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Google music service might offer subscriptions as well as digital downloads
We know that Google's been thinking about launching a music service, and now the crazy kids at Billboard are reporting details of a proposal that the search giant's been circulating among the major labels. Apparently the company is pursuing a sort of hybrid digital download store / cloud-based locker service, with the store offering individual tracks or albums, while the "locker" would scan the user's hard drive for music files and, upon finding tracks that Google is licensed to offer, allow the user access to them on the cloud (presumably you won't be actually uploading your MP3s to the service, just streaming their content once it's determined you have a copy of your own). And since you can't offer any service without a little "social networking" on the side these days, Google would like to give users the opportunity to send each other tracks, which they could listen to once -- and then either purchase or preview (um, review) in thirty second snippets, similar to Lala. There's no word yet on which -- if any -- labels are willing to take the bait, but we'll let you know as soon as we hear anything else. Promise.
Google setting up music store later this year, looking for search and Android synergy
Remember that chart that pointed out the differences between Google, Apple and Microsoft? Well, it's looking increasingly like Google is intent on filling any and all gaps in its portfolio. Those good old unnamed sources have been talking, originally to CNET last week and to the Wall Street Journal today, and disclosing Google's supposed intent to introduce its very own music store. This would initially encompass a web store where you can stream or download tracks, with a search tie-in that'll get your money into Google's pocket in the fastest possible way. Subsequent plans are said to include Android integration in 2011 -- something that Google rather nonchalantly demoed at its I/O conference last month. Of course, none of this is as yet confirmed, but it looks like Apple and Google will be competing across yet another front -- hold on tight.
Nokia phones will still Come with Music, only stores see rebranding
If you live in India, our story was correct -- your mobile subscription music service will be called "Ovi," and no longer carry the weight of the cumbersome Comes with Music branding -- but we're hearing that in other Nokia territories, including the UK, that's not quite the case. Nokia UK told Pocket-lint that while the company's online music store will indeed be renamed "Ovi Music" across all 22 territories this year, the Comes with Music service is here (and there) to stay. To tell you the truth, though, we're not that interested in the fate of a brand name. We'd prefer if Nokia made a more ballsy move -- like discontinuing their service's most controversial feature, Comes with DRM.
Amazon MP3 swings open doors to UK in Android 2.1
Direct access to Amazon's MP3 store from Android is old hat for American customers -- it's been preloaded on the time-weathered G1 since day one -- but it's still a foreign concept for users in a host of other countries, notably the UK where they've been enjoying Google's platform for nearly as long as the Yankees have. That looks poised to change, though, with the introduction of Android 2.1 now that Brits running Nexus Ones have played around with their handsets long enough to discover that the Amazon MP3 app is preloaded and quoting prices in -- yes, you guessed it -- pounds sterling. There's yet to be official word from Amazon on the matter so it's unclear whether pre-2.1 phones will ultimately be able to get in on the action -- but in the meantime, anyone desperate for access had better cobble up the quid for a Nexus import.
Sony to expand PlayStation Network into Sony Online Service, sell music, books, videos
Sony had a big management meeting in Japan today, where the tech giant announced some extremely vague plans for what's initially being called the Sony Online Service -- a new "iTunes-like" service built on the PlayStation Network that will sell books, music, and movies. That's really all we know for now -- Sony execs didn't set a launch date or provide any specifics -- but the move's been rumored for a while and makes total sense, considering Sony's huge investment in running PSN and vast array of products it could tie into the service, like the Reader e-book line, the PSP, and the various Network Walkmans. Now, whether or not Sony can manage to make good on this massive potential remains to be seen -- we've got high hopes, but this isn't a small challenge.
Nokia Comes with Music US launch smartly pushed back to 2010
Not that most Americans could care, but Nokia is pushing back the US launch of its DRM-laden Comes with Music service into 2010. CWM, you'll recall, is Nokia's "free" all-you-can-eat music service that bundles the 12-18 month music subscription cost into the inflated handset price -- although like any DRM music scheme, solutions already exist to break the CWM shackles. The delay is probably a wise move considering the weak state of Nokia's US partnerships required to offset consumer costs, lukewarm response to its latest handsets, and the fact that most US consumers share a broad distaste for DRM music. We'd rather see Nokia launch late but with a compelling proposition than launch now in blind adherence to a timeline.
