RUMOR MILL
Back to Rumor Mill >
“By offering consistent and fair ownership rights, breakthrough music personalization, convenient purchasing and the highest quality files, our service is better than any free illegal alternative. The Musicmatch Downloads service is the best way for people to find, buy and enjoy music that matches their unique tastes. And each download is now subpoena-free.”
——Dennis Mudd
Monday, September 29, 2003

MUSICMATCH TRIES TO MATCH APPLE—WITH MUSIC

99¢ Download Store Opens Today, In as Much as It's an Online Store, So It Doesn't Really Open
Hey, here’s an idea: Get licenses from all of the Big Five and 30 or so indies, and sell songs as downloads for 99 cents without requiring a subscription.

That’s the plan behind Apple’s iTunes, er Musicmatch’s Downloads service, which begins operation today. Like iTunes, the Musicmatch service requires customers to download a specific player/shopping interface, Unlike iTunes, Musicmatch runs on Windows, something that more than 90% of computer users have, as opposed to Apple's roughly 3% marketshare. In addition, Musicmatch software is already on approximately 40 million computers.

The service launches with 200,000 songs, with half a million total projected to be online by the end of the year.

Musicmatch’s Downloads isn’t the first to offer songs to Windows customers; the first post-iTunes a la carte outlet for PC fans was BuyMusic.com. But Musicmatch does allow users to copy tracks to three computers, transfer to portable music players that handle Microsoft's secure music format and burn as many as five CDs with the same playlist.

Said Musicmatch Chairman/CEO Dennis Mudd: “By offering consistent and fair ownership rights, breakthrough music personalization, convenient purchasing and the highest quality files, our service is better than any free illegal alternative. The Musicmatch Downloads service is the best way for people to find, buy and enjoy music that matches their unique tastes. And each download is now subpoena-free.”

The MusicMatch software to get the songs is available from the company’s site, or you can download it for free from Kazaa.


 
BACK TO RUMOR MILL
 
NEAR TRUTHS: OF MICE AND MEDIA
Welcome to the Mouse House. (11/1a)
Check It Out Now
NEAR TRUTHS:
BLUSH OF FAME
We'll drink to that. (11/1a)
Check It Out Now
HITS LIST: A NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER
Strap in for the roller-coaster ride. (11/1a)
Check It Out Now
HOLLY GLEASON SNAGS SIX NATIONAL A&E JOURNO NOMS
Oops, she did it again. (10/30a)
Check It Out Now
TYLER IS HEADED TO THE TOP
Unconventional move by unconventional dude is paying off. (10/30a)
Check It Out Now
THE GRAMMY SHORT LIST
Who's already a lock?
COUNTRY'S NEWEST DISRUPTOR
Three chords and some truth you may not be ready for.
AI IS ALREADY EATING YOUR LUNCH
The kids can tell the difference... for now.
ALL THE WAY LIVE
The players, the tours, the enormous beers.
 Email

 First Name

 Last Name

 Company

 Country

By clicking submit you are agreeing
to Terms and Conditions