"Latin Rhythm Moves It To Portal
Tag It, an online publisher and media firm serving the entertainment industry, entered an agreement with DMX MUSIC, to provide its industry news portal Mi2N with music news. Tag It will integrate a customized, private label newswire featuring stories from its 'Band News' category from the Mi2N news portal. The company's Latin music magazine 'LA'Ritmo.com is also to supply nescafelive.com with content from its site.
     Content-Wire (March 5, 2002)

     "Love rallies Alanis, U2, REM to her cause
Hole singer Courtney Love has stepped up her campaign against the music industry by calling on fellow artists to fight for fairer treatment from the major labels.
In an open letter posted at the Music Industry News Network website (www.mi2n.com), Love says she has already received support in her fight from R.E.M., the Dixie Chicks, U2, Alanis Morissette, Bush, Prince, and Q-Tip, and she wants other bands to go public with tales of being swindling by the business. "
     By Paul Cantin, Senior Reporter, JAM! Showbiz (May 19, 2001)

     "The funky rhythm of content syndication"
"Cybernavigation is admittedly a very exciting and addictive activity. Virtually 'go everywhere and meet everyone', til you drop. Content-wire online search for ultimate content truths is never ending, and despite the sometimes tedious job of detangling technologies and business models - how boring - we come across exceptional individuals who drive progress on the net single handed, and in different directions. This week we chat to Eric & Sounni de Fontenay, aka ' de Fontenay brothers'. Their company, Tag It, specializes in creating and distributing music news. They provide an online service for distributing press releases and publications include Mi2N, MusicDish, and 'LA' Ritmo.com. "
     by Paola Di Maio, Content-Wire (May 29, 2001)

     "Cyber Music: Tag, You're It"
"Tag It and MusicDish are conducting a survey in order to better understand the state of the songwriting community and its relationship to the broader industry. Sponsored by Dutch A&R Web site SoundArtist, the survey will be the basis for a series of Tag It E-Reports to be made available online this summer."
     Music Connection (May 21 - June 3, 2001)

     "15 People You Should Know in The Biz"
"The de Fontenay brothers and their flagship company, Tag It, specialize in creating and distributing music news. Their publications include Mi2N, MusicDish, and 'LA'Ritmo. They provide an online service for distributing press releases, as well as offering their expertise in technology matters affecting the musician."
     by Suzanne Glass, Indie-Music.com (May 13, 2001)

     "Brazil Rediscovers Its Culture - Poor Man's Cocktail, Martial Art Hip Among Middle Class"
"Radio stations in the United States now dedicate hours-long shows to Brazilian music. New York nightclubs have started weekly Brazil Nights. The four Grammys have sharpened the profile of Brazilian music in the United States. 'The Grammys mean artistic quality, but they also signify that more people are listening,' said Sounni de Fontenay, editor in chief of the Internet magazine LARitmo.com."
     by Stephen Buckley, Washington Post Foreign Service (April 15, 2001)

     "DDMI event reveals questions about distribution of music online"
"Despite these sentiments, the two-day event did provide notable highlights, including interesting debates on music exchange platforms, the promotion of digital artists, and inspiring panelists such as Cory Doctorow, Chief Evangelist, OpenCola and Eric de Fontenay, CEO, Tag It.
     by Michael Mathres, Europe Media (April 5, 2001)

     "Newsmaker: The Final Napster Decision"
"This was to be D-Day for Napster, the Internet service that's been providing free music to millions. A federal court shut it down, but it got a reprieve, pending today's decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. R. Polk Wagner specializes in intellectual property, electronic commerce and cyberspace at the University of Pennsylvania Law School."
     PRI's & KRCW's To The Point (February 19, 2001)

     "Amazon Puts Out the Tip Jar"
Discussion also brewed about Amazon's plan to transform its much-litigated 1-Click technology into a service that will allow Net surfers to "tip" their favorite sites with small amounts of cash. (Naturally, Amazon will skim just a bit off the top for its services.) Predictably, the plan drew cacophonous derision from a multitude of sources. The San Jose Mercury News noted that some critics call the plan "decidedly odd," while Keith Regan of the E-Commerce Times admitted it's an "inspired" business move, though he suspects the system will eventually be used to collect fees for "just about everything that is currently, and historically, free." Perhaps the most stringent criticism came from Margee Fagelson, a columnist for MusicDish, who argued that what has been touted as a "virtual tip jar" is in reality a devious system that will end up "undermining ... our whole work-compensation models and ideologies."
     by Michaela CavallaroThe Industry Standard (February 9, 2001)