Apple rumored to be turning iTunes into a DRM-free music store UPDATE: Not anytime soon
We can't count the number of times we've heard from one random source or another that Apple was about to pull the trigger on a subscription-based / 100% DRM-free music service, and given how those have worked out in the past, we'd highly recommend taking this one with a huge dose of salt. French site ElectronLibre has it that Apple will finally offer up all of its music in DRM-free form starting as early as tomorrow, specifically calling out Sony, Universal and Warner as outfits who would join the protection-free cause. Should this happen, it would obviously be a dream come true for ole Steve, but we're still left to wonder what would happen to bitrates, prices and (potentially most important) all other iTMS content. Something tells us Hollywood isn't quite as ready to release its death grip.Update: Don't hold your breath -- CNET says that while Apple is in negotiations with the bigs to go DRM-free, nothing's set in stone and changes are unlikely before the end of the year. Amazon it is![Via AppleInsider]
Amazon's DRM-free MP3 store goes international with quiet UK opening
By our calculations, December isn't exactly "near" June, but it seems the rumors from long, long ago were at least somewhat factual. Without any fanfare whatsoever, Amazon has quietly fired up its MP3 store over in the UK, marking the first time the e-tailer has sold jams outside of the United States of America. The page doesn't look all that dissimilar to the one we Americans have grown used to, and of course, every one of the three million 256kbps MP3 files are DRM-free. At first glance, we're already seeing some tasty singles for £0.59 ($0.86) and whole albums for £3 ($4.39). Looks like it's about time to open that digital wallet, UKers.[Via Pocket-lint]
Walmart has a change of heart, decides to maintain DRM servers
Back by popular demand, it's the Walmart DRM servers! You heard right -- just days after Wally World announced its plans to turn the screw on its digital rights management servers, we're now being shown a big "just kidding." According to an e-mail (posted in full after the break) sent out to previous downloaders, the mega-corp be leaving things as-is for the foreseeable future, and it's all because of "feedback from the customers." In other words, those actions it urged you to take late last month are no longer required, though we'd still back those tracks up on CD just in case. Can't be too careful, you know.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Starbucks wiped from Apple's site, but what does it mean?
Fresh off an extensive corporate decaffeination downsizing and a scaling back of its foray into music sales, it's a fair question to ask: just how ironclad is Starbucks' commitment to rolling out iTunes WiFi Music Store integration across its entire chain? We just happened to notice that the Starbucks page on Apple's site is now stone-cold gone, redirecting to the standard iTunes 8 stuff. You might say "no big deal, Apple's just playing down an agreement that's now been in place for a full year," but there's some other weirdness, too -- the company's iTunes WiFi Music Store at Starbucks FAQ, for example, still references the dead link. The partnership was kinda ill-conceived to begin with; getting access to the store meant hooking up to AT&T WiFi, which you wouldn't normally have configured unless you actually had an AT&T WiFi account. We haven't heard any official word here that the deal is in danger, but really, would anyone be welling up if it fell apart?
Sprint Music Store's tracks set to go phone-only
A great feature -- or, at least we thought it was a great feature -- of mobile music stores is that you're not eternally shackled to listening to the track on your crappy little handset. Buying and listening to music on the road is all well and good, and admittedly, it's probably the typical mode of operation -- but when you get home, it's nice to have your dollar-each tracks available for download on the desktop. Sprint wants to move away from that model, though, announcing that tracks purchased in its Music Store will skip PCs altogether in favor of a phone-only model starting October 15; you'll still be able to back up tracks to your computer, but they'll only play on the phone. That's awesome, totally logical, and a surefire way for Sprint to turn a profit on its music service when competitors are offering DRM-free tracks that can play anywhere you damn well please for the same 99 cents Sprint's charging. Something tells us this won't last long -- Sprint will either relent, outsource its music biz to a more capable third party, or stop offering music directly altogether. Or so we hope.
7digital launches MP3 store with all 4 major labels
7digital launched an all-MP3 digital music store featuring songs from all four major labels: Sony BMG, Universal, Warner, and EMI. The tracks are DRM-free and encoded at 320kbps. Currently, the store is available to users in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Italy and Portugal. 7digital plans to launch stores in the U.S. and Canada in Q4. The company reached a deal with Sony BMG -- the lone holdout -- bringing the store's catalog to about four million songs. Some music was previously available in Windows Media format, and MP3 "upgrades" for those tracks will be available for free. Only EMI has offered its catalog for iTunes Plus, Apple's DRM-free offering, along with several smaller indie labels. The labels have had a long-term strategy of pressuring Apple by withholding DRM-free tracks while encouraging other music stores like Amazon MP3 and eMusic. Tracks available in the 7digital store range from 79p to 99p (≈ $1.41 to $1.77), and albums are £5 (≈ $9) on up. MP3 files play on almost every digital music player made in the last 10 years, including every iPod. [Via DistortedLoop.]
Nokia's Comes With Music premium in the $150 range?
We put "free" in quotes for a reason, and now it seems the dark, nasty truth could be upon us. While pre-order prices on a retailer's website should be taken as pure speculation and nothing more, a couple of notable examples reveal £70 to £85 premiums on the Comes with Music version of two phones. For instance, Expansys offers up Nokia's N95 8GB for £394.99, but the CwM edition is a stiff £479.99. It's hard to say if the prices are jacked up by Nokia's directive, but again, we aren't getting too riled up until these things launch for real.
