HP to Launch Music Service, Player In 2004

securitas writes "HPShopping.com CEO Peter Appl told Reuters that HP will launch its own branded online music service and a portable MP3 / digital music player in 2004. Appl (the CEO) said that the newcomers would compete with Apple (the company's) music products such as the iTunes music store and iPod music player, among others. HP expects its store to be a branded version of an existing service. Appl also said that the launch will take place at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. Compaq sold its own line of digital music players, now discontinued, before its merger with HP. Mirrors of the Reuters story at CNN and Boston.com. A quick check shows that HPMusic.com resolves to an 'HP customer care local language selection' technical support page, and the domain has been registered since 1999."

Comments

New Pair of Dimes

[dolo666]

(checks crystal ball)

I see only one of two possible immediate outcomes to all of these music services going up at the same time:

1. The collapse of the RIAA's scare-tactics business model for coercion to expensive copyright, and a change in how people listen and contribute to the music industry.

2. The total destruction of all online music sales, as all said businesses compete eachother out of existence.

In either case, the indies will be getting a *huge* increase in power, wealth and the ability to remain flexible to meet market demand and handle new distribution opportunities.

I think this is really good for everyone... especially when you consider that most of the traditional corporations have mission statements like: "Our goal is to competently build virtual data to allow us to conveniently disseminate quality content for 100% customer satisfaction", and compare that line of thought to the mission of indy music, which is more along the lines of "create the best, most innovative music and get a huge fan base, because we ROCK!"

Re:New Pair of Dimes

[penguin king]

I still can't help but think back to the lawsuit against that 12 year old girl. Correct me if I'm wrong, but hadn't she paid for the service she was using in downloading the mp3s, or at least had been led to believe that was what she was paying for.

I can just imagine people buying into this sort of service and then a loophole being found and the RIAA's lawsuit numbers increasing. I think the online community should watch this sort of thing with suspicion.

As always Caveat Emptor. I'm not saying it's likely that HP will do this, but when smaller players come into the play it should be watched that they are dealing with the RIAA in the correct ways.

This is ...

[pavon]

more evidence that HP is trying to go out of business.

Maybe it will run on Linux

[El Cubano]

Seeing as HP has lots of support for Linux (mostly enterprise, but you can buy some of their desktop models with Mandrake preinstalled), maybe they will push to have a Linux version. Here's to hoping ...

HP's downward spiral

[mr.henry]

Jeez, this just smacks of desperation. The article also states HP is getting into flat screen TV's. Gateway has been selling these things for over a year now. This is as bad as their big launch of crappy consumer electronics (like the HP DVD Movie Writer, a device that converts VHS to DVD+R... not the more widely compatible DVD-R format).

It's really painful to watch HP crash and burn. Thanks, Carly!

Lame, Lame, Lame

[timeOday]

What's with all these music services tied to specific players? What a stupid idea. I'll never buy music in a format for which there are only a few manufacturers. I rather buy and rip CD's (as stupid and inefficient as that is in this networked era.)

Hmmm

[Captain Splendid]

As unimpressed as I am (I loathe HP, its products and all it stands for) all these music services/mp3 players coming out means that 2004 looks to to be the year where mp3 players become commodities. The hardware is at a decent stage (thanks to the iPod). Now all that's left is for prices to come down to walkman/discman-like levels.

This is scaring me

[Anonymous Coward]

For one reason: The popping up of all these services can only strengthen WMA.

Since everyone except iTunes seems to rely on WMA DRM, this slew of services may well be the thing that takes WMA from an also-ran joke to a serious media format.

I don't like the idea of MS having real power in the world of media formats.

Why not license Apple's store?

[mveloso]

It was good enough for Time Warner, and lord knows HP can only make printers.

Not to mention

[Anonymous Coward]

Before the iTunes Music Store I had never heard of a WMA-compatible portable music player... now it seems like every computer manufacturer is releasing their own self-branded WMA player to go with their self-branded WMA store

I have to wonder if Apple kind of shot themselves in the foot by creating the iTMS, the movement it engendered almost seems to have encouraged the adoption of WMA, at least in portable devices...

I wish.

[Doktor Memory]

Ah, it's a lovely thought, but let's get real: that HP is long dead, and the bits they didn't spin off with Aligent got taken out behind the woodshed and shot.

No, this thing will be designed by ex-Compaq engineers. It'll be bigger than the Creative Nomad, flakier than the Rio Karma, heavier than the Zen, and more expensive than the iPod.

Re:Market Saturation

[newbiescum]

So this gives us no need to choose the HP music store over any other store. Further, HP hardware is not proprietary in the sense that getting music from the HP store would either be a required method of getting music or the easiest because of a lack of other sources. This seems to tell me one thing: HP's journey into online digital music sales will most likely be short lived.

Think of HP, Dell, and especially Gateway turning into the new Best Buys, Frys, and CompUSAs. They're already selling plasma TVs, PDAs, and digital cameras. This is just merely another technology product that they are offering. Then the reason why you pick HP versus Dell or Best Buy versus Frys is the customer service, prices, etc. just like a traditional retail outlet.

FUD, FUD, FUD

[Myrmidon]

"You can burn every song you download from the iTunes Music Store onto CD".

I admit that Apple's DRM still sucks a little - it means you have to go through the hassle of burning a CD in order to keep your music forever. But it's nowhere near as bad as you think it is. Itunes does not lock you in to Apple.

In fact, a quick Google shows that even the need to actually burn a CD may be optional. Hee hee! Designing a DRM system really is like shovelling back the tide.

If HP tries to achieve lock-in by selling tunes that can't be burned onto plain-jane CDs (and then re-ripped into MP3) then the service will die, just like the old DIVX service died. Why else do you think Apple's DRM has this enormous loophole? It certainly isn't the RIAA's idea.

Re:FUD, FUD, FUD

[cens0r]

All the music stores have that same loop hole. My problem is, what happens 10 years from now if the iTMS is no more? Will I be able to play those AAC files? Maybe or maybe not. By then the CD-R I burned them to probably won't be working any more (most of my CD-R's start to degrade after a few years with any frequent use). However all the CD's I own still play in all my CD players. And since I've ripped them all to FLAC I can convert them to any other format I want without loss. Until a music store gives me that kind of freedom, I'm not going to be participating.

While I hate DRM in general

[asv108]

I would rather see AAC with proprietary DRM rather than all these music services using WMA with MS's DRM scheme. Really, any DRM scheme is not going to be an acceptable for a viable music service in the long run, unless it allows for seemless format shifting which totally kills the need for DRM in the first place. Granted for most CASUAL music listeners something like the ITMS DRM scheme is acceptable, but for people who buy a lot of music and care about sound quality none of the major services out there cater to audiophiles.

Now most people will start clammering about how the majority of music buyers can listen to 128kpbs aac, mp3, etc, but the people who spend a lot of money on stereo stuff are also the same people who buy the most music. The only pay music site I've seen that caters to audiophiles is livephish.com which offers NON DRMED audio downloads available as a low bitrate mp3 or for audiophile's lossless flac at a higher price. For a music service to truly reach all potential customers it needs to provide multiple quality levels for consumers with different needs.

Re:Apple Copy

[UnknowingFool]

Is it me or does most of the computer makers just seem to follow Apple in many design respects? Apple comes out with a translucent computer the iMac. HP and Compaq add translucent parts to their machines. Apple names it's new line iMac. Compaq names it's new PDA iPaq. Apple abandons the theme and ops for a more metallic silver finish. Dell, HP/Compaq adds silver details to their computers.