nikki, if you're up still, that one's your fullwidth ticket
2008-04-23 11437, 2008
chefkoch has quit
2008-04-23 11410, 2008
nikki
ooh
2008-04-23 11427, 2008
BrianFreud
what do you think nikki?
2008-04-23 11456, 2008
BrianFreud suddenly realizes, if GM is nothing else, it's a great tool for teaching you to figure out where to insert stuff, and how to debug when you have absolutely zero feedback outside of alert()
I'm logging. I don't understand 'you don't like gracenote? :)', Senilix. Try /msg MBChatLogger help
2008-04-23 11431, 2008
mikemorr
MBChatLogger: off
2008-04-23 11431, 2008
MBChatLogger
is not logging
2008-04-23 11418, 2008
MBChatLogger
is logging
2008-04-23 11446, 2008
ruaok
yllona: what is your take on the sony purchase.
2008-04-23 11448, 2008
ruaok
?
2008-04-23 11448, 2008
yllona
mikemorr: GC is integrated with a number of online music sevices, most notably itunes
2008-04-23 11459, 2008
Senilix drinks the morning's first cup of coffee :)
2008-04-23 11415, 2008
yllona
ruaok: it's sony america, not sony BMG, so that's important
2008-04-23 11447, 2008
MrQwerty`
MrQwerty` is now known as MrQwerty
2008-04-23 11448, 2008
yllona
it will continue to be run as a separate entity, also important
2008-04-23 11424, 2008
yllona
and no matter what you think of sony as a corporation, they have some of the best engineering in the world
2008-04-23 11403, 2008
yllona
so look for a GC-type thing to be embedded on sony consumer devices
2008-04-23 11454, 2008
ruaok
oh.
2008-04-23 11401, 2008
ruaok
*that* is a great insight.
2008-04-23 11408, 2008
nikki snickers
2008-04-23 11427, 2008
nikki
so then the consumer devices will be able to get messy data too, amazing!
2008-04-23 11439, 2008
ruaok
with obvious implications for our friends in Monrovia.
2008-04-23 11444, 2008
ruaok
lol
2008-04-23 11449, 2008
MBChatLogger
Ewww! Gross!
2008-04-23 11449, 2008
yllona
and here's the confirmation:, from siliconalletyinsider: "Gracenote is now making most of its money from deals with auto companies, which bundle the service in with high-end audio packages. So we're assuming here that Sony sees the value of bundling Gracenote with its own electronics business -- which is of course vastly bigger than its middling music company."
2008-04-23 11422, 2008
BrianFreud
do we need to add Sony to the chatlogger list now? :O
2008-04-23 11417, 2008
yllona
BrianFreud: no, as i said above GC will continue to be a wholly separate subsidiary -- for now
2008-04-23 11420, 2008
yllona
and sony pieces, parts and components are *everywhere*, and in *everything*
2008-04-23 11448, 2008
BrianFreud
I have respect for their hardware, but some of their other divisions leave me very unimpressed
2008-04-23 11407, 2008
yllona
there's also the professional audio and video stuff, TV/Film/radio/cable satellite -- again sony components are everywhere
2008-04-23 11431, 2008
dholmes_
I don't even have respect for their hardware anymore
2008-04-23 11447, 2008
ruaok is with dholmes_
2008-04-23 11453, 2008
dholmes_
I feel they've coasted on the reputation of quality while the playing field has narrowed greatly
2008-04-23 11457, 2008
ruaok
I dont buy sony products anymore.
2008-04-23 11421, 2008
yllona
dholmes_: there's an enormous difference between sony consumer products and sony professional components
2008-04-23 11447, 2008
dholmes_
yllona: I don't doubt it. The professional stuff doesn't mean much to most people, though.
2008-04-23 11435, 2008
yllona
ruaok: you may be purchasing sony pieces and parts and not even no it. do you know who the mfg is for internal components of your microwave for instance?
2008-04-23 11458, 2008
yllona
or your TV, or even your electric shaver?
2008-04-23 11408, 2008
MBChatLogger
I hate the evil empire
2008-04-23 11408, 2008
BrianFreud
yllona: Microsoft could be making the chips for all I care; it's the quality of assembly I more care about.
2008-04-23 11409, 2008
ruaok
no, and I strictly refer to the shit that has their name on it.
2008-04-23 11413, 2008
yllona
*not even know it, sorry
2008-04-23 11430, 2008
yllona
yeah, sony consumer products have dropped in quality especially at the mid-range purchase price
2008-04-23 11434, 2008
yllona
but $260MM is a lot of money to devote to engineering
2008-04-23 11410, 2008
ruaok
was it an all cash deal?
2008-04-23 11427, 2008
yllona
"The senior management team will remain with the company. The company’s tech and services are used in Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iTunes, Winamp, Panasonic, Philips and Sony, and on the mobile music side by players such as from Samsung, Sony Ericsson (NSDQ: ERIC), and others."
2008-04-23 11444, 2008
yllona
"for about $260 million and more depending on earnout. The deal is expected to close in May."
2008-04-23 11411, 2008
MBChatLogger
Ewww! Gross!
2008-04-23 11411, 2008
yllona
"Philips and Fraunhofer had equity position in Gracenote because of the technology that Gracenote either bought or licensed over the years. Other institutional investors over the years (over five rounds) included Sequoia Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners and others."
2008-04-23 11435, 2008
ruaok
to the tune of $120M mind you.
2008-04-23 11442, 2008
ruaok
For a $260M payout, that's nothing.
2008-04-23 11452, 2008
ruaok
piss poor multiple.
2008-04-23 11456, 2008
yllona
yep.
2008-04-23 11417, 2008
MBChatLogger
Ewww! Gross!
2008-04-23 11417, 2008
yllona
"Gracenote would probably bring in around $40 million in revenues this year (separate from its revenue bookings which could be much larger)."
2008-04-23 11400, 2008
BrianFreud
you know, apart from their work on mp3 in 1994, I have never heard anything else about Fraunhofer, except them raking in money from deals stemming from mp3s. Have they been coasting all this time on their mp3 patent?
