Here is the email, verbatim:
Dear XXXXXXXX,
The Lala service will be shut down on May 31st.
In appreciation of your support over the last five years, you will receive a credit in the amount of your Lala web song purchases for use on Apple’s iTunes Store. If you purchased and downloaded mp3 songs from Lala, those songs will continue to play as part of your local music library.
Remaining wallet balances and unredeemed gift cards will be converted to iTunes Store credit (or can be refunded upon request). Gift cards can be redeemed on Lala until May 31st.
Click here or visit Lala.com/support for more information, or to view Lala’s Terms of Service.
Thank you.
Lala
Lala’s website currently states: Lala is shutting down. The Lala service will be shut down on May 31st, 2010. Unfortunately, we are no longer accepting new users. Members, you can still use Lala through May 31st, 2010.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Michael R.” and ” Lava_Head_UK” for the first heads up.]
I am still at least plus eight on CDs traded through Lala. No one has responded to my “want” list in at least a year. I guess I’ll have to write that off on my taxes…
Sure glad i wasted 2 hours uploading my library. I think class action is called for.
/s
I wish there was more classy actions around here, too….
Just in time for the new iPhone launch and near the completion of the humongous server farm. Oooooolala! On Cloud 9!
Mark the DAY, June 7th 2010. Apple will fire up the reactor for it’s NC server farm and unveil the total cloud computing experience they’ve been moving toward. Apple will anounce the IPhone 4 HD, IPhone 4.0 OS, integration of LALA and bring together all the elements of the cloud experience. ie. Mac’s, IPod’s, IPhone, IPad’s all connected and talking to each otther.
Since I joined Lala 6 months ago I listen to it easily twice as often as iTunes and I have spent easily twice as much on its 10-cent cloud-streamable music tracks as I ever would have in the same time period on iTunes’ downloadable tracks costing 10x as much.
The quality on Lala is incredible, every track sounds like CD quality and the social tools for exploring new music are unmatched.
If Apple shuts this service down without, or before incorporating its listening model into iTunes or another replacement I will be one VERY, VERY UNHAPPY Apple-head.
Far from going back to iTunes I will look for other cloud-based services like Lala on the Internet. Do the right thing Apple!
spatlantean,
If it’s anything like the MobileMe launch, NC will soon be a smoking crater.
Here’s hoping that Apple gets their ducks in a row before flipping the switch this time.
@MDN
You have to have a little more faith than that. The Steve was a little more than ticked at the mobileme launch but acknowledged they had a lot on their plate at the time. They’ll get it right this time.
I have to laugh at this “cloud” crap. I remember the famous 1984 Apple commercial of a blonde running into a room with a big hammer to liberate the masses who were being held captive by the “cloud” or mainframe computing as it was known then. She hurled her hammer through the screen of the system admin who were the ones who had total control over your computing experience.
Apple meant that commercial to show how it was going to liberate us from this kind of tyranny and give us personal computers instead of impersonal cloud I mean mainframe server computers. The tyranny was always being at the mercy of “the system” and having to always wait for access. And having every file you created under their control and they could look at everything you were doing anytime.
As a computer user you were just a component in a vast machine with no control over your experience. Apple, personal computers, and specifically the Macintosh were intended to liberate us from that. How ironic that it’s Apple that wants to reinstate that old system. I know MS has wanted to for years but failed. How long before Apple releases a mobile computing device that CANNOT run unless connected to the “cloud”? The Borg are almost here.
Now; cue the tin foil; what are you smoking, drinking, taking; mocking “step away from the keyboard” comments from the peanut gallery. This should be fun
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Anyone watching Apple’s efforts to gain complete control over the online media distribution market (books, music, movies) should be very worried that they’ll succeed – and they seem to be doing so.
@ Fredo, you’re dreaming the dream of a rabid fanboi.
Lala used the 20 year old MP3 format for music distribution, while iTunes uses MP4.
Every single objective test ever done by anyone anywhere has proved that the open standard, royalty free MP4 CODEC outperforms the ancient, royalty laden MP3.
Nice try?
NOT.
@spatlantean and @MDN
Methinks we should block out much more than 1 hour on our calendar for this year’s Stevenote. Sounds like it’s going to run long with all of the things that could possibly be announced!
I love LaLa. If anyone else wants to beat iTunes (PalmHP?) just replicate the LaLa model. I used to love Apple but have been a bit concerned lately with their imperialistic business model. “All the world over so easy to see, People everywhere just got to be free”.
hhnnnn-NOOOOooo–oh wait, I don’t have a LaLa account.
I wonder how long before Box.net and DropBox go the way of the LaLa and the DoDo.
Just hoping Apple rolls it in to iTunes
Apple has rarely done strategic purchases for the sole purpose of turning a competitor’s lights off. Smart money says that this tech is rolled into iTunes – the timeline of shutting down Lala jives with June DevCon…
you guys are thinking too soon… June 22 is Steve’s next keynote, I’d expect the announcement to come out at the same time as the next iPhone rollout.
I have alot of music to listen to. I will really miss this. I liked all the reviews about & from listeners about the artists. I got to listen to music that I only imagined about. Sad day. Pandora will get more listeners