Slashdot Mirror
Amazon Plans Music Service To Rival iPod
theodp writes "The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Amazon is in advanced talks with the four global music companies about a digital-music service that could be launched as soon as this summer. It would feature Amazon-branded portable music players, designed and built for the retailer, and a subscription service that would deeply discount and preload those devices with songs."
I like buying books and DVDs from Amazon. But there's no coolness factor associated with having a music player from a warehouse operation. The iPod, on the other hand, is a cultural icon that everyone must have..
I assume you mean to rival iTunes? As far as I know Apple isn't selling their own brand of hardware player. Should be interesting. The digital music download space is getting pretty crowded.
If we bow to RIAA's pressure, then Amazon's CD sales may be in trouble. "Even if CDs do become damaged, replacements are readily available at affordable prices." [RIAA]. While Amazon does sell at decent prices, the mere fact that you cannot backup your purchases may signal the end of an era.
The CD medium has been a double edged sword for RIAA - the popularity of music on CD's over the past decade has increased sales and the influx of technology has made copying CD's easier. While I will argue that there aren't as many sales lost as they say, I will agree that because technology exists there are problems. That being said; most consumers like to own their purchases and CD's are still the best way to do so.
Proof by very large bribes. QED.
Afterall, even now every commonplace mp3 player is oten referred to as an iPod, so won't people just think of this as an "Amazon iPod"? Unless they have a few tricks up their sleeve, some people will take this as a cheap copy and want "the real thing (tm)"
This is the mistake every mp3 player manufacturer is making. They assume that Apple's iPod represents the state of the art, and all they can hope to do is compete with substandard products priced lower than the lowest iPod.
It's a nonsense of course. These companies could come out with a better product than the iPod if they bothered to put any effort in. As it is, why would I pay $200 for a shoddy 2GB flash player, when I could just pay $400 and get a 40GB video iPod.
May the Maths Be with you!
What, exactly, is Amazon going to be banking on by branding a line of music players? Their history for making functional, attractive gadgets? Hmm...no, that's Apple. Is the consumer expected to look at an Amazon-branded MP3 player they've never seen before and think, "Ah, Amazon! They do such a good job shipping gifts on or around Christmas, I'll bet their digital music service rocks?"
This has all the trappings of another expensive mistake.
Tags != Comments, and -1 (Troll) != -1 (I Would Respond Angrily To This Poster So They Must Be Trolling)
DRM. And I mean ugly, tight, restictive, ball-in-a-vice DRM.
There was no mention of compatibility with iPod, or any other player, that I read. This sounds more like an Audible-like service, but for music. Near total lock in to the Amazon format, without any portability.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Until something actually rivals (or is beginning to rival) the iPod / iTMS combination, can we please stop having these stories? If I see one more iPod / iTMS rival and/or killer story then I'm going to throw up. They are just about as annoying as latest story on the next new thing that Google is supposedly working on.
it puts the lie to claims, now greenlighted to go to trial, that Apple Ipod/Itunes is a monopoly. Well, of course Amazon will seek to make the music files it sells iPod compatible. Right?
SLASHDOT: news for people who can't concentrate on work or have no life at all and got tired of yelling back at the TV.
Um- call it flamebait if you will, but is this like how A9 is slaying Google right now?
Keep in mind that Wal Mart, the world's largest, most powerful retailer can't compete with iTunes with their music service. How many people even know Wal Mart has a music download service...
Amazon is a great brand in many ways, but that doesn't mean they can roll right into a new business.
And All I Ask is a Tall Ship And a Star to Steer Her By
What Amazon has that others don't that may allow them to compete effectively against the iPod/iTMS:
- An established, well trafficed website. People already go to Amazon to shop for music and videos, allowing them to immediately download instead of purchasing a cd/dvd is an obvious evolutionary step. They don't need to try to drive people to use their service, people already do.
- Purchase hardware directly from them. If they do indeed sell a hardware player as well, then this makes it even easier for the consumer. "Hey, I'm thinking of buying a mp3 player, I'll go over to Amazon and check them out". And lo and behold, you can purchase the Amazon player and get whatever music you order pre-loaded onto the sucker in one fell swoop. Even Apple doesn't offer this level of service.
- Amazon already has relationships with the music industry and they are "established" enough to be a credible (in the eyes of the industry) alternative. Remember, Jobs and the music industry don't exactly see eye-2-eye on issues like pricing. I bet the music industry execs are chomping at the bit to play with someone who will bow more to their desires in order to establish a foothold.
Not to say that this Amazon player is a shoo-in, but I think it's probably the most credible challenge to the Apple "monopoly" that has come around in a while. It will indeed be interesting to see if they can gain some measure of success vs the iPod/iTMS steamroller, or if they just end up sucking up all the after rans, in effect winnowing the market to two players.
Dear Mr. Bezos (can I call you Jeff?),
I think the idea of selling music players preloaded with music is really, really great. Totally. But I don't think you need to cannibalize your existing business to do it.
Take a look at your company's "Top Sellers" page for electronics.
Note that six of the top ten are iPods. (The others are lower-price, and probably lower-profit, items.)
(You might also note that seven of the top ten items on your company's "Top Sellers" page for computers happen to be Apple products. See a trend?)
You, of all people, know that people want iPods. And you're more than happy to sell them to them. Lots and lots and lots of them.
Soooo... I hope you're also talking to Apple about this idea. Yes, their DRM doesn't really work well with the idea of a new portable device showing up with music on it that's not on the user's computer... but then, does anyone's?
But if you asked, I bet they'd be willing to help you set up some sweet bundles of iPods and high-ticket iTunes Music Store cards, with a nice margin built in for you. After all, you move a lot of kit for them.
And maybe Steve and Bono would even let you be on stage with them sometime. Wouldn't that be neat?
Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.
People associate Apple with cool, edgy, and young. Meanhile, Microsoft is only geek cool, not nerd cool, and certainly not cool to the general population. People view Microsoft through the cheap, stale,retrictive, crap software they have to deal with at the office. Apple provides an escape from that. It's those flashy computers that you only see in cool Apple stores, not with a $300 rebate coupon at BestBuy. An iPod is a status symbol and the fact that it doesn't play WMA makes it that much cooler to nerds, I doubt the general pop gives a hoot about that lack. iRiver, while making better and even more expensive players, simply does not have the cachet of an iPod in a "that guy couldn't even afford an iPod ... what a loser" sense. It plays into the "low end luxury snob" trend that America is so deeply into these days with other non-necessities like Starbucks and high end restaurants.
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws-Plato
Your music doesn't "expire" if they cancel account. (That's just a crappy thing to do, might as well go the iPod route then.)
And the kicker to hook people in.. You go to Amazon to shop for a CD, for an extra $1 when you buy it you can download all the songs from it into your device right then so you can listen while the CD is being shipped. This could be with or without subscription. (Make it free if you have a subscription so that someone buying 5-10 CD's at amazon might be better off getting a months subscription which hooks them on your service!)
I'm a fiscal conservative, it's a pity we don't have a political party anymore