The brave new world of multimedia is beginning to look glamourous even to the denizens of Tinseltown, and the famed William Morris Agency wants to get into cyberspace. The Beverly Hills talent agency has teamed with publisher Simon & Schuster and Wave Interactive Network Inc in two separate business agreements for supporting development and distribution of compelling multimedia software to consumers on a pay-per-use and try-before- you buy basis. Wave Interactive Network is an affiliate of Wave Systems Corp, and its mission is to deliver interactive content to home consumers as cheaply as possible. It aims to provide access to a library of CD-ROMs on a pay-per-use basis, using the WaveMeter and WaveNet, enabling technology patented and provided by Wave Systems Corp, to deliver its products and services securely on a pay-per-use basis. Initial products will be available this year. The technology allows people to sample software titles before buying, rent them, or pay by game, episode or chapter usage. Under the agreements, Wave will distribute of consumer entertainment, interactive multimedia and other content recruited and provided by the William Morris agency and Simon & Schuster. William Morris will represent Wave and take a stake in the company, and its New Media Group will also help to launch a CablePC channel for high-speed, low cost distribution of software using Wave Interactive’s distribution.
