“EMI Group, the world’s third-largest music company, said on Thursday it had signed a deal to provide preloaded music videos on Microsoft Corp.’s soon-to-launch Zune digital media player,” Yinka Adegoke reports for Reuters.
“The London-based company said the deal would see artists, including American actor Jared Leto’s alternative rock band 30 Seconds To Mars and English electro-pop band Hot Chip, featured on the player when it goes to market later this year,” Adegoke reports.
Adegoke reports, “The news dispels speculation in media reports this month that Microsoft would have to delay the introduction of Zune’s video capability until after its launch, which is expected to be in time for the year-end holiday season.”
Adegoke reports, “Sources at record labels, who have seen the new player, say its wireless capability and a feature that allows some sharing of music between users are what differentiates Zune from Apple Computer Inc.’s market-leading iPod.”
“EMI said it believes its artists’ videos will be preloaded alongside those from other record companies, but declined to discuss the device in detail,” Adegoke reports. “Universal Music, owned by France’s Vivendi, said it is in discussions with Microsoft on Zune but would not give any details. Warner Music Group Corp. and SonyBMG Music could not be immediately reached for comment.”
Full article here.
Zzzune… Yawn. Zune: Apple cannot lose. Microsoft cannot win.
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Who the hell cares about pre-loaded music that the customer may or may not like? It’s nonsense to think that is a selling point when musical taste is unique to the individual so they’re going to put what they want onto their player. Zune’s got to do better than Jared Leto’s band if they want to sell more than 3 players (actually, only 1 player because the other two would go to Gates and Ballmer)
From the same people that encouraged the development of 140,000 copies of malicious software to infect your PC, Microsoft now pre-installs music videos that you never wanted in your digital jukebox. More shit sandwiches for free! Enjoy what Microsoft feeds you, suckers, just use a breath mint before you enter my personal space.
Each Zune come with Ballmer’s captivating “Dance of the Demented”. Sorry, there is no command to delete this file, you looney Zunie zombie.
This is just like the practice of filling PCs with worthless junk software that the new user has to spend half a day removing.
Those fargin’ bastiches!!!
You’re thinking a little too narrowly.
Pre-loading “popular” stuff is indeed a daft idea, but pre-loading something in general is not.
I absolutely wish Apple had preloaded something onto my iPod when I bought it. Why? Because I was halfway around the world from my Mac when I bought it!
Someone once suggested loading promo videos of other Apple products, or maybe U2’s Bono promoting one of his causes (potentially a bad idea due to politiccs, but you get the idea). As for audio, a free audiobook sample would’ve been nice. Maybe a selection of free, non-news podcasts would’ve done the trick for both audio and video. Movie trailers. SOMETHING would’ve been nice to show it off to friends and relatives in the week before I came home.
The recent and temporary ban of electronics on flights from the UK notwithstanding, ever see those overpriced discmans in airport terminals? You can play stuff on them immediately if you bring along or buy some CDs too. AFAIK the other MP3 players sold there are like iPods–empty when bought. By pre-loading something onto a Zune, even if it’s drek, potentially makes it a bigger draw for those foolish enough to buy themselves such electronics at an airport.
My bottom line: don’t bother pre-loading music or video from the major studios, which would drive up the price of the iPod; but by God pre-load SOMETHING onto them, even if it’s deleted after connecting to iTunes for the first time.
Does this remind anyone of the bog-standard PC filled with loasd of nonsense and crappy trial software pre-installed on them?
http://movies.apple.com/movies/us/apple/getamac_ads2/box_480x376.mov
First the record co.’s feared Napster (the real one), then they feared M$ (with their DRM) and now they fear Apple (with their marketshare), so they will snuggle up to M$.
Bottom line: the record co.’s are the walking dead. Technology and attitudes have rendered them useless.
Rock on Steve!
MDN magic word: years How many until RHCP sells direct to fans?
mossman:
Self-promoting ads and other propaganda are intrusive enough without having to delete this crap from my iPod and restore cleanliness and serenity to my digital world. If I had to delete any file from my iPod, it never was much use to begin with nor had any value. However, if all this obnoxious hogwash was contained in one easily erased and unopened folder, and reduced the cost of the iPod by 20% I might reconsider my position.
