(Nikkei BP Group)
(No.1 High-Tech News Site in Japanese)
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| Digital Garage Seeks to Enhance Internet Portal Site
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September 4, 1998 (TOKYO) -- Digital Garage Inc., the operator of a Japanese
search engine "infoseek Japan," announced that it will enrich the contents
of Music Web Nation, a Web site, through cooperating with Space Shower
Networks Inc.
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Space Shower Networks provides music programs via communication satellite
(CS) broadcasting. Music Web Nation is slated for launch in December.
However, infoseek Japan was behind in its strategy to become a popular
portal site, due to competition from Yahoo Japan Corp. and others.
Music Web Nation aims at becoming a "portal site dedicated to music,"
and it will integrate "infoseek Japan" of Digital Garage; "SONICNET
Japan," a Web site dedicated to rock music; and "@TOWER," a Web site
of Tower Records Inc.
The site will permit the audience to enjoy the latest music videos from
SONICNET, and enable them to search and buy music CDs from Tower Records.
And users can retrieve from Music Web Nation such information as music
titles of video clips and time broadcasts by Space Shower.
Digital Garage will prepare programs for Space Shower by using the content
of Music Web Nation such as SONICNET. Digital Garage will implement
a promotion plan in connection with the Web and CS broadcasting.
"Digital Garage is now negotiating with FM stations and music schools
for business tie-ups, and so far, the negotiations are going well. We
are planning to enrich the content before the site is opened," said
Ken Tada, operating manager of Digital Garage's electronic commerce/music
project group.
Tower Records already has 30,000 members of its online CD sales group
at @TOWER, and its monthly sales exceed 5 million yen (US$35,000). Digital
Garage intends to take advantage of the synergy with Space Shower and
SONICNET to spur CD sales by means of Music Web Nation.
Also, Digital Garage plans to use Music Web Nation to sell CDs and videotapes
as well as musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) data via downloads.
"When we have firmly established the brand of Music Web Nation, the company
will start portal sites for financial products, travel, real estate,
automobiles and other subjects. Digital Garage will construct a portal
site dubbed Web Nation that will integrate all the above items in the
future," Tada said.
(Nikkei Multimedia)
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