“In a move that may interest regulators worldwide (such as in Europe and Korea) who are considering Microsoft’s potentially anti-competitive practice of bundling its media player with its OS, the company will integrate the new [MTV] Urge service within a future version of Windows Media Player,” Jonny Evans reports for Macworld UK. “This new digital music service will offer both a la carte and subscription services, as well as access to MTV’s video assets.
“Urge has quickly won the support of at least two major labels. It’s interesting that both these labels are believed to be the ones that are applying the most pressure on Apple to offer ‘flexible pricing’ on downloads,” Evans reports. “Both Clive Davis, chairman and CEO of [Sony] BMG US and Lyor Cohen, chairman and CEO of US recorded music for the Warner Music Group spoke up to support the new service. Curiously, MTV was long felt by many in the music industry to be in possession of too much clout when it scored a home run in music video broadcasts. BMG has now merged with Sony outside Japan, and strong industry rumours suggest Warner may even have plans to merge with EMI.”
“Van Toffler, MTV Networks Music Group president described Urge as a ‘psychic concierge,’ and promised all manner of personalisation, recommendation and music discovery features for users of the Windows-only service,” Evans reports. “Jason Hirschhorn, the company’s chief digital officer, told the Associated Press: ‘We think the iPod has done a great job. Our aim is not to switch people from iTunes and the iPod. We need to concentrate on where there’s going to be a bigger market.’ A bigger market? iPods account for 75 per cent of music player sales, and iTunes for 80 per cent of legitimate downloads. The focus on future market trends suggests that Apple’s enemies in the space hope to use that company’s success as a trailblazer, in a similar way to that in which Apple familiarized the planet with a graphical user interface in the eighties.”
Full article here.
We long for the day when Apple Computer vs. Apple Corps. is settled and Apple can simply eliminate the MiddleBronfman. Remember SonyBMG’s and Warner’s shenanigans (see related articles) when choosing your purchases. Not buying products with SonyBMG and Warner labels could be a nice decapitation strategy of our own.
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Related articles:
Warner shuts down ‘pearLyrics’ song lyrics lookup companion application for Apple iTunes – December 07, 2005
SonyBMG antics may well cause public to turn on them and turn many people onto Apple Macs – November 06, 2005
Analyst: Sony BMG’s boycott of Apple’s iTunes Music Store Australia won’t last long – October 24, 2005
Why aren’t Sony, BMG, Warner, Victor making their artists’ music available on Apple’s iTunes Japan? – October 06, 2005
Warner’s Middlebronfman: ‘We sell our songs through iPods, but we don’t have share of iPod revenue’ – October 05, 2005
Dvorak: record companies’ biggest concern about Apple’s iTunes is clear and accountable bookkeeping – September 29, 2005
In 99-cent fight with ‘Looney iTunes’ labels, Apple CEO Jobs will get whatever Jobs wants – September 29, 2005
Warner music exec discusses decapitation strategy for Apple iTunes Music Store – September 28, 2005
Warner CEO Bronfman: Apple iTunes Music Store’s 99-cent-per-song model unfair – September 23, 2005
Analyst: Apple has upper hand in iTunes Music Store licensing negotiations with music labels – September 23, 2005
Steve Jobs plays high-stakes poker with greedy record labels – September 22, 2005
Record labels accuse Apple CEO Jobs of ‘double standard’ as they seek to force iTunes price increase – September 21, 2005
Apple CEO Steve Jobs to repel ‘greedy’ record companies’ demands for higher iTunes prices – September 21, 2005
Apple CEO Steve Jobs vows to stand firm in face of ‘greedy’ record companies – September 20, 2005
Sony and Warner holding out on Apple iTunes Music Store Australia – September 08, 2005
NYT’s Pogue to record companies: it’d be idiotic to mess with Apple iTunes Music Store prices – August 31, 2005
Apple CEO Steve Jobs prepares for pivotal fight on digital music prices – August 28, 2005
Musicians stage mutiny against Sony, defiantly offer music via Apple’s iTunes Music Store – August 10, 2005
Record labels to push Apple for higher iTunes Music Store prices in 2006? – August 05, 2005
Record labels look to raise iTunes wholesale prices, music industry fears Apple’s market domination – March 05, 2005
Report: Apple CEO Steve Jobs ‘angered’ as music labels try to raise prices for downloads – February 28, 2005
Report: Music labels delay Euro iTunes Music Store fearing Apple domination – May 05, 2004
Greedy Big Five music labels looking to jack up iTunes songs to $2.49 each? – April 22, 2004
can we please PURGE this crap by boycotting Sony/BMG, Warner, MTV etc.?