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Napster and Best Buy Joining Forces
Ruds writes "Best Buy will market a music service co-branded with Napster. Napster will give Best Buy stock valued up to $10 million, and they'll share marketing costs. From the story: 'The retail chain will feature Napster products in its brick-and-mortar stores and demonstrate the service through interactive kiosks throughout the nation. Napster will also support Best Buy's artist promotions.'"
What about mac's, I use my mac for all my music, so I can not use their service, and I dont think that they support iPod's (or the other way around) No thanks, just like the sony one, I will not use it, infact the other day I got a code for the sony one (bigmac) that I asked if any one wanted, no one wanted it so I just trashed it. ( Of cource I do not buy sony products since they don't us SD cards and only use the stupid memory stick BS)
BestBuy used to partner with Rhapsody. Apparently that didn't last long. Anyone know what happened? Not that I really care, Rhapsody and Real Networks stuff are pretty crappy anyway...
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I remember back when Napster was still cool. I was at a party and all the music was downloaded illegally (wasnt my house, I'm not liable la la la la). Anyway, the guy had a fast internet connection so we could have pretty much play any song we wanted on demand. Kinda miss that. At one point it turned into sort of a one-ups-manship of trying to find and download increasingly obscure songs.
Unknown host pong.
And with this it just seems like Apple will pull the plug on both its iPod and monitor sales at best buy
"Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."
My only problem with them all is they're US based
The hapless Napster II is already in the UK.
Europe has all kinds of different licensing and retail practices, and, from Sweden to Spain, an album often has different prices and staggered release dates. An Italian singer with a devoted following at home, for example, often doesn't have a distribution deal in Britain.
Sigs cause cancer.
So First, we had Napster comming back. Then they decided to give away free mp3 players for registered users IIRC and now partnership with one of the biggest retailers in north america? Yes They really don't like iTunes do they? heh. An Alliance with BestBuy will surely boost popularity among average joes but if they really want to hurt the iTunes Music Store, they have to offer something special to their customers.
What I'd like to see from these music stores is something unique in it's kind. Maybe some kind offer which says "Buy 65% of the songs of any album and get the album shipped for free!" Or I donno I can think of many other special offers but I guess that would make em lose that $1 which is so precious for them... damn capitalists
For that matter, the iPod is what's keeping Apple alive. I don't think Napster will ever see the success of Apple in the (paid-for) music industry unless they are successful in something other than just their software.
I mean trying to offer me demos, explaining to me what the service was, etc. Every time I'm in best buy, I have no less than 6 people ask me if I need help with something.
I wonder if they get paid by commision?
No offense but I don't frequent Best Buy and it kinda gives me the creeps, and the DVDs are too expensive from what I remember.
However, I'd like to take a test ride just to see what is available on the service. I wouldn't actually buy it because you probably have to install their software to do it (At least I assume so) and I don't know if there are any issues with their sofware. But I'd love to search for the most obscure music I can think of to see if they have it.
Lately it has been magazines. "Oh. You purchased a CD. You are entitled to 6 months free of Entertainment Weekly or People!"
Do you have to pay extra to not get the magazines?
Howdy Doodly Doo!
Anybody want some Toast?
Every time I'm in best buy, I have no less than 6 people ask me if I need help with something. While I appreciate the attentitiveness to an extent, it is a little over the top.
I hear ya. When i worked in retail, that sort of attention usually meant that we thought you were shoplifting. That's why I don't appreciate that sort of attention to my every need, and why I walk out after the 4th cheerful, helpful employee that WON'T LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!!! and my business goes elsewhere.
Stating on Slashdot that I like cheese since 1997.
In fact, before HP decided to join with Apple and create the blue smurfPod, HP was planing on selling music jointly with Napster. Napster was counting on this deal to boost its sales to new levels. When the deal was cut, Napster was in trouble, and is still strugling.
1st Ave just lost the guy who's been running the club for the last 30 years. This is one of the last nails in the coffin of indy music in Minneapolis, and probably MN. Sure, bands are still going to play and write, but the locales have dwindled over the years. One of the few bars left with any integrity is the 400 Club in Mpls.
I've watched the slow dissolution of original music in MN for the last 5-10 years, and the clubs that host them replaced with Clear Channel owned properties and cover band havens.
I don't buy music from Best Buy, I don't support Clear Channel, and I ain't gonna be picking up any songs from Napster.
