“When Microsoft and MTV show up at a party — as a couple — attention must be paid,” David Colker reports for The LA Times. “The two powerhouses joined forces to create a music subscription and download service called Urge, which debuted Wednesday.”
“The subscriptions, which cost about $10 a month, allow unlimited streaming of songs from Urge’s catalog of nearly 2 million selections. If you want to buy the songs, it’s 99 cents per download,” Colker reports. “But the subscription model has yet to catch on in a big way. Most people prefer to download songs, and downloading is overwhelmingly dominated by Apple Computer Inc.’s iTunes.”
“So, can Urge be the salvation for the subscription model? Can it be the breakthrough service that finally takes a bite out of Apple? Based on an early look, probably not,” Colker reports. “Apart from the widespread apathy to subscription music, Urge faces another disadvantage: portability. Although subscription selections can be played on some portable music players for an extra $5 a month, they won’t play on Apple’s ubiquitous iPod. In addition, music downloads purchased on Urge — as well as Napster, Rhapsody and Yahoo — can’t be played on the iPod unless the songs are first burned to CD.”
“Time will tell whether Urge’s version of subscription and paid downloading will attract the masses. If Microsoft and MTV can’t pull it off, it’s hard to imagine anyone making a go of it. Unless, of course, someone gets to bring Apple along as a date,” Colker writes. “Then again, Apple could choose to throw its own subscription party. Stay tuned.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: One has to wonder if it also phones home about everything that’s in your ‘Music” folder.
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Wow Microsoft and MTV. Two out of touch, backward thinking companyies coming at an old idea in a really old, really ineffective way. Idiots. I’m sure this will go the way of the Dodo, I’m Napster.
I tested MTV+Microsoft’s “URGE” service on my employer’s Windows PC.
After just five minutes, I did indeed feel the URGE to put a bullet in my brain.
iTunes forever!
Small&Flaccid; and MoronTV can’t tell ANYONE how to do things in this arena. As a matter of fact, they’re both rapidly becoming insignificant — Small&Flaccid; because one day soon you won’t need Windows to run Windows software, and MoronTV because, well . . . just look at them.
Microsoft can’t dance.
Everybody knows it. Imagine the guy standing in for the “PC” in Apple’s ads trying to dance. Or just remember Microsoft’s CEO Ballmer’s insane “dancing” at past events.
Would you buy music or a music player from a company made up of 10,000 geeks with two left feet?
That, beside the fact that they suck at developing intuitive software that works for people, is why Microsoft fails every single time they dream up some new partnership or debut yet another renamed service.
You know, after Apple got its one billionth song sold, they’ve been very quiet on the number of songs sold. I’m guessing the next milestone is 1.5B and that will take a while. Does anyone know what’s the current number?
I’ve seen the lunch crowd at Apple and they have more than their fair share of geeks. I have a relative that works there so I know.
“In addition, music downloads purchased on Urge — as well as Napster, Rhapsody and Yahoo — can’t be played on the iPod unless the songs are first burned to CD.”
Oh no…burning to a CD! Oh, the humanity. Really, if this is the huge barrier that keeps people at any service, those people are doorknobs.
And this is Mac news how? Because it *doesn’t* work on an iPod?
One has to wonder if it also phones home about everything that’s in your ‘Music” folder.
What? Like iTunes does with the ministore? Don’t act like Apple is innocent!
I guess an objective view is beyond mdn. If you’re going to use the takes for propaganda then just skip them all together.
And no, I hate M$ as much as the next guy
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Where’s my chair!!!!!!
dennis..I fear you may be a little dense here. The relevence of Microsofts failings as a juxtaposition against Apple’s successes should be obvious.
Emil, Apple almost immediately added a disclaimer and gave you the option to turn it off, plus it didn’t even do it unless you had the mini-store on in the first place. Admittedly, for the average user they should have had a disclaimer from the beginning, however anyone who thought about the functionality of the feature would realise it would have to communicate some data in order to work.
I think the accusation against Microsoft is that they’ve been caught out doing arguably far more dubious things in terms of sending data back to Microsoft.
MDN, that’s My Music! Windows OS X-I mean–Vista isn’t here yet. The “My” is still there.
Funny how in Vista, All of the “My” prefixes are dropped. I guess this phoning home will be extended into everything then? Now, nothing is yours. ha
To tell the truth, the “My” thing was always pretty stupid to begin with, but with the recent heat M$ is facing, it does put things into perspective on why they reeeeally dropped it.
Hello all,
Just a question here. I recently received coupons for a free download song from Nestles. Tim and Faith music. Don’t ask but it was free so I said why not.
It was a Microsoft audio download format and when I went to play it, it said I needed a license. Shortly after, it downloaded what it indicated was a license.
So I tried to play it again. It still said I needed a license. I gave up.
Any idea of this same crap is what happens with Urge and other Microsoft type audio downloads????
Just wondering.
Norm
“When Microsoft and MTV show up at a party”
Yeah, but this is Steve Jobs party and it’s going to be more like a scene from “Deliverance” than a traditional party for Mafiasoft and MTV.
geeks are cool –
So I guess you enjoy re-typing in all of the metadata song info that you loose each time you burn to CD?
I’ve had to do this on only ONE album and after that I don’t ever want to do it again.
no migration path = no sale
MW = what as in what a pain in the arse
“Although subscription selections can be played on some portable music players for an extra $5 a month […]”
And therein lies the problem.
As I’ve said before, I think the subscription model competes with radio (satellite or terrestrial) more than it competes with iTMS. But people people aren’t going to put up with being nickle-and-dimed to death.
“It’s only $10 a month!” they proclaim. But if you want to listen to music on a portable device, it’s an extra $5 per month. Why does this cost 50% more? There’s no logical reason, to the consumer, why they should have to pay extra for this. When I subscribe to satellite radio, do I pay an extra charge to listen to it in my car and in my house? I don’t think so.
The reason this is so, from what I understand, is that “subscription services” actually pay the labels whenever a song is played. So your $10/month subscription pays for this. You pay the extra $5 because with a portable device, you’ll be listening to more music and thus costing the subscription company more.
Does anyone know what happens if you use more than one Digital Audio Player with these services? Say I have a SanDisk Sansa e200 for jogging and a Zen Vision:M? Do I pay $5 per device? The mind reels…
MTV was a superstar in the 80’s. Microsoft was a superstar in the 90’s. Today, they are both on the downside of their respective careers playing on long past their time just like so many other aging superstars have done.
“In addition, music downloads purchased on Urge — as well as Napster, Rhapsody and Yahoo — can’t be played on the iPod unless the songs are first burned to CD.”
Well I just use a nice, reusable CD-RW. Works for iTMS downloads too.