More Rumblings of a Microsoft Music Store

[MacRumors]

CNet notes that Microsoft is looking into a Music Store offering:

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said his company is exploring ways to develop a music download service similar to Apple Computer's iTunes that would tie into the software giant's multimedia applications

This is only the latest in a series of potential threats to Apple's iTunes Music Store which is due to come to Windows by year's end.

This is not the first time Microsoft has been cited as a player in the digital music downloads market. In June, the LATimes even reported that Microsoft had been demoing their version of the Music store. A Microsoft solution would certainly make it more challenging for Apple to make inroads on the Windows platform.

 

[BaghdadBob]

BuyMusicFromMicrosoft.com.

Yes.

And we all know the DRM is gonna be like, totally groovy from the captains of DRM, right?

 

[arn]

yeah

I think strict DRM will be Microsoft's major problem. Apple has a more consumer-oriented approach.

hopefully they can get the same rights on the PC.

arn

 

[goof_ball]

Another typical example of how Microcrap will steal Apple's great idea, force ****ty software on half of all pc users, and make millions of dollars.

errrrrrrrrrr.

 

[dermeister]

Good, now Apple can HURRY THE HELL UP.

Apple needed a good kick in the ass.

 

[Pancake]

I don't think Microsoft will enter the field. It's getting crowded quickly. They definately have the money to throw at it to succeed to a point. But I don't think there is a huge payoff for them, they can make as much money licensing their WMP junk to a bunch of people and never have to pay for infastructure.

That being said I hope they do launch one the same exact dat as iTMS for windows and they get their asses whooped. It would also be good if a little old lady because of their online music store.

 

[BaghdadBob]

Originally posted by arn
Apple has a more consumer-oriented approach.

"Consumers"? Don't you mean "Dollars"? The consumers aren't the issue here, as long as there's a way to make money, what's the big dealio? This is why Apple is going out of business as we speak.

Consumers....HA!

 

[pourhadi]

ha

This is why Apple is going out of business as we speak.

Ha, we've all heard that before.

 

[arn]

Originally posted by BaghdadBob
"Consumers"? Don't you mean "Dollars"? The consumers aren't the issue here, as long as there's a way to make money, what's the big dealio? This is why Apple is going out of business as we speak.

I'm not saying consumers interests are their only motivation...

but providing less-stringent DRM is a "consumer friendly" approach.

arn

 

[chewbaccapits]

Originally posted by BaghdadBob
This is why Apple is going out of business as we speak.

Out of left-field...what would that have to do with anything, even if it was true?

 

[BaghdadBob]

I must not spend enough time in the news sections lately.

I was kidding guys. I love iTMS, hate Microsoft, and despise all they stand for.

I'm so misunderstood...

[Edit:] Currently at 58 tracks from iTMS.

 

[kristianm]

Apple has one advantage here, they are not a convicted monopoly. This has to be a minefield for MS.

Apple is so small that they can get away with just about everything.

 

[BaghdadBob]

Yes, actually I read on...either CNET or Fool.com about how wary the entertainment industry is becoming of getting in bed with MS because MS has a history of "opportunistic" business decisions, and a tendancy to make people tied to on whatever technology they bring to the table as part of a partnership.

 

[jbomber]

Originally posted by dermeister
Good, now Apple can HURRY THE HELL UP.

Apple needed a good kick in the ass.

yeah, i think that kinda sums up my feelings right now. Apple seems to be dragging their feet or something. There're a lot of people waiting anxiously for one thing or another. I hope they're not resting on their laurels after successfully introducing the g5.

 

[bluedalmatian]

What are people's views on whats holding the Windows version of iTMS up? Is it liscensing ot technical?

 

[Choppaface]

well, they might not have as big a market on the win platform then, but they'd still be getting customers they'd otherwise not get

 

[Brother Mugga]

DOH!

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by dermeister
Good, now Apple can HURRY THE HELL UP.

Apple needed a good kick in the ass.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why oh why oh why (etc.) did Apple not have a tested version of iTunes for Windows up and running before breaking cover with iTMS? It's not as if they couldn't predict a slew of wannabe copycats, for heaven's sake.

I have an awful feeling that this might have been yet another lame attempt to drive people into buying a Mac in order to use the site. If so - "DOH!" When are Apple going to realise that the best way to 'switch' people is not to try and twist their arms into spending huge amounts of money on new hardware (and attendant software), but rather to introduce them to little (and relatively cheap) snippets of Apple design (such as the iPod), let them get comfortable with the ease of use etc., and then encourage them to draw the obvious conclusions regarding the larger picture of PC hardware.

Unless there was some kind of behind scenes deal with the record companies that we don't know about, the decision to show their hand before being able to reach about 90% of the market could go down as one of the biggest arse-ups in Apple history.

Brother Mugga

 

[KLFloyd]

Re: DOH!

I agree, Apple needs to hurry the heck up with a lot of things.

While I have downloaded about 30 songs from iTMS since it launched, there are probably at least two dozen more that I've wanted to download but are not offered. Some of the songs are by indys, but many of them just simply haven't been added to the store yet. Seems to me that Apple needs to get on the ball with adding songs they already have the rights to.

Second, while I can understand why Apple would want to test such a new concept on a small basis at first (Mac's in the US only) this is a VERY small percentage of the population. Why did they not at the very least at have all the agreements signed for iTunes for Windows before they launched the Mac version. Not only are they working on the software, but they're also having to re-negotiate contracts with the record companies as well. Just seems like they were in such a hurry to rush the product out the door.

I think it's such a shame. Apple obviously has the best product out there all the way around, but because they weren't prepared to push their product into the Windows and international market very quickly after the launch I fear that another company will now take all their work and beat them to the punch line.