But someone will.
This deal makes absolutely no sense.
/temp/$user directory. User is prompted that their files are ready and to attach their MP3 player via one of the available cables and transfer their files over. As another option, blank CD's could be available in a handy vending machin for $.50 a pop and the KIOSK equipted with a slotloading CD Burner.
Why can't retailers get out of the "tangible object" mode and realize that it's bits that are being sold not a product that needs a bunch of packaging.
What I'd like to see is an obitquitous KIOSK equipted with touchscreen, a mag-card reader and USB/USB2/Firewire cables.
User walks up, browses the online store via the touchscreen, makes a shopping cart and swipes their credit card to copy songs to a
The point is, this is something that makes no sense for bestbuy, but makes perfect sense for a company who wants to build and market a network of KIOSKS that could be installed at 7-11, blockbuster, Kinkos, Malls and well... just about anywhere that you could stick one.
When it came to DVDs, music CDs, and games, I typically didn't approach a customer to ask if they required assistance, unless it was a clueless looking mom who you just knew was shopping for presents. Additionally, I tried to stick to working the software section whenever I could, since not a lot of computer literate people tend to shop at Best Buy (seeing as how most of the stuff was priced rip-off style). However, I was fortunate enough to meet people who did know their stuff, which made the job actually seem worthwhile.
Too bad the only decent manager in my Media Department switched to cellphones; the guy I was stuck with made me despise the job even more. He once yelled at me because I was helping my sister find some software that she wanted to buy, because we're supposed to be helping customers, not talking to family members. If my sister is going to buy something, is she not a customer? /me shrugs.
I learned my lesson, fuck working retail unless it's necessary. Excuse my profanity. =)
"Programming is like sex - one mistake and you'll have to support it for the rest of your life."
I'm not downplaying their stupidity. I know of it intimately.
My local best buys are rife with kids who picked a department out of a hat to work in.
I was shopping for a cell phone headset, and found another customer milling over buying an iPod. The employee was lost as to how it worked, what music was compatible, if it even worked on a PC. I waved mine around, offered help, and the BB employee VANISHED for 20 minutes. I ended up helping the customer all the way to getting his 'pod out of lockup. He even chased me down at the register to thank me...
2 weeks later, I was shopping for a wireless router, and accessories for my computers and xbox. I had the video games guy tell me that the xbox MUST be wireless when you have a wireless router. meaning, you can't run a line from the ports on the back of the router to the unit.
And the computer dept guy told me that the wireless unit had to be from linksys in order to work with the xbox adapter.
I don't take terrible issue with their advice, since I choose to ignore it, and go against their recommendations. But there are people out there spending their hard earned cash on stuff they don't need, want, or are pressured into buying, simply because the 16 year old on the floor is supposed to be a percieved "authority" on their chosen department's products. Their customers don't deserve this service. People are being lied to about quality and preference by a child's part time job. If the kid's got parents that bought him a Sony/Panasonic/Samsung/etc. TV/VCR/DVD player, they're biased. Let them spend their own money, do their own research and form their own REAL opinion about what's good and what's not, and not base it off of what they think looks cool.
Hell, I'd even settle to find a kid working at a BB who can properly manage to navigate their way through setting a TV up via Video Essentials. They don't even align their floor models for good color and brightness.
That's why I'd support Tweeter or Ultimate Electronics over BB, since at least they have the forsight to hire people who have SOME knowledge of what they sell.
...of this (unrelated) strip.
On another note it is interesting to note that Best Buy considers their three main competitors Dell Computers, eBay, and Wal-Mart. In their mind Circuit City, Ultimate Electronics, Tweet and whoever else are relics of the past. I am intrigued to see what Best Buy will do to compete against these companies. Personally I doubt they have any chance against the number one computer retailer, the world's garage sale and the largest retailer in the world, period. Should be an interesting battle.
Best Buy is the number #2 distributor of the iPod, behind Apple. Why would they want to distribute a service that isn't even compatible with their NUMBER 4 selling product in the whole store and not sell a service that is compatible with the # one music store, the #1 player, and that is cross platform compatible.
It's just a bad marketing analysis in my opinion.
Yell & scream & rant & rave... it's no use... you need a shaaaave ~ Bugs Bunny
These partnerships always work wonders!
Remember Circuit City and DIVX?