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Without Limits

More people than ever are buying music online. But if you want to play your music on a number of different systems, that can be problematic. Now, a major player in the MP3 revolution is promising to do-away with all those compatibility issues and make music lovers a whole lot happier.

Starting today, music fans can buy tunes that are free of the digital rights management {DRM} software that restrict how and where people can listen to their music. A new campaign, “Music Without Limits,” launched by Rhapsody, allows any song or album from the store to play on any music device, even on Apple’s iPod or iPhone. Unlike other stores, visitors can listen to songs in their entirety before purchasing and then download them. More than five million songs are available in categories like “new album releases,” “old favorites,” and “who’s on tour.”

As part of the launch, the company will give away free digital albums to the first 100,000 people who sign up for the new service.

Tags: Album, DRM, Entertainment, iPhone, iPod, Life, Music, Online, Release, Software

Gaming High

Video games are at an all-time high. According to a report released by the NPD Group, 72% of the U.S. population plays video games. Many game creators focus on science-fiction and fantasy. However, one game has become a cultural phenomenon - selling 100 million globally with an entirely different approach.

The best-selling PC game franchise of all time puts creativity into the hands of the player. It was also the first video game franchise to broaden gaming’s appeal to women. Players are hungry to customize the content of their games, from modifying their cars, their homes, their wardrobes to creating a family or an entire community.

Nancy Smith, the president of The Sims Label, discusses trends in the gaming industry - plus the company’s 100 million global sales milestone and the secrets of their success in the interactive entertainment industry. Nancy also provide tips on how they became one of the first games to attract females of all ages {fan-base consists of 60% females and 40% males and spans the age spectrum from tweens to seniors} and how they captivated players beyond the traditional core video game demographic around the world.

Tags: Electronic Arts, Entertainment, Games, Sims, Software, The Sims