 

[MisterMe]

Re: DOH!

Originally posted by Brother Mugga
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by dermeister
Good, now Apple can HURRY THE HELL UP.

Apple needed a good kick in the ass.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why oh why oh why (etc.) did Apple not have a tested version of iTunes for Windows up and running before breaking cover with iTMS? It's not as if they couldn't predict a slew of wannabe copycats, for heaven's sake.

I have an awful feeling that this might have been yet another lame attempt to drive people into buying a Mac in order to use the site. If so - "DOH!" When are Apple going to realise that the best way to 'switch' people is not to try and twist their arms into spending huge amounts of money on new hardware (and attendant software), but rather to introduce them to little (and relatively cheap) snippets of Apple design (such as the iPod), let them get comfortable with the ease of use etc., and then encourage them to draw the obvious conclusions regarding the larger picture of PC hardware.

Unless there was some kind of behind scenes deal with the record companies that we don't know about, the decision to show their hand before being able to reach about 90% of the market could go down as one of the biggest arse-ups in Apple history.

Brother Mugga

People, people, people! Apple is not a record company. Apple is selling the products of others. Those others dictate what Apple is selling and how it can sell it. Steve Jobs did a lot of heavy lifting to get the Big 5 to agree to this concept.

Now read this because it is really important: The Big 5 agreed to partipate in the iTMS precisely because it was not available to Windows users. In this way, the concept could be proven among a small segment of computer users and in a relative piracy-free environment. In other words: For the first few months of the iTMS, it is US-only and Mac-only because it would not exist otherwise. BuyMusic.com and GiveM$YourMusicMoney.com do not have the same level of cooperation with the record companies. Until they can get competitive agreements, Apple will rule the roost in the online music market.

 

[Abstract]

Get it on Windows, but please make it international so that people like me, people who WANT to shop at iTMS can get a chance.

Originally posted by dermeister

Apple needed a good kick in the ass.

Make it hard and swift. MarthaStewart is coming, and it's trying to invade like SARS. One bite of the MS cookie, and stupid people will never bite a foreign, but tastier Apple cake.

 

[Brother Mugga]

Re: Re: DOH!

Originally posted by KLFloyd
I think it's such a shame. Apple obviously has the best product out there all the way around, but because they weren't prepared to push their product into the Windows and international market very quickly after the launch I fear that another company will now take all their work and beat them to the punch line.

Katie, I couldn't agree more. Apple (and many Macoholics) still seem to labour under the delusion that quality wins out in the end; it's almost as if Betamax/VHS never happened.

And if any company is good at beating (pioneering) others to the punchline, it's clearly Microsoft.

If I were Steve Jobs, I'd be standing over those Windows iTunes coders with a whip right now.


Actually, I really wish I hadn't said that.

I have a nasty feeling that image might stay with me for some time...

Brother Mugga

PS: r.e. MisterMe's comments - I think you might be right (hence my allusion to 'behind scenes deal' with the record companies). However, my concern is that, having done all the heavy lifting, Jobs et al are going to miss out on the tea-party that follows. It's one thing to not go online with a Windows iTunes...it's quite another to not even have one coded-up and ready.

 

[copperpipe]

it's the licensing guys!

My money is on the fact that Apple has iTMS ready to rock for the windows platform, BUT, and this is a big ol' butt, the Music industry will not let them get the same licensing!!! The only reason we got the licensing the way we did is because of our small marketshare - it was a good way to test w/out losing too much money. Now the Industry is trying to retain their paranoia with the windows crowd - buymusic.com. They are using Buy.com as guinea pigs to see what the public will consume. feeding them sh*t biscuits. Now if it is the horrible fiasco it *should* be, then Apple will be in business, and it will be a HUGE windfall for our favorite company. But if all those morons out there support Buy.com, then the Music Industry will hold on tight as ever to their product. We shall see, but none of this has much to do with Apple getting on the ball, it has everything to do with the Music Industry...in my humble opinion...

 

[tazznb]

Originally posted by dermeister
Good, now Apple can HURRY THE HELL UP.

Apple needed a good kick in the ass.

Apple needs to do it right the first time or suffer like the rest of the wanna-be's.

 

[addsapple]

yuk

microsoft smells!

 

[fatfish]

Good news for apple

As I see it there are a lot of issues here.

In time there will be little room for record stores as we know them. I already buy all my CD's from amazon or similar. I can see music sold over the internet becoming the norm (once the DRM issues are resolved). Ultimately it won't matter where you download your music from, Apple, M$ and buy.com will become vendors to all PC users along with many others. In my opinion this will benefit apple because PC users will have the choice to buy from anyone, wheras mac users will have to buy from iTMS if no-one else makes there service available for macs as I suspect might be the case.

At present there really is no comparison, with iTMS being vastly superior, both M$ and buy.com will be wma only and whilst it's a long time since I used wmp it had no way of organising your music as iTunes does, but maybe this has changed.

Also at the moment the iPod has huge % of the MP3 player market and 54% are PC users, I suspect this won't last, but as it stands this will encourage the use of iTMS when the PC versions gets up and running, simply because your ipod won't work with M$ and buy.com downloads. (also don't forget many CD players will now play mp3 but not wma)

In the long term apple should do well, because iTMS won't be mac dependant, as long as apple retain there lead in functionality and continue to build the library of songs, the introduction of more music services will just hasten to expand the switch to digital music downloading.

(And what about rendezvous, you can now play your QT movies/DVD's on your mac and watch them on your TV, with no wires. What a boost for apple when we get a whole load of rendezvous enabled hi-fi systems)