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Wal-Mart Music Download Service Launches
nns6561 writes "Wal-Mart launched their music download service today. They are providing wma files for 88 cents. I was able to download and play the test file with MPlayer and Linux. Finally, a music service for us geeks." While it may be only another online music seller, I'd hazard a guess that Wal-Mart has the name recognition to be the most prevalent music download service, especially among the tech-unsavvy.
They seem to be a bit less restrictive than Napster2.
From their usage agreement:
You may download music to a single computer. You may then transfer music files and backup license files to up to two (2) additional personal computers. You may play music an unlimited number of times on up to three (3) personal computers. You shall be entitled to 1) burn Products solely for personal, non-commercial use up to ten (10) times and 2) export Products solely to a portable device capable of playing Windows Media (TM) Audio ("WMA") files such as a WMA-compliant MP3 player an unlimited number of times. WALMART.COM is a reseller to you and does not accept orders from music dealers, exporters, wholesalers, any businesses of any kind or other customers who intend to resell.
Emphasis mine.Still, I won't pay for any music until I can burn it to CD in MP3 or Ogg format. My car has an MP3 player and changing CDs every hour or so has become as objectionable to me as following the speed limit.
As for the submitter's claim that wal-mart might be able to make this the "most prevalent online music service," whatever happened to the ISP that wal-mart tried to float? I rest my case.
How many roads must a man walk down? 42.
I'd never buy anything from wal-mart just because they have been a major promoter of censorship in music (and films). I suspect their online music store is the same.
Treehugger? Treehugger... Treehugger!
Somehow I doubt Wal-Mart has "geeks" in mind as the target audience. It does not help the geek community to patronize an online music store that provides WMA files. When those WMA's start including Palladium-enriched goodness, you won't be able to play them on Linux anymore. And maybe by then, Wal-Mart and Microsoft will have put iTunes and the more legit shops out of business.
Think about the big picture. Demand MP3 and OGG files. This cannot be understated.
Tired of FB/Google censorship? Visit UNCENSORED!
I actually think I like the website driven manner which they have set up things.
It doesn't feel like I'm making a commitment, it is simply a place where I can buy digital music...like Amazon.
I will add it to the list of places I search when I'm in need of a song. 88 cents doesn't really catch my eye. I'm curious to how they can survive at so low of rate, unless they cut a better deal with the recording industry (which is possible given all the freaking CDs they sell nationwide, everyday). Does make one wonder...if Apple is barely paying the bills at 99 cents, how can Walmart do better at 11 cents less?
I await financial reports and news. They are getting in late, but...hey...it isn't like Walmart doesn't own us.
Clif
clifgriffin > blog
Wal-Mart has more name recognition than Dell, Apple, Microsoft, Sun, HP, and Red Hat combined.
As well, in addition to the $0.11, you get to directly use the music without burn/waste disc/re-rip and recompress and add more loss and hassle on multiple media players and several (20+ at last count) portable units from multiple manufacturers. Not to mention in-dash and portable CD players that do WMA.
1) Apple doesn't kow tow to M$ by using wma. They use their own format, with decent DRM policies. That's more than enough for me to keep using them.
2) They bundle their store with free burning/ripping/playlist software and seamlessly integrate it. The only thing Wal*Mart is good at integrating is their supply chain.
3) Apple is a company that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling when I buy their products. Did Wal*Mart create the first music store? No. Did Napster develop a really great MP3 player? No. Apple innovates, and that's why I like them.
I'm in the hole of the broadband donut.
They are screwing all the grocery store businesses in the southwest by forcing their competitors to stop paying their workers health insurance just to say competitive. They are the cheapest because they buy alot of customers fire all of them and ship the labor oversea;s. The made in the USA banner in all their stores are such crap!
They have the GDP of most countries and according to Business week magazine is projected to be the seller of 50% of all household goods by 2008!
Walmart also forces vendors to outsource labor to 3rd world countries because they only stock products that are the cheapest. If not then you go out of business since Walmart will own 50% of all your customers by 2008!
All the products are cheap crap over there and the walmart down the street from where I live recently, because they put in camera's in the breakrooms, bathrooms, and hired a gumshoe to determine if the employees were forming a union. Only a few were but they fired all 120 workers in the store just to be safe and replaced them will mexicans willing to work for minimum wage.
The controversy is endless and this corporation makes Microsoft and the RIAA look friendly.
Just a little warning and you all may want to do some research before buying any laptop or music service from them.
http://saveie6.com/
http://saveie6.com/
4) I just searched for a few songs on WalMart that ITMS didn't have, and as it turns out, WalMart did.
Did you actually try that, Captain?
If you had, you'd have noticed that it cannot be done. Sound Forge, Goldwave, Super Cyber Sound Editor for Soccer Moms With 2.4 Kids all can't. They can't unencrypt it or use your license.
