Google is pondering whether to take the cloud to the high seas, according to a recent patent filing. The Web giant apparently wants to deploy so-called "water-based data centers" that would store information for its search engine and other services on barges located up to seven miles offshore. The data centers would use wave energy to power and cool their computers, reducing the company's costs. Their offshore status also means that Google would no longer need to pay property taxes. According to the patent application, "Computing centres are located on a ship or ships, anchored in a water body from …

Can advertisers underwrite the music industry? That is the $2 billion question facing MySpace Music, as News Corp. and three of the four major record labels prepare to launch their new joint venture later this month. They've certainly lined up some major advertisers for launch, including McDonald's, State Farm and Toyota. Of course, advertising isn't the only revenue stream for MySpace Music; sponsorship, paid downloads and concert tickets and merchandise sales are the others. Jeff Berman, MySpace president of sales and marketing, says not to expect traditional banner ads from MySpace Music. "Part of [advertisers'] brand promise is to provide …

A group of Hollywood content providers are teaming up to develop a standard that lets consumers play their purchased movies and other digital content on any device that has a Web connection. Members of the consortium, called the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem, have been working since May to create rules for the new standard. "No matter where you are in the world, if you previously purchased "Spider-Man 3," you should be able to access "Spider-Man" and stream it," said Mitch Singer, the group's president. The consortium's members include Philips Electronics, Toshiba, HP, Cisco, and all the major Hollywood studios. The …

Universal Music Group, Sony BMG and Warner Music, which collectively account for 77% of U.S. album sales, are about to make their catalog of music freely playable on MySpace Music. EMI Music Group, the fourth major label, which accounts for 9% of industry sales, is in similar talks. Later this month, MySpace Music will offer free streaming music from these companies supported by advertising. MySpace users will be able to visit the profile pages of major label artists and click on any songs they want to listen to. They'll also be able to extract songs and put them on …

Ad Age pundit Bob Garfield knows how to monetize Facebook. In a column addressed specifically to Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Garfield proclaims that mass marketing in the future does not depend on mass media; rather, it will depend on social communications and a kind of quid pro quo between consumer and marketer. Marketers will receive access to consumer data in exchange for providing consumers with something of value-entertainment, information, a discount or some other utility. As Garfield points out, this already takes place "on an enormous scale" in your everyday life. Nowhere is this more true than …