Pocket-lint.com : napster : Latest News

NEWS: Google launching music service?

Duncan Geere — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:03:09 +0100

Jumps on the bandwagon

It's being reported that Google is planning to launch a music service imminently. A number of sources quoted by TechCrunch are saying that the company is securing content from major labels, and one source has named the offering "Google Audio".

At a time when the whole world and its dog are launching music services, it's unclear whether the music platform will be download-based like iTunes, streaming-based like Spotify and Pandora, or a hybrid of the two like Napster and Sky Songs. It'll be available to "at least" the US, but we'd predict that it'd be limited to the States for the time being - licensing of tracks in multiple territories is a real headache.

Google already has a music service in China that allows users to download tracks for free, and it has a music search engine that can be accessed by putting "music:" before a query in the search box. Songs accessed that way aren't available to listen to, however.

This is a breaking story and we'll bring you more news as it arrives.

Thanks to Alan for the tip.

Update: A little trawling has revealed that Google Audio popped up in 2006 on the company's job search boards. There were talks at the time with major labels, but nothing came of it. Could it be that Google decided the industry wasn't ready back then, and it is now?

Update II: TechCrunch is now reporting that iLike and Lala will be partnering with Google on this one, and it'll allow users to stream songs from search results. There'll also be the option to buy downloads. Seems like an odd move to us, especially as current streaming options from both iLike and Lala are very limited, but perhaps there's more to it. We'll keep you posted.

Read

Tags: Audio Music Online Google Music downloads Google Audio Rumours Spotify Napster Pandora Sky Microsoft

Google launching music service? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:03:09 +0100

NEWS: Which is the best online music service?

Dan Sung — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:50:20 +0100

Streaming and downloads, ad-funded or subscription based - which is yours?

With Sky's announcement of the company's upcoming service, Sky Songs, we finally have proof that every man and his dog is getting in on the music scene. As a consumer, though, the picture just gets that little bit more complicated.

If you want all the music in the world for free, then that's still possible - just not necessarily legal. So, if you've a conscience and you're looking to listen to whatever you want and even keep it, then here's a run down of a few of the options open to you.

Sky Songs

Year launched: 2009
Catalogue: 4 million
Streaming: ?6.49/month for ad-free, unlimited service
Downloads: Same ?6.49/?7.49 buys 10/15 tracks/month
DRM: No
Music Quality: Unknown
File available: MP3

Announced just today, the Sky service seems to have simplicity at its heart for a subscription model. There are just two options both of which provide an advert free unlimited stream of whatever music you choose plus the bonus of either 10 or 15 tracks to download and keep as MP3s each month. No mention of the level of quality but expect it to be around 256kbps with no choice on the matter.

Verdict - With all four majors on board and a low monthly payment, it's a very good option. If the catalogue can back it up, the "free" downloads act as a very nice bonus.

Spotify

Year launched: 2008
Catalogue: 8 million
Streaming: Free, ad-funded streaming or ?9.99/month for non-ad premium service
Downloads: courtesy of 7digital
DRM: n/a
Music Quality: 160kbps (free service) 320 kbps (premium)
File available: n/a

The current people's champion, Spotify is both social and free which massive pluses to the public. Yes, the ads can be annoying, yes the catalogue does have a few gaping holes and yes, the audio quality of the basic stream is relatively low, but then you can always sign up for the ?10 per month and get it on your smartphone too.

Verdict - Still the best offering for the majority of people. Perhaps not for those looking to build a library of tracks.

eMusic

Year launched: 1998
Catalogue: 6 million
Streaming: No
Downloads: 24/35/50 tracks for ?9.99/?13.99/?17.99 per month
DRM: No
Music Quality: 192kbps on average
File available: MP3

At the other end of the spectrum eMusic provides a series of subscription packages and no music for free whatsoever. The structure is fairly rigid and unlike all good mobile phone plans of days gone by, the unused credits do not roll over to the next month. That said, it's one of the oldest, most successful services out there, has built up an excellent catalogue of independent labels and more obscure, hard to find tracks.

Verdict - Great option for collectors but the audio quality can vary quite a lot.

We7

Year launched: 2007
Catalogue: 3.5 million
Streaming: free, ad-funded streaming
Downloads: pay-per-track & free ad funded versions
DRM: No
Music Quality: 256 & 320kbps paid; 192kbps free
File available: MP3

The most interesting thing about We7 as opposed to the others is that they do offer tracks to download and keep for free. The downside to this is that each contains a small piece of advertising, known as ablipvert, which plays every time with the track. You can pay to remove it and also for a higher bit-rate version too. A free streaming service is also available, so overall users get a lot of choice here.

Verdict - Good universal platform. Not such a large catalogue and slightly on the ad-heavy side.

7digital

Year launched: 2004
Catalogue: 8 million
Streaming: No
Downloads: pay-per-track
DRM: No
Music Quality: 192, 256, 320kbps
File available: MP3/AAC/WMA/FLAC

7digital is a simple one on the outside - no streaming, no subscriptions, all downloads and all paid for. However, there's an excellent degree of flexibility once you start shopping. As with all the pay-per-track services, the songs are reasonably priced but what you get with 7digital is the option of how you'd like them downloaded. It's the only service which allows users to select both the audio quality and the file-type they'd like as well with the lossless FLAC, a noticeable intrigue.

Verdict - Good flexibility, good choice but could do with a few more tracks and some kind of free option too.

