“Bloom.fm, a London-based streaming-music service that offers everything from access to free radio to song borrowing, believes Apple is scared of its operation,” Don Reisinger reports for CNET.
“Speaking to CNET on Friday, a Bloom.fm spokesman confirmed that the company’s ad-spend on Apple’s mobile-advertising platform iAd has been banned by the iPhone maker. The only suitable reason for that, the spokesman argues, is that Apple views its service as a threat,” Reisinger reports. “‘We were surprised at Apple’s decision to ban us from their iAd network as their iTunes Radio service isn’t even available in the UK,’ the spokesman told CNET. ‘Bloom.fm gives you 22 million tracks for £1 a month — the price of a single download on iTunes — so I can see why they’d want to protect their business.'”
Reisinger reports, “Bloom spent £2,000 per month on Apple’s iAd network, promoting its service to iPhone, iPod, and iPad owners, according to a Guardian report. On Wednesday, however, Apple said that it could no longer advertise through its network.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Publicity play by a tiny, insignificant, meaningless outfit.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
I’d say they’ve probably got more free publicity from this than they ever got via iAd. I’ve never heard of them before, but then, trying to use any type of streaming system outside of major metropolitan centres is next to impossible; a 1Gb/month cap on data from most networks makes streaming too expensive, and the only network that offers unlimited data has very poor coverage, where I live and work is right in the centre of two masts, so trying to get any kind of data signal is almost impossible.
Who knows what’s going on. The record labels could have done this. Who wants more competition when all that competition does is lower prices on all of your offerings and guy your industry. The record companies have shot themselves in the foot with all of the streaming services available.
Of course I’m not going to buy songs when I have iTunes Radio. Why would I need to buy those songs when I can just keep listening for free?
The declining profits are a systemic issue with the music industry, it’s product and it’s licensing decisions.
Reminds me of that movie Radio Pirates. It was about a bunch of DJ’s airing illegal broadcasts from a ship into Britain in the 60’s. The Brits are at it again.
The only suitable reason for that, the spokesman argues, is that Apple views its service as a threat
In other words, Apple didn’t give a reason (or a reason they liked) and the petulant whiners have decided for themselves that Apple is pursuing some kind of vendetta. Move along, nothing to see here.
——RM