Achy breaky doc

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Jun 8, 2001

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recognizes the highly competitive nature of the entertainment dollar in professional sports today. Metroplex fans now can choose among: the Mavericks, who made the NBA playoffs this season for the first time in 11 years; the Stars, who are only two years removed from a Stanley Cup championship and headed (along with the Mavericks) into the new $325 million American Airlines Center; the Rangers, who are bringing up the rear in the American League West but still have the world's only $252 million ballplayer in Alex Rodriguez; and the Cowboys, who are coming off a 5-11 season and are without Troy Aikman at quarterback for the first time since Jones bought the team in 1989.

"It's a buyer's market," Cowboys play-by-play announcer Brad Sham said. "The fan has more options out there than ever before, plus all the sports you get on television. Prices are higher than ever before, so now you have to choose how you want to spend your money, whether it's taking the family out to dinner or taking the family to a sporting event.... There are people who literally save up all year to take their family to a game. Because of that, I believe that attending a Cowboys game will always be a big deal to the majority of fans... just because it's the Dallas Cowboys."

An end to the e-music revolution?

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- What the major record labels started in court battles against online music pioneers such as Napster and Mp3.com, they are finishing in the boardroom, buying the companies or trying to adapt their technology to cash in on their loyal users. "The inventive technology spirit that was so rampant two to three years ago has definitely slowed down," Dataquest analyst P.J. McNealy said. "The music companies waited long enough and are now able to buy them at a reduced rate."

In recent months, the major labels have purchased or partnered with companies such as MP3.com, MyPlay and Roxio as they reassert the influence they nearly lost to upstart music services. Napster this week became the latest purveyor of online music distribution to join forces with former foes. Still, announcing deals is one thing. Crafting a service that will capture the imagination and loyalty of people accustomed to easily finding and downloading pirated tracks on Napster and similar services is the challenge the record industry now faces.

"What consumers have clearly shown in droves is that they love the ease of use and unbelievable selection they found on the Web," said Jay Samit, senior vice president, new media, at EMI Recorded Music. "Does that mean they were unwilling to pay for it? No. Clearly, people understand that if you want music to continue to be made, you have to pay for it."

What would Lewis say?

NEW YORK (NYT) -- Money is the mother of sequels, and it sometimes makes book publishers and authors' heirs do some unconscionable things, like turning classics into literary pudding. Of course, sequels are certainly not new to book publishing, but recently they've been popping up all over. When they come, they seem to arrive in bunches like nosegays.