'MyTunes' takes on iTunes

April 4, 2008

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MySpace is creating a free music internet service with major recording labels to go head to head with digital giant Apple, whose iTunes has just claimed the crown as the world's largest music store.

The leading social networking website has unveiled MySpace Music, a joint venture with Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group.

MySpace Music will build on the News Corporation-owned website's MySpace Music Channel and weave new services into online profile pages of more than five million musicians.

Income methods will include selling digital music downloads buyers can freely copy, along with ring tones for mobile telephones, concert tickets and band merchandise.

"We look to music as an area where we want to do something huge; something historical,'' MySpace chief operating officer Amit Kapur told AFP.

"We plan to really change the game entirely.''

The Music Channel was launched about four years ago and is visited by 30 million people monthly, according to MySpace. The new service will be rolled out in the United States in coming months.

Financial terms of the partnership with recording labels were not disclosed.

MySpace's announcement came as data from industry tracker NPD Group showed that earlier this year iTunes topped retail colossus Wal-Mart as the world's largest music seller.

"We are thrilled,'' said iTunes vice-president Eddy Cue.

Since Apple launched the online digital content store five years ago, iTunes has reportedly sold more than four billion songs and built the most extensive music catalogue in the market.

Both announcements confirm a death knell for compact disks as music lovers embrace digital formats for MP3 players such as iPod and Zune, according to Silicon Valley analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group.

Online retail champion Amazon.com entered the increasingly crowded online digital music market last year. Wal-Mart is among major US retailers that sell music downloads via the internet.

Media giant Time Warner is considering offering an "all you can eat'' music subscription service for five dollars a month, according to Enderle.

"We are undoubtedly going to see more people move to provide the media now that more of these digital players are out there,'' Mr Enderle told AFP.

"It's a natural for online social networks, because they provide ways to share play lists and songs broadly. It won't be long before Facebook does something like this.''

MySpace, a hit with teens, has worked to make itself a platform for musicians famous or obscure to connect with the website's millions of users.

MySpace has woven live concerts into its repertoire. A US concert tour headlining with the French music group Justice wrapped up on March 31.

"MySpace is trying to find its niche and maintain relevance,'' Jason Miklian of Norway said as he and other fans packed into a MySpace Justice show in San Francisco last week.

"MySpace is like a gateway for musicians - you have to have a presence,'' he said.

Mr Enderle said MySpace was getting more aggressive about "trying to create some breathing space between them
and Facebook,'' which is in second place but growing at a blistering pace.

AFP

Microsoft Zune 3 Launch Accompanied by WiFi Music Store?

Thursday March 13, 2008 4:54 PM CDT - By: Michael Kwan





The Zune 2 is a significant improvement over the original model. I am especially pleased with the introduction of the Zune Pad for menu navigation. As we look forward to the 2009 holiday season (yes, we're looking that far ahead), more news surrouding the third-generation Zune is starting to rise to the surface.

Francois Ruault of Microsoft France is saying that the Zune 3 will be launching in Europe at the same time that it is being released for North America. This should help Microsoft better establish its portable media player in international markets. On a side note, the Zune 2 has yet to launch in Canada, though that should happen soon.

Getting back on the track, the more interesting news surrouding the upcoming third-generation Microsoft Zune is that it may be accompanied by an updated version of the Zune Marketplace that caters to "Mobile Platforms." This should work for both the Zune and Windows Mobile devices, and this could point toward a mobile music/video store not unlike the iTunes Wi-Fi store.

Eighth Graders Test Zune

Eighth Graders Test Zune
2008
Feb
24
Two classes have been selected nationwide to test the new MS Zune. One of them is Eric Langhorst’s class. So if you see his students listening to music, they are probably hard at study. Eric Langhorst is a social studies teacher in the South Valley Junior High School. His students are testing the new MS Zune, which allows easy transfer of video, audio, pictures and music, wirelessly.
Langhorst has recieved nationwide recognition for his work in student learning, with an incorporation of technology. He uses “studycasts” which are downloadable podcasts which can be listened to on an MP3 player, iPod or computer. Langhorst has also worked with Microsoft, including discussions on the use of the Zune in classroom learning.Kathy Richardson, marketing manager, Zune business group was interested in the teaching method of Langhorst. Initially Langhorst and Richardson met with parents and students. By the end of the academic year, they hope to collect data on the frequency of listening to classroom material on the Zune, and if it helped improve scores.
Although the purpose of the Zune was not academic but purely entertainment, a new use is being found for the Zune. Classrooms can extend indefinitely beyond school by the innovative use of this device.