IUMA.com lays off staff, stops taking artists
Cyberbiz Brief
Music community site
IUMA.com, perhaps best known for offering couples $5,000 to name their babies after their site, has laid off its staff and stopped taking on new artists. Netco, whose funding was extinguished when it was cut loose by struggling parent
EMusic.com in January, will keep maintaining the site, but all functions that "required human interaction," including CD sales and customer support, will be shut down, according to a note posted online by founder Jeff Patterson and general manager Antony Brydon.
"This has been a hard time for Internet music companies as the rules that govern what we do change on a daily basis," the execs said. "No one seems to be making it through this tough time unscathed," IUMA included.
