Move Over iTunes, Amazon, MySpace: Here Come Facebook Downloads Attention iTunes, Amazon, and new old/new MySpace: thousands of musicians now are selling MP3s directly from their Facebook pages. In fact, through its association with such online music services as Spotify, Mog, and Radio, Facebook this year has emerged as a digital media store, allowing third-party developers to use its Credits payment system to offer an alternative purchase point to iTunes and Amazon for film rentals, pay-per-view video streams, and now digital music. Facebook isn't officially promoting this use of Credits, but may offer a first-party MP3 store or payment portal to streaming services as part of a music dashboard that's expected to launch later this month at the f8 developer conference. And, as artists increasingly drive their fans to Facebook pages that offer strong retention and marketing capabilities, offering MP3 sales from the same presence could be lucrative. Alternately, musicians force users to open the iTunes desktop software or direct them offsite to Amazon or other web stores before they can execute purchases. The friction of these extra clicks and load times cause some users to drop off, diminishing sales that might have been completed if users didn't have to leave Facebook. [Full story: Inside Facebook] |
Amazon's Tablet Could Pull Price Rug Out From Under iPad Ask anyone and they'll tell you that Apple's iPad rules the tablet universe. But that may be about to change, as Amazon announced plans to launch its own Android-powered tablet, possibly as early as next month. Forrester Research last week said it expects Amazon to sell 3 million to 5 million tablets in the fourth quarter this year, if it can keep up with production demand. Like Apple, Amazon is in the business of selling digital media, primarily e-books, digital music, and movies - and the more tablets it can put in users' hands, the more of these products it can sell to them. The difference between the two companies is that Amazon, which has already introduced the Kindle e-Reader, is willing to sell the new tablets at a loss. While the base-level price of an iPad is $500, Amazon's tablet could be priced significantly lower at $300 or less. "Amazon's quick ascension in the tablet market will completely disrupt the status quo," said Forrester's Sarah Rotman Epps. And for those who don't think price matters, keep in mind that the HP TouchPad sold out in a couple days last month after the price was dropped from $399 to $99 - a result of HP abandoning the product altogether. [Full story: USA Today] |
CEA: Internet Radio Will Be In 1 Out Of 10 Cars In 2013 |
Deezer Prevails Against Universal Music In French Contract Dispute Few people in the U.S. have even heard of Deezer, but in Europe a French court this week ruled in favor of the company in a contract dispute with Universal Music Group. According to the international news agency AFP, Universal had been trying to block Deezer from streaming its catalog after the two companies found themselves at odds over new licensing terms. Deezer reportedly refused to implement new conditions, such as track caps on its free users, imposed by Universal in May 2011. The Paris High Court dismissed the entire complaint, which Universal Music France filed after Deezer continued to allow its subscribers to listen - but not download - songs following their contract dispute. Deezer's Axel Dauchez says the company is "particularly happy that the judge found that the new conditions imposed by Universal did not conform to the charter of 13 commitments." Universal Music France is not happy at all, and said it plans to appeal the ruling. The company currently has 100,000 direct subscribers, plus another 1.3 million that subscribe via their smartphone subscriptions. Last month Deezer announced plans to compete head-to-head with Spotify in the U.K. later this year [see Digital Music Digest, 8/4/11]. [Full story: Music AllyGoogle] |
7Digital Claims 1 Million Active Mobile Users Digital music store 7digital reportedly is finding growth in a dual strategy of offering mobile apps and preloading them on mobile devices. The company says it has over a million active users on these devices, which now contribute 20% of its music sales. The mobile expansion is largely the result of device makers like Samsung, Research In Motion, Sony, Ericsson, Philips, and Toshiba, bundling 7digital's music stores with their new tablets and mobile units. Still, 7digital's own-brand apps are responsible for over 500,000 Android installs and 600,000 BlackBerry installs. "Sales to devices were less than 5% of our sales in 2010, but are now over 20% and growing fast," 7Digital chief Ben Drury told CMU. "Our approach to be an open, agnostic digital content partner to the consumer electronic industry is really working. We know consumers want access to their music collection on the device of their choice, anytime, anywhere and we're helping enable that. 7digital's catalog of over 15 million high quality DRM-free tracks and open API platform mean we are the de facto choice for device manufacturers' partnerships." [Full story: CMU Paid Content] |
Ready, Set, Rewind: Qtrax [Who?] Is Back Remember Qtrax? Join the club. The former music website was one of hundreds that ended up in the digital start-up boneyard after noble but under-funded attempts to offer free music streams or downloads. But theNew York Times reports that Qtrax is back and, according to its founders, right back on track. "What we're doing is, without question, overly ambitious," says Allan Klepfisz, an Australian entrepreneur who, along with former British rock musician Lance Ford, is restarting the company, with the goal of offering free advertiser-supported downloads. Klepfisz told the Times he isn't trying to compete directly with such Internet radio entities as Pandora, Slacker, turntable.fm, iHeartRadio, or Radical FM, or even with Apple's iTunes store. Instead, he says he is targeting the millions of people who now go to peer-to-peer sites and other outlets to download songs illegally. To solve this piracy problem Qtrax says it offers free, safe, high-quality safe downloads, currently downloadable to computers and coming soon to mobile phones. The catch: Qtrax music can be played only on a Qtrax software player, which is free but must be downloaded - along with the ads - from the company's website. [Full story: New York Times] |
Al Bell Presents American Soul Music ... And American Soul TV If you're into classic and contemporary Soul, R&B, Blues, Gospel, Jazz, Hip-Hop Soul, Rap Soul, and Neo-Soul, we invite you to listen to Al Bell Presents American Soul Music. Former Stax Records owner and Motown President Al Bell personally has programmed this awesome radio station online, presenting your favorites from the 1960s and '70s [and some '80s], a lot of the best new music that's being released today, and some real gems you haven't heard in a long, long time. Come to www.AlBellPresents.Com and hear it for yourself! And now...join us for Al Bell Presents American Soul TV here. |
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