MTV and Microsoft Music Store in 2006

[MacRumors]

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ZDNet reports that MTV may finally be ready to launch their online music store to compete against iTunes.

MTV first announced plans for a music store back in 2003, not long after Apple's iTunes launch. MTV appears to have partnered with Microsoft to offer their music store which is expected to offer subscription-based sales as well as individual song sales.

According to Macworld.co.uk, the new service, called "Urge", will reportedly be heavily promoted across MTV's broadcast channels (MTV, VH1, CMT) and also integrated into future versions of Windows Media Player. Flexible song pricing is also expected, which has long been a point of contention between music labels and Steve Jobs.

 

[Chundles]

Can't be played on the most popular music player on Earth = waste of time.

 

[rxse7en]

MTV has music? I thought they gave that up in the 80s. Now if they offered clips of Martha Quinn gyrating to The Tubes they might be on to something.

 

[KrysBaz]

Does this mean...

That we won't be getting MTV shows for dowload from the ITMS, or is this just a last dich attempt to get a hook in the dowload business from MTV?

Or are the two arms of MTV going to offer different service to different porviders, I wonder which horse will win??

 

[bwintx]

Can't be played on the most popular music player on Earth = waste of time.

Yep, it's amazing to see what can happen when a business decision is powered by under-the-table $$ rather than common sense.

 

[Porchland]

Cool, so now I'll be able to download my favorite songs and listen to them on an MP3 player; it's amazing no one thought of it sooner.

 

[shadowmoses]

Seems like the Big M$ are trying anything they can to emulate iTunes success with the music store, but as was mentioned earlier if the mu$ic doesnt play on iPods it will flop

Shadow

 

[TheMasin9]

mtv and microsoft

when is microsoft going to realize that apple beat them to something (besides the first consumer computer, and gui,......). Why cant they just come to thier senses(if they have any) and let the ipod roll, hey at least steve made it compatable with windoze. and one question, cant you convert wma into mp3 somehow if not via itunes itself?

 

[danielsan26]

Well, we'll get a perfect example of what will happen when things are done EXACTLY how the record companies want it. My personal predictions?

1) MAYBE $0.98 singles for REO Speedwagon and STYX, but if you want the latest Lindsey Lohan toilet scrapings it'll be $4.99 for the single. But you won't care because MTV told you to buy it.

2) Perhaps URGE will run as root, constantly seeking out copyright violations. Don't think of it as a security nightmare, think of it as guaranteed job security. Hey, if things run TOO smoothly we all know what happens to the techie.....Besides, MTV runs as root in most teenie-boppers' brains, why shouldn't it have the same authority in their computers? System resources? that's flabber-gabber! (to quote travelocity)

3) Maybe you'll be able to buy a subscription AND your music! That way, you'll get all the joys of music ownership along with the sense of belonging to something bigger than yourself! Except once you disassociate yourself from that something perhaps your music won't play anymore.....If you're really nice they'll probably let you pay per play as well! They do it with radio why not here??? Oh wait....except its backwards.....

All told, it'll be interesting to see how many broke teenagers with a habit p2p networks can't satisfy will give up their valuable addiction money (Notice that no drug dealers have a "subscription based" plan...maybe they know something Napster doesn't...) in order to legitimately digest MTV's regurgitations.

Anybody have anything to add to the list?

 

[iMeowbot]

That we won't be getting MTV shows for dowload from the ITMS, or is this just a last dich attempt to get a hook in the dowload business from MTV?

It's hard to say. Urge isn't supposed to be quite a straightforward download service, but more of an interactive community type of thing tied into the TV networks. Their plan seems to be to avoid competing with the iTMS/iPod by wandering off into a different direction. IOW, MySpace is more of a target than Apple.

 

[xnu]

Sing along..... "iTunes killed the Video Channel..." History repeats itself and where are The Buggles?

 

[CrazyWingman]

Anybody have anything to add to the list?

Yes, forced watching of advertisements. Login, watch ad, switch genres, watch ad, find artist, watch ad, buy album, watch ads until downloads complete, play song, find 5 seconds of ad as first bit of the track.

Maybe I've gone a bit overboard, but I have no doubt that there will be [modal] ads, and they will not have skip buttons.

