streaming services Archive

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Sony Launches Cloud-based Music Streaming Service In The US

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on February 18, 2011Posted in: Music, Music Industry, Technology

I want to pooh-pooh this, but I’m still kind of in awe that Sony beat both Apple and Google to getting a cloud-based unlimited music streaming service up and running. Granted, the only thing different it’s really bringing to the table is home theater functionality with the Playstation 3 and various internet-enabled TVs and Blu-ray players, but still, it’s interesting that this launched yesterday to almost no fanfare whatsoever.

Let’s just hope that the only reason Apple and Google are taking this long to put out their streaming music services is that they’re really making it something compelling to users.

From Playstation Blog:

In addition to PlayStation 3, you may also enjoy Music Unlimited on your network-enabled BRAVIA TV, Blu-Ray Disc player, Sony VAIO or other PC and coming soon to Sony’s other mobile devices, including PSP. Music Unlimited will be available later this afternoon Pacific Standard Time (PST) for 30-day free trial of the Premium service, with monthly subscriptions of Premium at $9.99 or Basic at $3.99. For more information about Music Unlimited, check out the press release.

via Access Millions of Music Tracks on PlayStation Network with Music Unlimited – Available Today – PlayStation Blog.

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Just Bring Spotify To The US Already

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on September 9, 2010Posted in: Features, Music, Music Industry, Technology

It’s been almost two years since Spotify launched in Europe – why in the hell isn’t it out in the US yet?

Yeah, yeah, the question is rhetorical because what other reason is there for blocking the domestic release of what Lifehacker calls “the best desktop music player we’ve ever used?”

Raise your hand if you guessed right – The reason why Spotify isn’t out yet is because of our old bumbling nemesis, the major record labels!

Before we dig in, I want to reiterate why Spotify is so compelling a product. The excitement of what Spotify offers isn’t so much the actual product it peddles. There are already a handful of music services that offer unlimited music playback for a monthly fee. Its main draw is that it employs a ad-supported freemium model where anyone can listen to music without charge initially. If you like the service you can pay for other compelling perks such as mobile device playback or higher quality playback.

I think the music monetization problem is twofold. The first is finding a means in delivering music to people that isn’t cumbersome and cost-prohibitive to the consumer. This is a problem that is more or less solved by Spotify. It’s easy to use, delivers accurate results, is the right price, and even incorporates innovative features like playlist collaboration/browser based sharing. The service itself appears to be a great product, worthy of people’s time. It’s not a trivial accomplishment, as most other “legitimate” music services have failed miserably at this throughout the years, including the vaunted iTunes.

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