Author: JD

NOT A BAD IDEA Jennifer Lopez wants Scooter Braun to be the third judge on American Idol Season 13, a source tells Us Weekly. Credit: John Sciulli/Getty Images Add yet one more contender for the coveted third spot on the American Idoljudging panel! A source close to the show tells Us Weekly that Scooter Braun is in talks to become the third judge for the 13th season of the Fox smash reality competition. PHOTOS: American Idol judges, then and now The insider tells Us that the 32-year-old talent manager has met with producers and returning judge Jennifer Lopez to discuss his possible role on the show. “Jennifer is the one really pushing for him,” the source says, adding that Braun is Lopez’s number one pick. (Sources confirmed to Us on Aug. 17 that the 44-year-old singer will be returning to the show after serving as a judge in 2011 and 2012. She will join Keith Urban, who has already signed on for a second consecutive year on Idol; Mariah Carey,Nicki Minaj and longtime judge Randy Jackson announced their departures earlier this year.) PHOTOS: American Idol makeovers Braun certainly has had success turning a young musician into a star before. He is manager to some of the world’s biggest pop stars includingJustin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Carly Rae Jepsen (who placed third on Canadian Idol Season 5 in 2007), Psy, The Wanted and other celebs. The only possible problem? The insider tells Us that Braun would want to manage the American Idol winner, but creator Simon Fuller already has the job. PHOTOS: American Idol’s most shocking eliminations Braun isn’t the only one being considered to join the judging panel. A source told Us earlier this week that songwriter and record producer Dr. Luke (he’s worked with the likes of Ke$ha and Britney Spears) is also in the running after Will.i.am reportedly dropped out due to money negotiations. Sources also told Us that Kanye West and Lopez’s ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs also passed on joining the show.

Elite Daily — by Sean Levinson V Aug 21, 2013 Mark Zuckerberg is leading a new project to provide Internet access to underdeveloped countries by significantly lowering the cost of connecting to the web. Internet.org is a collaborative effort involving some of the biggest tech companies on earth, including Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson and chip designer Qualcomm. The primary goal is to make the Internet affordable for roughly five billion impoverished people in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Facebook is currently trying to alter the programming of its mobile app so that it requires less bandwidth and is therefore cheaper to run. The mobile companies are trying to make handsets that have longer battery lives and draw less Internet bandwidth. According to Daily Mail, Zuckerberg hopes to reduce the cost of Internet access by 99% in ten years. “The goal of Internet.org is to make Internet access available to the two-thirds of the world who are not yet connected and to bring the same opportunities to everyone that the connected third of the world has today,” Zuckerberg said. The project’s main focus is smartphone connectivity, as billions of people in under-developed nations already use cell phones to communicate. Mobile phones are also cheaper than PCs and are more practical Internet sources in areas with unreliable electricity. Internet.org has been live since this morning. The project’s website features an excerpt from a 1963 speech by John F. Kennedy set to images of impoverished people and regions.

Don’t expect a soft launch for iTunes Radio. Apple has lined up blue chipadvertisers for its upcoming launch next month of iTunes Radio, according to an Ad Age report. McDonald’s, Nissan, Pepsi and Procter & Gamble were named as advertising partners already on board. In addition, the launch appears to be timed for maximum exposure. The report, which claimed the launch is set for next month, has numerous details that suggest Apple will roll out a fully conceived service rather than something half-baked that will improve over time. Minimum ad buys are said to be around $1 million. Apple’s iAds mobile advertising network had similarly high minimum buys that were drastically lowered over time. Apple’s iTunes Radio to Launch Next Month with Full Slate of Blue-Chip Sponsors There are a couple reasons why Apple can demand high minimum buys from advertisers for iTunes Radio. First, Pandora, iHeartRadio and other Internet radio services have already confirmed the viability of the format. Apple is not creating a new product unfamiliar to advertisers. Second, Apple can offer a range of ad types — audio, video and “slate” ads that appear in front of any app or web browser — that improve on the common display ad. Apple will also give advertisers the opportunity to sponsor branded stations. Timing is another factor. The iTunes Radio launch appears to be timed to coincide with the arrival of two new iPhone models. Reports Tuesday said Apple has asked its assembler to begin shipping new high-end and low-end iPhones early next month. That jibes with AdAge’s claim that iTunes Radio will launch sometime next month. iTunes Radio would certainly generate strong consumer and media interest if launched alone, but launching in tandem with new iPhone models will amplify the message. These details help answer an important question about the service: is iTunes Radio a profit center or a loss leader? It will take many years to turn a profit — look at Pandora — but Apple is clearly not treating iTunes Radio as a necessary expense to keep consumers within the Apple ecosystem. It certainly has enough resources simply to operate iTunes Radio at a loss while taking market share. But Apple is treating Internet radio as an extension of its iAds business that generates revenue while improving its customers’ experiences. The new details don’t help answer a few other questions, however. How will iTunes Radio help Apple sell more downloads? It’s known that iTunes Radio will have an embedded buy button to facilitate purchases and will stream promotional tracks. But the service’s ability to induce purchases really can’t be known until it launches. Perhaps the most important question is if iTunes Radio is a steppingstone or an end game. Put another way, will Apple use iTunes Radio to inform the development of a subscription service? As more and more consumer listening shifts to on-demand streaming, people are searching for signs that Apple will launch a competitor to Spotify, Rhapsody, Rdio, Beats Music and Google Play Music All Access. Steve Jobs was known to dislike subscription services. To date, Apple has shown only slight interest — CEO Tim Cook reportedly met with Beats CEO Jimmy Iovine in March. We know two things for sure based on the product about to launch. First, Apple doesn’t want to miss an opportunity to push Internet radio further into the mainstream. Second, Apple does not believe the mainstream consumer is ready for music subscription services.