 

[kenzbud]

when is microsoft going to realize that apple beat them to something (besides the first consumer computer, and gui,......). Why cant they just come to thier senses(if they have any) and let the ipod roll, hey at least steve made it compatable with windoze. and one question, cant you convert wma into mp3 somehow if not via itunes itself?

EasyWMA

 

[Chundles]

when is microsoft going to realize that apple beat them to something (besides the first consumer computer, and gui,......). Why cant they just come to thier senses(if they have any) and let the ipod roll, hey at least steve made it compatable with windoze. and one question, cant you convert wma into mp3 somehow if not via itunes itself?

iTunes will do it but only on PC's and only if they aren't DRM'd. I reckon with MTV and MS involved these things will be DRM'd to the hilt.

Sorry guys, I don't know or have seen anybody using an mp3 player other than an iPod since about 2001 when a mate of mine had a 32MB Rio. They're going to need to make other players seem more attractive than an iPod to succeed and so long as manufacturers continue to focus on more useless features and clunky interfaces/designs over ease of use and overall experience there is no chance of this happening.

Trust me, I want to see a portable music player that will really challenge the iPod's dominance just to make sure Apple keeps on it's toes but I don't see it happening yet.

 

[Kelmon]

I can see the point of this for non-iPod MP3 players but beyond this the news has no relevance to anyone else. To be honest, I'd be quite happy if no one mentioned the subject since Microsoft and MTV should be quite embarrassed at this announcement. It's unlikely to offer more than iTunes and lots of marketing is unlikely to sway the public who has already voted with their wallets.

Move along, there's nothing to see here...

 

[rosalindavenue]

Wow-- once again, Microsoft is belatedly trying to do something it should have done in 2002, and promising that it will happen in 2006. Just like their operating system. And as for MTV? Please. Maybe they will offer podcasts (or WMA-casts, I suppose) of the Jessica and Nick divorce proceedings, or of roommate arguments from "Real World XXIV, Des Moines." This one will flop like a dead fish on concrete.

 

[snkTab]

As expected. MTV is 'THE' sellout company.

 

[macFanDave]

Why do I hear Queen in the background?

As I read this story, I seem to be hearing, "Duh, duh, duh, Another One Bites the Dust. . .and another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust."

It turns out it was all in my psychically-gifted head!

 

[mkrishnan]

Yeah, music seems like a really strange new market for MTV to stretch out into. I wonder what they're thinking.

 

[Randall]

I wonder if it will be DRM'd... or rootkited.

 

[angelwatt]

MTV has music? I thought they gave that up in the 80s. Now if they offered clips of Martha Quinn gyrating to The Tubes they might be on to something.

Exactly what I was thinking, I haven't seen music on MTV in a good decade. That's why I don't watch it anymore.

 

[devman]

I can see the point of this for non-iPod MP3 players but beyond this the news has no relevance to anyone else. To be honest, I'd be quite happy if no one mentioned the subject since Microsoft and MTV should be quite embarrassed at this announcement. It's unlikely to offer more than iTunes and lots of marketing is unlikely to sway the public who has already voted with their wallets.

Move along, there's nothing to see here...

I agree. This can't succeed as long as the iPod is the dominant playback device; and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

 

[Photorun]

MTV is about as relevant to music as bicycle to a fish. They're type of "music" is the upper 1% of the (cough cough) "hits" (i.e. Lindsey Lowhore, Anvil Latrine, Jessica Spears, and other talentless spoiled rich b*tch from good homes) and basically whichever big sleazy record company threw gobs of dough their way to play their craptacular music aimed straignt at 12-17 year old girls... which, that's their demographic. Not REAL music listeners or aficionados. This music service is aimed at a clueless segment by a even less clueless not-even-relevant anymore horrid cable channel and a big bully crybaby devoid of creativity and good coding.

Move along, nothing to see here.

 

[hkhaskell]

This is great!

I'm a product of the 80's so I remember when MTV used to play rock videos. After years of producing really bad television, they have finally completely lost their minds. Now THIS is going to be entertaining!

Microsoft is hoping to get market share by borrowing some of MTV's coolness. The problem is that MTV hasn't been cool for a long time. Microsoft is already every bit as cool as MTV.

Can't wait to see how this goes down!

 

[Stella]

Macs won't be able to use it. Oh well.

Can't be played on the most popular music player on Earth = waste of time.

You can blame that on Apple, of course, most people *here* won't.