“Customers who have purchased music from Microsoft’s now-defunct MSN Music store are now facing a decision they never anticipated making: commit to which computers (and OS) they want to authorize forever, or give up access to the music they paid for. Why? Because Microsoft has decided that it’s done supporting the service and will be turning off the MSN Music license servers by the end of this summer,” Jacqui Cheng reports for Ars Technica.
Cheng reports, “MSN Entertainment and Video Services general manager Rob Bennett sent out an e-mail this afternoon to customers, advising them to make any and all authorizations or deauthorizations before August 31. ‘As of August 31, 2008, we will no longer be able to support the retrieval of license keys for the songs you purchased from MSN Music or the authorization of additional computers,’ reads the e-mail seen by Ars. ‘You will need to obtain a license key for each of your songs downloaded from MSN Music on any new computer, and you must do so before August 31, 2008. If you attempt to transfer your songs to additional computers after August 31, 2008, those songs will not successfully play.'”
Cheng reports, “This doesn’t just apply to the five different computers that PlaysForSure allows users to authorize, it also applies to operating systems on the same machine (users need to reauthorize a machine after they upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista, for example). Once September rolls around, users are committed to whatever five machines they may have authorized—along with whatever OS they are running. “
Full article here.
Microsoft treating their suckers customers like garbage is par for the course.
This’ll inspire even more consumer confidence in Microsoft’s Zune fiasco. Use those “points” while you’ve got ’em, ya hear?
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Follower” for the heads up.]
Only Microsoft would think it reasonable hold the music that you paid for hostage. I would not be surprised if Microsoft later announces that it will limit play back on PC’s running Vista <b>EXCLUSIVELY>/b>.
Will the last person leaving please turn off the lights.
@C1 says, “Its collapse will be spectacular.”
Right now I’m clicking my heels together and quietly repeating, over and over again, “… I want to believe – I want to believe…”
BWAAAA-HAHAHAHAHA!
AAAHHHH-HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!
MUAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
i just gotta type this…
ROTFLMAO!!!!!
I wonder what the whiners over at Anythingbutipod.com will have to say about this turn of events…
Hmmmm…. (scratches chin thoughtfully)
@Peter J-
Windows users are used to suffering- that’s what they ARE, for chrissakes! They’re comfortable with martyrdom! The school I work for is trading their Macs for Dells. Why? Because of a complete lack of any real leadership and dullards in decision-making capacities that can’t understand that Microsoft does NOT give a flying chair about the user, except for the money that’s in their pockets.
There’s no straw with these people, believe me…
PayedForSure
PlaysForNow
PlaysUntilWeThinkYou’reStupidEnoughToBuySomethingElseFromUs
PreysForSure
PratsForSure
PluckedForShare
Way to build brand loyalty MS. Why on earth people keep trusting them I’ll never know. And I don’t think it would be too hard for MS to keep supporting this. I mean how many people actually bought anything from the “PlaysForSure” program anyway? I bet an old 386 box running Win 3.11 could handle “all” the requests coming in.
Of course, if MS flips a bit and provides the songs unencumbered with protection, then likely the Music LAwyers will be off in hot sursuit of illegal music since there’s no doubt there was a clause saying MS must encrypt the music!
PlayedForChumps….
Dude, they totally got zuned!
People I am going to say this for the last time (well I said it was the last time the last time but it bears repeating). I understand the satire of Zune Tang. Like many of you I can find his post occasionally funny. I know he is a secret Mac user. My only beef has been that he is REPETITIVE.
This is why I baited him to comment on this story because due to the content, anything he would say could only be lame.
And guess what….I was 100% right. Sorry ZT, your response was indeed lame. I would pick my commenting opportunities a little better in the future.
I can smell the fear from you MAC lemmings.
Whether it’s MDN declaring the Zune a ‘fiasco’ or C1 making truly absurd predictions like Zune Marketplace’s demise—your smug MAC insecurity is palpable, but thats to be expected. You MAC sheep are about to get another Microsoft beat down, this time coming from Zune and Zune Marketplace. So sad.
The cracks in your little I-Pod/I-Tunes facade is more apparent every day. Every Zune you see on the street or at the gym is a threat and you’re scared.
Your potential. Our passion.™
What’s amazing is people/consumers continue to support MS products.
Quote ChrissyOne
“That’s because they don’t bloody listen. All you had to do was stop by this site any time in the last 3 years and you might have picked up the subtle hints. If it’s too late for you, then listen to me now and believe me later: Someday, the Zune Marketplace will screw you just as badly.”
Hum, Worse because when MS closes the Music/Video Service parts of it. you will not be able to sue them for money. Because, the music tracks and videos didn’t cost you any money. Microsoft’s model is based on once they have you’re money they are only liable to you to refund your account points and oddly enough MS states the points have no cash value.
The points are used and legally termed under the S&H;Green Stamps model, Damn I’m old.
MS screws you once when you buy the points and they screw you again when you use the points and they’ll screw you a final time when they kill off the service and render what you paid for worth what a MS Market Place point is worth in the real world.
Zune Tang® you’re ace. Keep it up son!
@Demon
You don’t know what you’re talking about. Points have no monetary value, but money has monetary value. Now which would you rather spend: worthless points or hard earned money? I don’t expect a MAC fanboi to get it, but us Zune enthusiasts do and we get the last laugh. You said it yourself:
“…the music tracks and videos didn’t cost you any money.”
That’s the beauty of Zune Marketplace. Microsoft’s revolutionary and user friendly points system is brilliant in that it doesn’t cost you any money. Dinosaur Apple is left to callously demand currency for its content at the dumpy I-Tunes Store. Think differerent, MAC sheep.
Your potential. Our passion.™
@Buster – Agreed! ZT’s “humor” is soooooooooooooooooooooo tiresome and sleep-inducingly repetitive.
@Demon – Great insight on the MS sneak factor.
Playsforsure = Oxymoron
“Every Zune you see on the street or at the gym is a threat and you’re scared.”
um….I don’t know anyone with a Zune and have never seen anyone with one. The only time I see them is dusty on a store shelf.
so the “wow” doesn’t happen “now” it’ll happen aug. 31, 08.
The irony here is that people have shunned Apple’s “proprietary” systems for year just because of fear of this kind of thing happening. Now, its MS that’s screwing people over with their supposedly open platform.
@Newton
Some mentioned this a long time ago and I repeat, I know Zune Tang’s identity. He is the former Iraqi Information Minister Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf under Saddam Hussein (this guy was a real hoot if you remember him).
@ZT…give it up…its getting worse.
“What is a Zune?”
I believe it is the sound little kids make while playing with toy cars in the sand box. Zune! Zune! Zuuuuunnnne!