing, and executive vice president of operations at Marvel Entertainment, Inc., where he oversaw the publishing business and information technology team. His management responsibilities at the $500 million company included overseeing the supply chain -- from order processing through delivery, and retail -- and driving new initiatives in subscription and advertising sales that helped reduce annual operating costs while driving revenue. Additionally, he managed development of leading Internet applications for Marvel, including the revolutionary Flash-based DotComics, which launched with more than 500,000 monthly downloads.

Prior to Marvel, Karyo was the chief technology and chief operating officer for Lyrrus, Inc., a technology start-up that produced electronic hardware and software products for computer-based education. While initially responsible for hardware design, he ultimately oversaw key corporate innovations including the introduction of new multimedia programming technologies, the development of an object-oriented software technology platform and the extension of the music technology to the Intranet.

About MediaBay, Inc.

MediaBay Inc. (Nasdaq: MBAY - News) is a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment. The company maintains a library consisting of more than 75,000 hours of content, including audiobooks from best-selling authors and the history of American Radio. Some of MediaBay`s digital content partners include BBC, Blackstone, Brilliance Audio, CBS Radio, Harper Collins, Hay House, Oasis, Penguin Group USA Audio, Random House, Simon & Schuster, Sound Room Publishers, Time Warner Audio and Zondervan. In addition to its popular Audio Book Club, MediaBay distributes its content through proprietary web sites soundsgood.com and radiospirits.com as well as through partner channels including MSN Music, MusicNet, Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio. For more information on MediaBay, please visit www.soundsgood.com, www.mediabay.com, www.audiobookclub.com, www.radiospirits.com.

[scopus]

mhhhh

[scopus]