Sharing music will be a huge marketing effort, though I suspect it will have little real impact.
Still, Microsoft wil be able to differentiate their product and push it towards the myspace kiddies as something they should want to have…
…plus xBox 360 integration will have an impact. Folks already are turning their game machines into media centers and with the xBox as the hub to purchase music which is transmitted to the xune… this could go somewhere. Of course, not before MSFT lowers the price of wifi adapter for the xBox 360
Methinks Apple cannot pre-load music onto iPods due to their agreement with Apple records not to sell music. I suppose they could claim they are giving away the music but I am sure they would be back in court.
Methinks Apple cannot pre-load music onto iPods due to their agreement with Apple records not to sell music.
————
Huh? Apple is selling 3 million songs a day at the iTMS. As far as I know songs are considered music.
“…the deal would see artists, including American actor Jared Leto’s alternative rock band 30 Seconds To Mars and English electro-pop band Hot Chip, featured on the player…”
That should secure the coveted “giggling 11-year-old girl” demographic.
I think I’ll enjoy the coming obscurity of this particular product most of all.
I think this Zoon is a great idea. Now Apple can see whats coming and make the next iPod even better.
Here’s a funny one. Type ‘Zune’ into Apples dictionary dash widget and see what come up.
The zune cannot exsist: Micro”soft”
When I bought my first iPod, (which was before I bought my first Mac) Apple gave a free 14 song New Music Sampler downloaded from the iTMS. I was pleased to discover this but it was not a factor of my purchase. Also, it was optional. Therefore, no required deleting.
Apple should never include anything on their iPods. The way they introduced me to the iTMS with free downloads was brilliant – they should still do this. And you can learn about Mac at Apple.com.
Adegoke reports, “Sources at record labels, who have seen the new player, say its wireless capability and a feature that allows some sharing of music between users are what differentiates Zune from Apple Computer Inc.’s market-leading iPod.”
Until Apple does the same on the next iteration of the iPod. Only it will actually work on the iPod, as opposed to the Zune, which will be hobbled by DRM, and only work half the time.
Just as with Leopard, Zune is going to be the lost generation, it will already have been superceded by the next set of innovations and new ideas by the time it arrives.
Microsoft was ever thus…and it won’t change. Only this time they can’t muscle Apple, they can’t buy it (technically maybe, but certainly not in reality).
Hey Cubert,
You shouldn’t talk about those ‘ice holes’ like that.
Zune is designed to compete with existing iPods, and even at that it is a pathetic effort. The iPod is a moving target. Apple will just keep innovating so that MS will never be able to merely tweak Zune’s design to compete. They will have to radically change the design and even the business model after each futile charge against the iPod windmill. Ballmer ought to stick to what he does best — throwing chairs.
MDN Magic Word = money; what MS is about to lose a lot of in its fools errand.
Ahhh, someone else remembers “Johnny Dangerously”.
I hope MS packs Zoon with matching iPod features and sells it at a $200 loss per unit like the bigger xboxs, $99 for a 60 gig xbox video player would be so sweet.
So who wants their shiny new machine pre-loaded with adverts for ‘muppet’ bands – not me, thanks. Still, it only takes seconds to delete – so who cares. It isn’t going to be loaded with anyone you’ve heard of ’cause its advertising.
While I fully expect the MS effort to be an ‘also-ran’, I suspect you guys are being overly critical of something you know little about. The “giggling 11-year-old girl” market is significant and they all have Daddy tied up in knots and willing to do their most outrageous bidding – get them early then keep them.
Don’t let your fear of the unknown rule you. The Zune may do well – as in “better than all the other wanna-bees combined” – and still not put a serious dent in iPod sales. That, and the fact that Apple’s product covers a broad spectrum from the “throw-away” shuffle to the “and you can use it to back up your HD” 60 GB model. And all of them link to iTunes, which puts an OS X face on a whole lot of PCs. You think people don’t notice the paradigm shift in appearance – from stark and square to lush and curvy – when they have the iTunes window up there with all the non-Apple stuff?