Amazon MP3

Year launched: 2008
Catalogue: 9 million
Streaming: No
Downloads: pay-per-track from 29p
DRM: No
Music Quality: 256kbps
File available: MP3

With downloads starting at just 29p, a catalogue of over 9 million songs and each of them at an excellent level of audio quality, it's hard to ignore Amazon's recent step into the music world - especially as it's somewhere many of us do our online shopping in the first place.

Verdict - Very good value pick and chose option.

iTunes Store

Year launched: 2003
Catalogue: 10 million
Streaming: No
Downloads: pay-per-track: $0.69, $0.99, or $1.29
DRM: No
Music Quality: 256kbps
File available: AAC

If AAC files are your thing, then the iTunes Store is the place to be. Over the air access via iPhones and iPod touches play a large part in its success as well as iTunes being the default music player for anyone with any kind of Apple PMP. Certainly not the cheapest but it's a tidy piece of software with a great catalogue and so much more palatable ever since they ditched the DRM.

Verdict - Expensive but very convenient.

Napster

Year launched: 2003
Catalogue: 8 million
Streaming: Unlimited, ad-free for ?5/month to PC or ?14.95 to portables too
Downloads: pay-per-track
DRM: No
Music Quality: 128kbps streamed, 256kbps downloads
File available: MP3/WMA

So many years and so many changes, Napster will always be associated with the hay day of the Web and the way this place has changed over all these years. The new version of the service is slightly over-complicated compared to all the others, but once people get over the bitter taste that still surrounds the original site's shutdown, they might discover that the streaming service is wonderfully cheap - just not free.

Verdict - Great value streaming from a broad catalogue. Portable version much pricier.

NEWS: Napster revamps UK music offering

Duncan Geere — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:00:55 +0100

Unlimited streaming and 5 MP3s for ?5 per month

Napster has decided to revamp its UK music offering, making it significantly cheaper than its old subscription service. The company is now offering unlimited streaming of tracks via the Web and through a desktop application for ?5 a month, and it's throwing in 5 free MP3s each month to sweeten the deal, too.

Previously, users paid ?10 per month for streaming with no MP3s, or ?15 per month for streaming and unlimited download of DRMed music files which wouldn't work on an iPod. With the prices halved and free MP3s chucked in too, the new offering should prove significantly more attractive.

The catalogue comprises 8 million tracks from all four major labels as well as a smattering of indies, and - if you don't know what you want to listen to - there are also playlists, radio stations and recommendations offered. Napster is talking up the revamp as "the best value, legal music service you can access anywhere".

Napster's service can be accessed on mobile phones - the company has a mobile site which allows you to preview and download MP3s onto your handset, and a backup copy gets sent to your PC too. The service will work with Logitech's Squeezebox, Sonos' music systems and Terratec's NOXON iRadio.

As previously reported on Pocket-lint, subscriptions will be bundled with Dell PCs that entitle the user to a year's subscription to the service. Certain Dell laptops in ?the Studio and Inspiron ranges will be offering the deal later in the month.

This is a developing story, so check back later on for updates.

UPDATE: Napster has also announced a deal with the Carphone Warehouse. The retail chain is owned by US electronics giant Best Buy which also owns Napster. The music streaming service will get a retail presence in 817 Carphone Warehouse stores that'll offer pre-paid cards with 3, 6, and 12 month subscriptions for ?15, ?30 and ?60 respectively.

The stores will also be offering free trial cards that'll give a month's usage of the service - complete with five free MP3s - for nothing. Napster reckons that if it can get users to give its music streaming offering a try, then they'll be convinced and sign up long-term.

Existing Napster subscribers have been transitioned to a ?10 per month package which has unlimited streaming but also offers 12 free MP3s per month. That offer will be available to new subscribers too, but not until later this year. Later this year, the catalogue will also be expanded to 10 million tracks.

Napster's Senior Marketing Manager for the UK, Dan Nash, told Pocket-lint that the company's target is younger, more casual music listeners who aren't prepared to shell out ?10 each month, so this second service may well be a concession to the hardcore music fans.

Once the launch is complete, the company will be focusing on adding social media integration, as well as opening up an API so that it can expand its device integration. Napster's VP Sales & Marketing for Europe, Torsten Schliesche, said that the company was very interesterd in IPTVs to get music into the living room without resorting to a PC.

Oh, and for the audiophiles amongst you, we demanded to know the audio quality of the offerings. Napster's streaming service runs at 128kbps and its MP3 downloads are 256kbps. For comparative purposes, Spotify's free, ad-supported service offers 160kbps OGG Vorbis q5, whereas paid subscribers get 320kbps.

Read

NEWS: Napster announces Dell partnership

Duncan Geere — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:03:25 +0100

A year's free subscription and 60 MP3s

Napster has entered into a partnership with Dell that'll see the latter's laptops coming with a free year of Napster Unlimited. That subscription entitles the user to a year's worth of unlimited on-demand listening from one of the better catalogues in digital music, as well as 60 free un-DRMed MP3s.

Certain laptops in the Studio and Inspiron ranges will be sold with a Napster icon on the desktop and a bit of bloatware called Dell Dock that'll let you redeem your subscription. The idea behind the move is that consumers get their 12 months free and then don't feel the need to install a rival service like Spotify.

Napster's president, Brad Duea, said: "Napster is pleased to be working with Dell to deliver a valuable and easy music experience for customers", and Rachna Bhasin, GM Strategic Partnerships, Dell consumer, said: "People want the ability to personalize their PCs, and music is a great way for them to do that".

The deal begins later this month, so if you've been eyeing up a Napster subscription and need a laptop too, then you might want to hold on just a little longer.