     "Music Marked for Mapping"
"...the designers created a searchable directory similar to what Yahoo does for the Web. With 20 categories, users can search for radio content, resources, downloads, record labels and a plethora of other content." The irony in the whole business is that while the businesses and websites Fontenay and his team continue to map face extinction as the marketplace dries up, the syndication business they are trying to develop could very easily keep them in business."
     by Brad King, Wired.com (November 24, 2000)

     "Net Noise: eyeofthehole.com"
"Confusingly, this site calls itself "Black Hole," without the URL you'd expect from the name up top. (Don't go to "blackhole.com"; you'll end up at what appears to be an ISP in the Twin Cities.) Instead, point your browser to "eyeofthehole.com" or "yourblackhole.com" for a quick glance around the urban-music landscape. Here, you'll find a biweekly Web zine that aims to cover hip-hop, R&B, house and reggae music, along with the cultures that go along with each genre. Both mainstream and underground artists get their due, and political features also get coverage; you'll find stories about controversial figures like Fred Hampton Jr., Geronimo Pratt and Oscar Lopez Rivera. Album reviews seem to be written with more passion than writing chops, but that's part of the charm that permeates the place. (See Lady Zimma's take on reggae artist Lazah Current: "I caught me some hip-hop flava, some R&B feel and good old cultural drumming on this CD.") Overflowing with ideas and info, you'll also find tour dates, newsy gossip, poetry, photo galleries and a sense that the people behind this site are doing it as much for love as any hope of money."
     The Industry Standard's Beat Sheet (October 10, 2000)

     "Songwriter Resource of the Month" - MusicDish
     The Princeton Songwriters, NSAI (October 2000)

     Music Career Stuff: MI2N Unveils New Web Site
     The B# Newsletter (October 2000 - Volume 1: Issue 9)

     Best of the Bards: "Story of a Revolution: Napster & The Music Industry" - MusicDish
     The Bards Crier (September 26, 2000 - Vol 8.3)

     The Global Muse Indie Music Newsletter (September 25, 2000)
"My favorite online source for music industry news and information, MusicDish, has recently made available a great collection of articles on the Napster & The Music Industry topic. There are over 88 pages of informative articles that include perspectives and legal information to opinions on this controversial topic. I suggest that everyone take the time to read this to gain more understanding of this topic and to allow yourself to form an educated opinion."

     "Napster Files Final Court Papers, Smashing Pumpkins Drops Label"
Eric de Fontenay, the co-founder and CEO of Tag It, an online music analyst sided with Napster on the issue of control, "traditionally the music industry has had a monopoly on distribution through copyright." The music analyst said it isn't so much the technology the frightens the RIAA it's the first mover advantage Napster has, "they want that huge audience share because the RIAA thinks it's a dangerous technology for them not to control." The current legal wrangling is reminiscent of MP3.com's legal forays. De Fontenay said that while MP3.com may have missed by committing obvious copyright violations, the RIAA has destroyed a competitor in the online music distribution market. He said the RIAA used its practices to better its own distribution models; such as, adding a music locker where browsers can keep song titles for future use. "The RIAA is more concerned with keeping their existing monopoly on music use by controlling the online distribution market and wrapping files with security and encryption technologies," he said.
     by Samuel Rosales AtNewYork.com (September 18, 2000)

     "MusicDish Publishes Napster Guide"
With anticipation mounting around the court decision in the RIAA call for a preliminary injunction against Napster, MusicDish has just published the definitive guide to utilizing the Napster software. Featuring tutorials on issues spanning "File sharing concepts," "Is it legal to use Napster?," "Limiting users access," and "Control your security," the guide provides a comprehensive overview of the controversial software. The guide also includes a companion, "Tweak Napster with Wrapster," which introduces file sharing to a broader set of media such as movies, pictures and software.
     Music Business Daily (September 18, 2000)

     "The RIAA and friends say Napster needs a spanking. Or at the very least, to be shut down right this minute"
"Playing the heavy didn't go over so well with Kevin Carmony, president of TrueVerse Records. He sent an e-mail Sunday to friends calling for a boycott of Universal artists and ventures. Within 24 hours, it had been dubbed a press release by the Music Industry News Network (Mi2N) and forwarded to hundreds of industry insiders."
     The Industry Standard's Beat Sheet (September 12, 2000)

     "U.S. Copyright Office Rejects Napster's First Line of Defense"
Eric de Fontenay of Musicdish.com, a website devoted to the world of online music, says peer-to-peer networking is here to stay, and that the real problem the music industry is faced with is finding a legal means to regulate such a multi-headed hydra. File swapping, says Fontenay, is even greater in Europe, especially in France, where the cost of a CD is astronomical and the population is better equipped with CD-burners and other devices that make pirating tunes much easier. But Fontenay is unclear on the fate of Napster, "I don't think their defense of fair use will wash with the legal system."
     AtNewYork.com (September 12, 2000)

