“Going up against Apple’s iTunes/iPod online music empire is a colossal challenge for any competitor. That’s true even for the most powerful software company on the planet, and one of the most venerable brands in music,” Edward C. Baig reports for USA Today. “…Since Urge, unlike iTunes, is a fee-based subscription service that lets you listen to boatloads of music, it more directly competes against Napster, RealNetworks’ Rhapsody and Yahoo. Buoyed by MTV, Urge measures up favorably and is the best-looking contender, though you can find similar content elsewhere.”
“As you would expect, the service is sprinkled with music videos, but they’re not always easy to find and some failed to play. I was also put off having to watch commercials on a few of the videos. At the moment, there are no podcasts, though that is on the Urge road map. Perhaps befitting its beta status, the Media Player responded slowly at times and crashed all too frequently. Each time I had to sign into my account again. Two of my USA TODAY colleagues encountered deeper problems playing songs. So Urge isn’t all there yet. But it shows potential and is worth considering if you don’t have an iPod and prefer the subscription model to buying songs individually,” Baig writes.
Full article here.
Okay, it’s a beta, but how many reviews have you read where the “cons” were “crashed often and was slow to respond at times. Not all videos played. Colleagues had trouble playing music at all?” Yikes. Windows users’ willingness to accept mediocrity and worse is unmatched. Maybe Napster and Real won’t be crushed by URGE so quickly after all.
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Related articles:
MTV, Microsoft URGE music service begins life with a severe handicap – May 17, 2006
MTV’s and Microsoft’s URGE should concern also-rans like Real, Napster and Sony – not Apple – May 15, 2006
MTV’s and Microsoft’s iPod-incompatible URGE online music outfit faces uphill battle – May 15, 2006
EMI Music Chairman: Music subscription services like Napster and Rhapsody haven’t beeen huge – January 23, 2006
Oppenheimer downgrades RealNetworks based on Microsoft’s ‘URGE’ partnership with MTV – December 15, 2005
MTV-Microsoft URGE music service not targeting iPod, iTunes users; Real CEO PlayedForSure? – December 13, 2005
MTV and Microsoft team up for new digital music service ‘URGE’ – December 13, 2005
Study shows Apple iTunes Music Store pay-per-download model preferred over subscription service – April 11, 2005
I intsalled WMP11 and wasn’t impressed. It is much better than previous versions of windows media but it’s no iTunes. They tried to add too many features and too much eye candy. Eye candy and features are nice but when they make using a program difficult then there is a problem. They tried to put together iTunes/iPhoto together in one package but it falls short of expectations. There are too many tabs to do tasks the you can do in just one window (with no tabs) on itunes. Furthermore, it doesn’t have the capabilites that iPhoto gives you. It’s nice to see MS finally trying to improve windows media (becuase it’s been horrible for years) but they still have much work to do to try and compete with the ease of use of Apple programs.
MTV should have partnered with Apple instead of Microsoft.
iWeb 1.1?
Apple wouldn’t partner with MTV… MTV is a bunch of bitches. that is why MTV got stuck with microsoft… the other bunch of bitches.
USA TODAY says
Who prefers the subscription model to buying songs individually? No one I have ever met. Who wants to lose all the songs you thought you bought when you stop subscribing to the service?
And who wants to deal with a WMA player and PaysForSure?
The iPod succeeds because the player, the jukebox software, (the computer if you have a Mac), and the music store are all made by the same company and tightly integrated. The Microsoft/Dell model of “every piece made by someone else” doesn’t make for a very easy or user frieldly music-buying experience. Or should I say “music-renting” experience, in the case of Napster and URGE.
URGE’s huge problem right off the bat, and it’s a potential deal-killer, is that it doesn’t support iPods. And they’re pushing this as a feature, the poor bastards. It’s far easier for Apple to continue to improve the iPod and add content and features to iTMS (and a subscription model if there is a demand for it) than it is for URGE to convince people to ditch their iPods and buy an inferior player so they can use an inferior service. Microsoft-MTV are struggling to head off a juggernaut with enormous and growing momentum, and good luck to them. In the immortal words of Mr. Miyagi, they’re going to “get squash, just like grape.” Their shareholders are going to punish them for their folly.
What does MTV know about music and videos?
Do they even play videos anymore? All they have is a year long spring break party and reality shows.
Hey Geoff, you are spot on there buddy.
My website is a mess after updating to 1.1.
Fix it apple. Not my website, the software!
Leo
LOL. What a biased site. Most all the reviews of WMP11 thus far, with the exception of this one are favorable. Leave it to MDN to point out the unfavorable one.
Why does Microsoft have to have a music download service, exactly? Why can’t they just focus on the things that they’re profitable at (operating systems and office suites) and let someone else take care of the music downloading? Why does Microsoft have to try to muscle in and take over every little niche of the IT industry? Why does Microsoft see every company that exists in the world as a direct competitor?
Seriously…anybody know?
Tom Cruise?
No Zealot … this is MacDaily News … of course it is biased … we like Apple and Macs … what did you think you were going to read … go elsewhere if you don’t like it …
Well when you think about who’s helping MTV then you know why it’s crashing all the time. Keyword is Microsoft.
You can’t but better publicity!
(NOT!)
Gartenberg:
“In terms of a music subscription services, URGE shines. The onboard catalog of music, combined with great editorial content and new innovations like music feeds make this service really stand out from the pack. Add in a good portable device and you start to see how the market can potentially shift over time to a new model. “
You don’t know the history of fee based subscription services…I do.
So what they’re saying is:
Not easy to navigate (iTunes is simplicity itself)
Some FAILED to play at all (unheard of on iTunes)
There are commercials everywhere (iTunes is commercial free)
No podcasts (iTunes the first to have podcasts)
The media player was slow and crashes a lot (iTunes has never crashed on me once)
Causing you to have to sign in again – a hassle (ditto the above)
But they recommend it because Microsoft promise (again) that they’ll get it right in an update?
And all the PC zombies go, “ok then, we believe you”, and continue to use it because it has a Microsoft sticker on it and not an Apple one. Morons.
I cannot stand dumb-ass PC users.
Urge is nothing but the 10,000th repackaging of lame Windoze Media with Janus DRM. Nothing here.
A few crashes? Of the whole computer? Probably not. JUST the player. So click it again and try again. Big deal.
What are people babies these days? If you look behind some MINOR crashes that waste like 2 seconds, then Microsoft makes some fantastic products.
Look beneath the superficial, Apple people. It’s not all about style and perfection. It’s about getting the job done. I’m certain Microsoft has done it again with Urge.
MTV got Punk’d by M$
URGE its not even a good name for a program like WMP,itunes for me is the best and always will be…
Its about getting the job done on the first go.
“The rapid search capabilities are a hint of what’s coming in the next version of Windows, called Vista. The moment you begin typing a search term in the box at the upper right, the Media Player spits out links to search results in the Urge catalog and your own library, each organized by artists, albums and songs.”
– Is this something new in Windoze ?! Hasn´t this been in OSX / iTunes all the time…
Jooop:
You don’t know the history of cutthroat competition. Neither does Tom Cruise, or the person who posts here as Tom Cruise. But Bill Gates does. Oh, he does.
iWeb 1.1?
amyblue.net
a webiste made by iWeb and hosted on a Mac mini!!!