Clif
clifgriffin > blog
All rights in the Products are owned by WALMART.COM or its licensors and you have only a limited, nontransferable, nonexclusive, revocable, nonsublicensable right to use the Products for personal use in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
What the fsck is "revocable" doing in there? Why should I pay Walmart one red cent if they can just roll back my rights whenever they want to? That has to be against some law, right? Or else you're not really "purchasing" the song, more like it's being leased to you.
I know plenty of Asians that are familiar with those computer companies, that have never heard of Wal-Mart.
With any luck, they'll never need to know the name.
People like you are the reason DRM will become an accepted standard. Your "I can't do anything about it, so I'll just sit here and take it" attitude makes me sick.
Really? You must mean the ones that can't read, because 90% of the stuff that they take home says 'Made in China' right on the bottom/label/box/manual/agency label/warranty card/rebate.
:)
They've also heard that's where the jobs are going too
Seems it was Wal-Mart that promised America it would promote madeinUSA....but gosh, where is that APEX TV made...ummm...not in USA? How patriotic.
Funny...
Wal-Mart is a tiny drop in the bucket of goods that are manuf. in Asia, while the bulk is sold regionally, inside China, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, etc.
Wal-Mart could stop orders tomorrow, and Asia would hardly take notice.
The 535 members of Congress have no power compared to Wal-Mart's global reach: Wal-Mart does not have to answer to American voters, just it's stockholders who are seeking unethical profit.
There I was thinking that the 535 members of Congress could pass laws banning Wal-mart's business, raising taxes on it, closing foreign markets to it, etc. I thought they had the ultimate potential legislative power.
If you hired her, she would not be your SLAVE, she would be your EMPLOYEE, and would therefore be free to quit. If you hired someone to kidnap her and bring her to you, then that's kidnapping, not capitalism.
Captitalism has its flaws definitely, but if you want to talk about FORCING people to do things, then you're talking about Socialism.
"We obviously need a new moderation category: (-1, Woo-fucking-hoo)" --Mr. AC
Isn't it better to give a person a choice between the absolute shit life of complete poverty and the nearly absolute shit life of menial pay for hard work?
No because that's contrary to liberalism. If you are liberal you can't accept that because your justification can be used for anything. If anything, you can even justify slavery by your reasoning.
Of course, to a capitalist, slavery is perfectly ok. In fact, capitalists were the ones who were against the abolishment of slavery.
Like all capitalists, you obviously has no idea of the notion of exploitation. And how about cases where the government initiates mass propaganda and disinformation and brainwashes people to accept something? You will have no concept of right or wrong. To you, only one thing matters: money.
Sivaram Velauthapillai
Sivaram Velauthapillai
Seeking the meaning of life... @slashdot of all places
Hey, thanks for making all sorts of assumptions about my line of reasoning and motivations - love when that happens.
Actually, freedom matters a whole lot more to me than money. I'd like to see people have the options to take whatever jobs best suit their abilities and opporunities. In some cases that's well-paid executive. In some cases that's poorly paid gas station attendant. In some cases thats well-paid high-profile prostitute. In other's, it's a poorly paid street hooker.
I don't want to take any choices away from people on either side of the contract. So long as both the employer and the employee enter into their arrangement knowingly and honestly, who the hell are you or i or anyone else to tell them what they can or can't do. All employed work is subjugation of one sort or another - its up to the employee to decide whether its worth the payment in return.
And no, capatalists don't think slavery is ok - not unless they can't distinguish between humans and properties. A capatalist can't buy and sell that which isn't considered to be property. While the US has its own deplorable history with failing to make that distinction, it's a point we moved past long ago. Slavery can exist under any economic system - but not under any just system.
As far as cases wgere government initiates mass propoganda and disinformation - well that's a bad thing regardless of the economic system. Historically we've seen it happen in communist, capatalist, socialist and all sorts of other societies. IF the governmetn engages in behavoir like that, the government is going to introduce corruption into the system - regardless of what type of system it is.
It's not explotation if someone chooses, with all the information presented in front of him/her, to enter into the situation without coersion.
" It's not exploitation if someone chooses, with all the information presented in front of him/her, to enter into the situation without coersion. "
When you have a choice between starving and entering into a contract - whatever the contract -, then you have no choice.
But maybe you have problem conceptualizing "starving", that's usually an issue with well-fed "capitalist".
If you're serious, then you have no heart, and no *fucking* idea what goes on in a Wal-mart. I've worked in one -- let me tell you what goes on. The employes take endless abuse to the tune of sub-poverty level wages. If you stay long enough you're left with back problems, wrist problems, and bone spurs for your trouble.
I can hear the cheap labor Republican cry of, "But you don't have to work there, you can quit!" But you can't quit. Thats not the way the world works. These people are living on such a thin margin of financial saftey that a missed paycheck, an injury, their car breaking down, can make the difference and put them on the street.
And next you say, "Well, it's menial labor, its supposed to be hard." And you'd be half right, the work is supposed to be hard, but the pay is supposed to be something you can live off. We owe these people a sustaniable and not terrible living -- and let me tell you why... The middle class is stretched too thin already, theres starting to become nobody LEFT who makes enought money to sustain business. It's going to be the fall of rome all over again.
