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Wal-Mart to Launch Online Music Store

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the soon-to-be-overcrowded-marketplaces dept.

Dteyn writes "I heard on the radio today that Wal-Mart will soon be opening up an online music store to compete with the likes of Apple's iTunes and Napster. According to the radio newsguy, it's expected to be officially announced as early as next week. Looks like this 'digital music' thing is starting to catch on with the bigwigs. Finally."

7 of 348 comments (clear)

  1. Also makes you wonder..... by i_want_you_to_throw_ · · Score: 4, Informative

    If they'll offer a wide range. Wal-mart tends to be somewhat puritanical on what they offer. (Marilyn Manson anyone?).
    Still for mainstream music it shouldn't be too bad. Here's an older story about Wal-Mart's controls on music sales.

  2. The question is, how bad will it suck? by JoshuaDFranklin · · Score: 2, Informative
    I wonder if it will suck as bad compared to iTunes Music Store as their DVD rental service does compared to NetFlix.

    Just read a few of the newsgroup postings about that: Google Groups on Wal-Mart/NetFlix

  3. Re:Censored. by Captain+Splendid · · Score: 2, Informative
    They do carry censored versions, just have a look at any recent rap releases on AMG, most will have a 'clean' version listed.

    Then again, maybe that's K-Mart. I always get the two confused.

    --
    Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
  4. More details from the Rejected Post Machine by securitas · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Comcast to Offer Online Music

    2003-11-11 13:10:14 Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Comcast to Offer Online Music (articles,music) (rejected)

    Wal-Mart will launch its own digital music download service through its Web site later this month. Not to be outdone, Best Buy will also launch an iTunes-type online music store - with the ability to buy through in-store kiosks - based on the MusicNow service (formerly FullAudio). And today Comcast announced music downloads via Real Rhapsody for its 5 million broadband Internet subscribers. The Washington Post's Cynthia L. Webb writes about the online music frenzy and the resultant advertising onslaught due to the sheer number of entrants into the music download market, while Bloomberg's Holly M. Sanders offers an analysis of Walmart's imminent entry into online music, which is significant since Wal-Mart already controls 14 percent of global CD music sales. More at the New York Times (via SeattlePI).

  5. Re:And we would use it because...? by noewun · · Score: 2, Informative
    You do realize that iTunes is a forced download. Any time you get quicktime you are now forced to install iTunes. Although it can be removed after, I don't think counting the number of iTunes downloads is an indication of anything.

    WTF are you talking about? Last time I installed Quicktime, I installed Quicktime and nothing else.

    --
    I am a believer of momentum and curves.
  6. Re:Censored. by nat5an · · Score: 2, Informative

    They only have the 'Clean' version of the latest Outkast album. Which also has the #1 selling song on iTMS right now.

    --
    Head down, go to sleep to the rhythm of the war drums...
  7. Re:How will it make money? by Octagon+Most · · Score: 4, Informative

    And guess what, Wal-Mart is a privately held company to boot!

    I guess so, if by "privately held" you mean owned by all the shareholders that freely buy and sell WMT on the New York Stock Exchange.