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Zune Pass Subscribers to Get Free Monthly Reward
Friday November 21, 2008
Microsoft has announced that its online music service, Zune Pass, will now give subscribers the option to select up to 10 DRM-free tracks every month (valued at approximately $10).
Zune Pass is a subscription-based music service that costs $14.99 a month and provides unlimited downloads from its large music library. However, like most music subscription services that use DRM, if you stop your monthly payments, then the music stops too. This new added feature is sure to be welcomed by existing subscribers and one that Microsoft hope will make its business model a more attractive choice to potential customers.
Chris Stephenson, the general manager of global marketing for Zune at Microsoft, said: "The way people consume music has changed. With the shift to digital from CDs, it is more challenging than ever to offer the right mix of deep content, music discovery and economic value. People want the freedom to listen to whatever they want across millions of songs, combined with the confidence that they can keep their favorite tracks forever." The obvious benefit of this is that you can build up a permanent music library that won't disappear in a puff of DRM smoke if you decide at a later date to stop using Microsoft's service.
As we see the continuing trend of digital media services moving away from copy-protection in favor of DRM-free downloads, the real test for Microsoft is whether they can significantly increase their user-base by giving away DRM-free music every month.
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Kid-Friendly MP3 Player Gets Award
Friday November 14, 2008
According to an article by the CanWest News Service, the Canadian Toy Testing Council has voted that the SweetPea3 Digital Music Player is the best battery-operated toy for 2009. This kid-friendly gadget which is produced by SweetPea Toy Company Ltd., fills a niche in the market by providing a way for children up to the age of six to listen to digital music.
The MP3 player which uses a built-in speaker to ensure that children's hearing isn't damaged also comes with preloaded music and stories. The device, which is PC and MAC compatible, also comes with a USB cable so that you can transfer your own digital audio files.
If you are a parent that is interested in this product, you'll be glad to know that the casing has been 'kid-proofed' (as far as possible) by using FDA food-grade rubber to absorb the physical abuse that as any parent knows is inevitable!
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Is The slotMusic Card The Future of Digital Music?
Friday November 7, 2008
SanDisk's new portable device, the Sansa slotMusic Player, uses a new physical format that it hopes will prove to be a hit with music fans. Instead of using one of the many online digital music services to download music, consumers will be able to purchase slotMusic cards that have albums preloaded on them. This will obviously appeal to people who prefer to purchase music on physical media like the compact disc, but will it have mass appeal?
There's no question that it will generate great interest from technophobes due to the fact that no computer, or Internet connection is needed, but it remains to be seen if consumers who purchase their music online will migrate to a physical format.
The Sansa slotMusic Player, which retails for only $20, decodes either MP3 or DRM-free WMA files from MicroSD cards. The player sports a MicroSDHC expansion slot and so you can use up to a 16Gb MicroSDHC card to play your existing DRM-free music. The Sansa slotMusic Player doesn't have a built-in re-chargeable battery but can run for up to 15 hours on one AAA battery.
As worldwide CD sales continue to fall due to the uptake of digital music, the major record labels will surely be marketing the new slotMusic format as the future replacement for the ageing compact disc. However, the MP3 player market is awash with budget flash-based players that have built-in rechargeable batteries and so it will be interesting to see in time if there is a significant uptake in slotMusic-based players.
For more information, why not read our Sansa slotMusic Player review.
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Free Streaming Music For Halloween
Friday October 31, 2008
Halloween is a great tradition that is celebrated in many countries throughout the world. If you live in the United States or Canada, you will of course know that the main event for kids during Halloween involves 'trick or treating' from door-to door to see who can get the most candy!
To celebrate Halloween, why not tune into the many streaming radio stations on the Internet to get your free spooky music. There are thousands of streaming radio stations on the Web that provide 24/7 entertainment and cater for every conceivable genre. Here are three stations that hopefully capture the essence of Halloween:
SomaFM.com - Doomed
Last.fm - Halloween Songs
AOL Radio - Halloween Music
There's also a streaming radio station in iTunes, called Halloween 2008, that you can listen to - found in the 'holidays' section. If you're interested in learning more about streaming radio in general then why not start by following our iTunes tutorial on How to Create a Custom Radio Playlist.
Happy Halloween!
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