     "Story of a Revolution: Napster & The Music Industry" - MusicDish
     Shefik Online (September 12, 2000 - Issue 27)

     "Latin Music Sites Seek English-Speaking Audience"
"Two-year-old 'LA'Ritmo.com (www.laritmo.com) offers Top 25 charts in several Latin music genres, as well as the Tu Ritmo collection of digital sound clips, a handy sampling tool that gives beginners who cannot decipher Spanish labels a place to start looking for Latin CD's. The Latino Wired news link chugs with the latest industry music news and is updated daily; the extensive archives of reviews, charts and interviews go back two years."
     by Debra Klein, New York Times - Circuits Section (September 7, 2000)

     "MusicDish Publishes Napster Guide"
"With anticipation mounting around the court decision in the RIAA call for a preliminary injunction against Napster, MusicDish has just published the definitive guide to utilizing the Napster software. Featuring tutorials on issues spanning "File sharing concepts," "Is it legal to use Napster?," "Limiting users access," and "Control your security," the guide provides a comprehensive overview of the controversial software. The guide also includes a companion, "Tweak Napster with Wrapster," which introduces file sharing to a broader set of media such as movies, pictures and software."
     Music Business Daily (July 25, 2000 - Volume III)

     "MusicDish Publishes Guide to Napster, Shrugs Off Legal Issues"
While many professionals in the Internet industry are waiting for the Justice Department to issue a temporary injunction against music file-sharing company Napster, a user's guide might seem a bit out of place. Not so, says MusicDish Technology Writer, Russel Kibbee, "Digital file sharing is a reality, not just a fad. It's our responsibility as a publisher to increase awareness." MusicDish Writer, Michele Wilson-Morris, echoed her colleague, "the popularity of Napster is overwhelming, and we feel that if people are going to use it, then this is how you do it. We're trying to get people to understand both sides of the picture, because Napster is a very popular product."
     by Samuel Rosales, AtNewYork.com (July 24, 2000)

     "MusicDish Receives 5 Star Review"
"This is a great place to get your music reviewed among other things. The reviews are somewhat candy coated, but provide a great professional perspective of your music. They also have a lot of other great things like cool interviews and career tips."
     IndieCorner (July 12, 2000)

     "Mi2N Receives 5 Star Review"
"This is one of the most useful sites on the web for the indie musician. Artist can submit news and press releases or they can get the news on pretty much anything music related. This is one of my favorite sites on the web and I use it often!"
     IndieCorner (July 12, 2000)

     "Tag It COO, Sounni de Fontenay, interviewed in Inside the Biz"
     degyshop.com (June 2000)

     "CES: No Easy Anwers for High-End Growth Problems, Panelists Agree"
The panelistsÑRay Kimber of Kimber Kable, Janice Mancuso of Reference Recordings, Peter Noerbaek of PBN Audio, Russell Kibbee of Tag It, Doug Schneider of SoundStage!, and Kathy Gornik of Thiel LoudspeakersÑattacked the issue from several angles... "Education is the key," Kibbee said. "Winning new converts to the High End is simply a matter of teaching." ... Will the Internet help or hinder the High End's expansion campaign? It offers consumers unprecedented access to information, and provides manufacturers a potentially global market. Internet entrepreneurs Kibbee and Schneider firmly believe that the Net is a force for growth for the industry, as did their fellow panelistsÑwith reservations....None of the panel members was willing to venture a guess as to how the growth of the Internet might ultimately affect the High End, but Kibbee and Schneider agreed that the proliferation of musicÑeven in the relatively low-resolution MP3 formatÑdoes, in the long run, bode well for specialty audio.
     By Jon Iverson, Barry Willis Stereophile (January 9, 2000)

"Here's a place to find out what's going on NOW in the music industry. Every day, you'll find dozens of new stories, and if you're looking for a career in the business, don't miss the career postings. mi2n's excellent news service is split into seven distinct categories; Band News, Label News, Releases, Events, Career Opportunities, Tech News, & Etcetera."
     RainMusic.com (October 7, 1999)

Webiology: "Internet and Digital Media measurement group Media Metrix reported this month that home digital music usage has reached nearly 4 million. And the last time we checked, there were approximately 85,000 music related Web sites. It's fitting then that MusicDish, the award-winning music industry magazine, is launching The Music Genome Project, an ambitious plan to identify and map the components which make up the 'Online Music Industry.'"
     Auricle Communications (September 1999 - Volume 0.7)