Entry #58
 
12:11 AM, Saturday, July 15th, 2000:
 
So I'm checkin' out Napster with my highspeed connection, and just diggin' it. If you don't know, Napster.com is a search engine that allows you to find mp3s people are sharing with the world. It's like having a MILLION friends, and asking to borrow their new Eminem CD. Obviously the artists are pissed, and they do have a right to be...but honestly...it's helping sales. It really is. You can hear the songs before you buy the CD and with the economy the way it is, someone will buy the disc well before they take the time to downoad all the songs, convert them to WAVS and burn them to a disc. Nevermind the cover art and lyric sheets. And the music sales are definitely showing that....they are HUGE. New albums are breaking all-time records every week. The genius behind all this is that Napster can't be touched. They are not providing the mp3s. The kids at their computers are just sharing them. It's like suing lycos or yahoo for all the copywrighted pics that come up when you type in Heidi Klum. Who knows how the lawsuit will work out though. You throw an old judge in there who hasn't been on the net, there could be a problem. All I know is you can never stop mp3 sharing. Ever. Forget about it. Learn to offer more and you will reap the benefits.
 
So after I downloaded all the songs I could think of, I put the name "porn" in for the artist section and actually got mp3 clips of the SOUND of porn. You gotta laugh at that. That some kid had the time to stream mp3s of a porn tape just to share on Napster. And then of course it hit me. Man if there was a napster for video. WOW. Movies of every type imaginable being shared on the net like Napster. So I type in mpgnapster.com hoping someone jumped on the bandwagon. Nothing. I go to Register.com and it's not taken. Good GOD. Well I know that Napster is probably registered, so there's a site you can go to before you buy a domain name to make sure you aren't infringing on someone's trademark. I put in napster, and good lord if they haven't bought everything on the planet. Probably 150 Napster names. But not one with mpg in the title. (MPG is a video format for the net)... whew.
 
Let me first say this domain name buying thing is a bit stupid if you ask me. Like someone bought bigbrother.com hoping to cash in, and CBS called their site bigbrother2000.com - you know? And with all the suffixes out there now. Those outrageous million dollar and even tens of thousand dollar figures for names just ain't gonna happen now....on the other hand...what if? For only $35....THIRTY FIVE DOLLARS. You can buy a name and pray for a year. That's $3 a month. On top of that, I'm just curious as to how many people will hit it. Very simple. It's another opportunity, that just may work.
 
There is a flip side to all this. Actually making the site. Putting together a huge search engine and sharing mpgs and avis...getting it to catch on and such. I wouldn't know the first thing about making a search enging, but I'm sure someone out there does. All I know, is that it'd be cool as hell to type in a movie genre, or an actor...or anything and be able to download videos. And the movie industry knows about pirating movies on the net, but they also know they're NEVER gonna be hurt by it. They can bitch and moan like they did when VCR's came out, but you cannot replace a THEATER. And you're never gonna touch the DVD/VHS buying market. MAYBE the rental market...but the industry always finds a way to make money. You can't feel too sorry for 'em.
 
So there's another opportunity to see through. The best thing about it is, there's so little to lose. Even if the trademark site was wrong, and I cannot have the name, big deal. I lose $35. That's a longshot though...a lot of napster domain names have been taken that aren't owned by napster. So others are on the same page. Anyway, I'm excited about it. It could be very cool. If any of you have bought some names and you'd like me to put them in the next newsletter for you, I'd be happy to. It's kind of exciting. But again, beware - the chances of making a dime from this really are slim-to-none. You can check out greatdomains.com for a look at some of the domain names that have garnered the big bucks. At this point in the second half of the year 2000, I can't imagine getting more than 4 figures for a name you think of now. Even 4 figures would be incredible. But, it's a fun gamble for some of you.
 
So that's it really. OH! Almost forgot. Found out that The Patriot Movie Minded will be the first one for sale. I thaought before that it would be too dated by the time it went up for sale (sometime next week we hope...so much red tape BS to go through), but because the format is now a parody of the movie as well as a review...it lends itself to a longer shelf-life. The Patriot will be good for months rather than weeks. And we can even do things coinciding with DVD releases and such. I'm so pumped I can't even tell you. I'm finishing up the full version of The Patriot Movie Minded, and it should be done by Monday.
 
And another OH! (what a long entry after just 2 days), I have gotten some more server space that will enable me to put tons of mp3s as well as all the videos, and much longer ones as well. Scott Storck was a Late Show listener back during the WTVN days. He's gonna allow me to use part of his server. The only downside may be some occasional problems with downloads, but for the most part it should make 4tvs.com simply BLOW-UP. Can't wait to get started on the mp3s. Imagine...mp3 clips of every single Late Show Bit and Parody song. GIDDY-UP. That'll be cool as hell.
 
Anyway, I made a small video presentation for mpgnapster.com. If this doesn't get you excited...nothing will. Feel free to send it to some friends. Hopefully someone out there sees the potential...
YouTube link added 02.13.09
 
LATE!
 
Jess and Adam
 
original video file
 
JULY 2000