Nokia lights up its UK music store November 1
Just a few short weeks after an August announcement, Nokia has officially committed to flipping the switch on the UK outpost of its Music Store tomorrow, November 1. The company -- perhaps realizing that it faces an uphill battle against its pretty well-entrenched competitors who shall remain unnamed for the purposes of this story -- is aggressively pricing tunes at 80 pence per track and full albums from £8 (about $16.50). The launch of the store goes hand-in-hand with Nokia's two fresh high-capacity devices, the N81 8GB and N95 8GB, both of which also officially launch (even though they're already readily available in many locales) come tomorrow. Most tracks are said to be 192kbps WMA, so the quality shouldn't be too shabby; let us know what you think if you decided to give it a shot, k?
Amazon's music store going live this month?
Take this one for whatever it's worth, but reportedly, Amazon's digital music store is set to open up shop this month. Apparently, the firm has "tentatively set a mid-September target for the launch of its music service," but unsurprisingly, no one from Amazon was available to comment on the hunch. 'Course, it's not like we've got long to wait before this gets proven one way or the other, right?[Via Reuters]
Orange wary of Nokia Music Store, threatens to avoid N81
Genuine concern for the "customer experience" or genuine concern for its music revenue stream? It's hard to gauge Orange's true intentions here, but basically, the European carrier is threatening to avoid carrying the 8GB variant of Nokia's N81 -- the one with the Nokia Music Store on it instead of Orange's own -- on fears that they haven't seen the service yet and have no idea whether it'll be easy for customers to use. A rather testy memo sent from Orange to Nokia reveals that Orange has given Nokia until August 31 (that's tomorrow!) to offer it the opportunity to test the Music Store side by side with its own service; if Nokia declines, Orange will respond in kind by dropping its planned order for a crapload of "exclusive blue" N81s. Given that the N81 is seen right now as the cornerstone of both Nokia's renewed music and gaming efforts, we're guessing the manufacturer would see a refusal by a major carrier on its own turf to be a slap in the face and a major blow to its plans -- so we're cautiously optimistic that things are gonna work out. In the meantime, Orange, skim as much music revenue as ya can.[Via mocoNews]
Nokia intros Music Store
Part of its new "Ovi" initiative of online mobile services, Nokia has announced its Music Store service today. Offering up a feature that seems like a perfect (if not obvious) use for HSDPA speeds on handsets, Music Store will offer seamless over-the-air music purchases and downloads directly from handsets combined with automatic two-way synchronization to the host PC. Other features include dynamic music recommendations and a "Mix Me" feature for creating playlists of recommended songs based on genre preferences. The192Kbps (DRM protected, only) WMA tracks will run €1 (about $1.36) with entire albums starting at €10 ($13.66); PC streaming will also be available for €10 a month. Look for it in Europe before the year's out, expanding to other markets thereafter.%Gallery-6518%
Nokia N81 hands-on
The N81 is perhaps the most attractive Nokia we've ever seen. Not everyone will agree -- it's kinda square, bulky, and a little heavier than we were expecting -- but the total package struck us as solid and extraordinarily well designed. We were digging the cool metallic flake front and rear offset by a medium gray strip down the sides, the wild control layout below the screen, and the fact that this simply doesn't look like Your Father's Nokia. Turns out the N81's beauty is far from skin-deep, though. %Gallery-6500%
Nokia music store, N-Gage, N81, 8GB N95 all confirmed for tomorrow
In case you haven't heard, Nokia's blowing it out tomorrow, London style. We can't be certain what exactly is going to get announced until the curtain drops, but as the date and time draw near, we're hearing whispers from across the 'nets about what we can expect. Latest across our desks is this itinerary from The Nokia Blog, detailing the day's events; from it, we can see that the N81 and 8GB N95 are both on the docket, ensuring that the high end will be well represented. Also up are the rumored music store and the revamped N-Gage platform we've been hearing a solid buzz about recently. Stay tuned, we're just a few hours away now!
Apple patents iTMS transaction service for iPhone
Joining Sony Ericsson in the growing list of cellphone-related patents unearthed today, it appears that Apple is doing a good bit of work behind the scenes to ensure that future iPhone users will be able to access and purchase tunes (and video?) from the iTunes Store. Apple's recently filed "Configuration of a computing device in a secure manner" patent lays out in a good bit of detail how users of a mobile device (wireless iPod?) could access the iTMS and perform "transactions." It goes on to speak of "digital signatures" that would presumably have to be validated before any unexpected downloads took place, and it also pictures a handset (props to Nokia candybars of days past) communicating with an actual PC, which then contacts the "content and commerce" servers on the other side of the wire. In other details, there's photo evidence that some sort of downloadable upgrades / expansions could be available, probably referring to future firmware updates that could be initiated through the iTunes application. Granted, the whole mess of legal jargon is a bit hard for the layman to truly grasp, and it seems that Apple was simply throwing out as many vague words and possibilities to encompass anything that actually gets decided, but be sure to hit the read link anyway for more textual confusion and pictorial delight.
