“Forget WAV, MP3 and M4A – major labels have something new in mind, and it’s called CMX. Sony, Warner, Universal and EMI are reportedly preparing a new digital album format that will include songs, lyrics, videos, liner notes and artwork,” Sean Michaels reports for The Guardian.
“The news comes just weeks after reports of a similar project, Cocktail, being developed by Apple. According to the Times, Apple rejected CMX and instead began work on an in-house alternative. It is not clear how Cocktail and CMX will differ, other than ownership,” Michaels reports. “A label rep told the Times, ‘Ours will be a file that you click on, it opens and it would have a brand new look, with a launch page and all the different options. When you click on it you’re not just going to get the 10 tracks, you’re going to get the artwork, the video and mobile products.'”
Michaels reports, “The major labels plan to launch CMX, which is just a working title for the format, in November. It will reportedly be ‘soft-launched’ with a few select releases. ‘We are not going out in force,’ the industry source said. ‘What you are going to see is a couple of releases thrown out there to see what people like. We are working with the retailers now.'”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s difficult to overestimate Apple’s reach in this market. Therefore, it’s quite simple: If Apple decides there will be a new digital bundle format, then Apple’s format will be the only format that matters.