Religion is a gateway psychosis. -- Dave Foley
They may have no useful education or job skills to work anywhere else in their area, there may be no other employer in their area that is hiring, or Wal-Mart might be (believe it or not) the highest paying employer they can work at.
To add to this point, Wal-mart is very much what economists would term a "monopsonist," meaning it is the only buyer, whether that be buying product or labor services. The situation is akin to an auto factory being built in a small town-- by doing so the employer isn't really subject to normal labor market forces. Wal-mart can be the same thing in a small town wrt labor dynamics. I think no one would contest that Wal-mart has monopsonistic powers wrt purchasing product...
What's funny is that people would defend Wal-mart (a monopsony) when they would not defend Microsoft (a monopoly). Both monopsony and monopoly are considered two fundamental flaws in basic market dynamics-- the sort of situation where once the market settles in, its hard to dig out of the hole. This is why anti-trust legislation was put in place. Among a few other things (pollution controls, for example), anti-monopoly enforcement is one of the rare situations where economists would say the government MUST step in to prevent disaster. Because there has really never been a behemoth like Wal-mart before, we don't really have any good legislation on the books that are the monopsony equivalent of the Sherman/Clayton Acts. IANAL, so that is to the best of my knowledge...
Interestingly enough, there is no Classical music at all! Even something as common as Beethoven.
I'll stick with iTunes for myriad reasons, but here are the biggest ones:
1. WalMart has excluded me based on my status as a Mac user. For some reason, they saw fit not to include me and my ilk in their business plan.
2. There is no classical music, which is 90% of what I buy. Here even iTunes isn't so great, as what I'm interested in is new music by living composers, and the selection there is limited.
3. WalMart is an evil, unscrupled company.
Reading this, WalMart? You could turn me into a customer, but I imagine it's not likely to happen.
To reign is to serve.
Sounds like a lot of the reasons not to shop at Wal-Mart are reasons you shouldn't shop anywhere at all.
You can always smell a "something for nothing" democrat.
...sub-poverty level wages. If you stay long enough you're left with back problems, wrist problems, and bone spurs for your trouble.
Life isn't all ergonomic keyboards and naptimes on company time. Your entire argument is based on emotion and conjecture. Walmart has done nothing illegal, and for you to bash them as if they're just some evil corporation is ridiculous.
sub-poverty level to me, and I may be wrong about this, means below poverty level. Being paid about two times minimum wage wouldn't be below poverty level. I would think below minimum wage would be sub-poverty level.
not the way the world works. These people are living on such a thin margin of financial saftey that a missed paycheck, an injury, their car breaking down, can make the difference and put them on the street.
Actually, that's exactly how the world works. Here's the secret. If you have some ambition for a better job, go out and start looking while you hold your current job. You may be miserable for a little while, but if you line it up right, you can quit your current job and move on to you new happy job.
It's only censorship when it becomes *illegal* to read/view certain content.
:)
Merely deciding not to carry certain content in your store is hardly censorship, any more than a church deciding they don't want porn mags brought into Sunday school. Market pressure exists from many sources, not just from Walmart's decision not to carry unedited versions. That decision comes from their desire to appeal to the broadest common denominator, and they've decided that's the same audience as bland broadcast-network TV. (Because broadcast-network TV doesn't carry the Ozzy Show, is that censorship??)
Similarly, I don't want rap music brought into my house. That doesn't make it censorship. You can play the nasty stuff in your own home all you like.
Yes, Walmart exerts a market pressure toward bland sameness. But if that's where the money is, that's how it will be. If those who don't like it can't exert sufficiently large economic pressure to the contrary, other choices may disappear from the free market. Many folk enjoy a horse-and-buggy ride too, but that doesn't make it economically viable for a large corporation to offer Sunday buggy rides.
Your recourse is to buy from alternative retailers, same as it would be if you wanted any other retail item that's not profitable in a large-scale market. If the alternative retailers can't make a buck and go out of business, that's market pressure, not censorship.
Yeah, the net *effect* on what's available in the open market CAN be the same, but as wise folk around here often say, don't confuse causation with correlation.
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
The argument is that what WalMart is doing is immoral - not necessarily illegal.
as to minimum wage, depending on where one lives, especially on the local rent levels, a minimum wage does not guarentee a decent living standard. In Toronto, for example, about 1/3 of the people using food banks are actually employed, presumably at or above minimum wage.
"Actually, that's exactly how the world works"
yes, it is. the question is, do we accept this as an appropriate thing, or do we do something to change it. you seem happy enough to accept that there are poor people - i am not.
"Here's the secret. If you have some ambition for a better job, go out and start looking while you hold your current job"
you are assuming that there are other or better jobs out there. one of the complaints against WalMart is that it is (nearly) the sole employer in many communities. the unemployment rate in all industrialized countries is above zero. perhaps you are trained enough to find an alternate job easily - many people are not.