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Sony Connect Online Music Download Store Launches

Posted by michael on from the live-the-sony-life dept.

securitas writes "USA Today's Jefferson Graham reports that today Sony launched its online music download store, Sony Connect, to compete with Apple's leading iTunes service. The tracks use the MagicGate DRM copy-protection scheme and will work only with Sony Memory Stick-compatible devices including VAIO computers, CLIE PDAs, MiniDisc, CD and Walkman products. Sony will also launch a new line of 1-gigabyte Hi-MD disc players that support the service. Sony Connect's catalog sports 500,000 tracks from independent and major labels and songs sell for 99 cents each or $10 per album. The service uses Sony's SonicStage software and works with Windows 98SE-XP PCs only. It is only available in the USA until the planned European launch in June. That's a whole lot of restrictions in an already-fragmented market. More at The Register and The Age."

5 of 373 comments (clear)

  1. Uuh... by PatrickThomson · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sony Connect Online? What an unfortunate acronym. What are they going to do, sue iTMS for selling music, the concept which they apparently own?

    --
    I am one of many. My idea is not unique, nor do I expect my voice alone to sway you. I speak in a chorus of opinion.
  2. S.C.O by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah, Sony Connect Online. Only 699 US dollars per song.

  3. Re:So basically, Sony copied Apple . . . by Glonoinha · · Score: 4, Funny

    DRM'ed out the ass, doesn't work on anything besides Sony players, doesn't work on any of the players people already own.

    Yet another wonderful idea from the Sales Prevention Team at Sony!

    --
    Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer
  4. What a coincidence! by danielsfca2 · · Score: 4, Funny

    it's small and it runs for 50 hours on a single AA battery. That and it's cheap -- I can [destroy] it and not worry!

    What a coincidence!

    That's the same reason I drive a Yugo!

  5. Memory Stick? MagicGate?! by sulli · · Score: 4, Funny
    1998 called, they want their technology back. Do they really think the iPod generation will go back to Memory Stick for their tunes?

    This service is dead dead dead dead DEAD . Toast. Kaputt. Stick a fork in it.

    --

    sulli
    RTFJ.