iTunes-like Microsoft music store due this week

[AppleInsider]

Microsoft Corp. is expected to announce its long-anticipated foray into the online music business this week, reports San Jose Mercury News.

The company will quietly launch the MSN online music store along with the new version of its Windows Media 10 player.

Early-release versions of the player look like knock-offs of Apple's iTunes Music Store, complete with brushed nickel finish. A button in the upper right corner of the player will take consumers to the download store.

Microsoft has reportedly told entertainment executives that it expects to introduce as many as 130 million people to the service when it prompts users to update their Windows Media Player software later this week. These estimates do not include an additional 300 million potentials who drop by the MSN site on a daily basis.

The company also claims that the music store will be compatible with nearly 60 digital music players, but not Apple's popular iPod.

Several slightly dated screenshots of the new media player are available across the web through Windows enthusiest sites such as www.jcxp.co.uk (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ] (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=609)

[rok]

hmmm... do you think apple will unlock that wma-compatibility with the next version of itunes software, if indeed the microsoft store proves to be a success?

i could see rob glaser now jumping off the roof of real headquarters, screaming steve's name all the way down...

[kenaustus]

Not too bad in terms of how it looks, but then Apple did show them how to do it (nothing new there). The question will be how well it works and if it is compatible with XP SP2. :D

Had to laugh at the "Rip" and "Burn" tags on the screen. Old Bill G must love Steve J - seems he gets all his inspiration from Steve and the good folks at Apple.

[g::masta]

After using MP10b for a while on my mule PC, I have to just say that iTunes is 1000 better as a jukebox. I can't believe how simple it seems in iTunes and how cumbersome it seems in MP10... or is it possible that I am stupid?

[Gmac]

Originally posted by g::masta
After using MP10b for a while on my mule PC, I have to just say that iTunes is 1000 better as a jukebox. I can't believe how simple it seems in iTunes and how cumbersome it seems in MP10... or is it possible that I am stupid?

Nope, you're not stupid. I used to have my whole collection in a MP9 library. Switching to iTunes was like a breath of fresh air - so much easier to find and organize music.

Someone has to say it, so I will: I just hope iTunes Music Store comes to Canada before Windows Media store does!

[Louzer]

Sure, it might be crap, but its skinnable! That means its gonna rule!

[hmurchison]

Originally posted by Louzer
Sure, it might be crap, but its skinnable! That means its gonna rule!

Skinned crap is still crap.

[Tuttle]

I was worried when I read the thread title, but after seeing the screenshots I can only shake my head in disbelief.

1) You are MS and have vast, but not unlimited, resources to throw at a product that is a key for the home computer user in the future.

2) You have Net access at work and at home and can read the fawning reviews of iTunes. You can easily narrow down the endless number of "I never knew managing my music library could be so simple" stories of new iTunes/iTMS users into the key UI elements in the applications that enable that simple power and elegance.

3) iTunes is freely downloadable, so you can play with it until you know every tiny detail of the product from the UI all the way down to the database.

And all they can come up with is some UI elements that look vaguely like iTunes. Microsoft users would flock to a blatant ripoff of iTunes/iTMS. Don't even try to hide the fact by calling it mTunes/mTMS and in six months peecee users will be claiming it's the best music player/store app and that MS was the one to invent it.

[kim kap sol]

Originally posted by Tuttle

And all they can come up with is some UI elements that look vaguely like iTunes. Microsoft users would flock to a blatant ripoff of iTunes/iTMS. Don't even try to hide the fact by calling it mTunes/mTMS and in six months peecee users will be claiming it's the best music player/store app and that MS was the one to invent it.

Microsoft will likely flex its monopoly muscles and grab the people that haven't made the switch to iTunes.

Once Microsoft brings this out, Apple's only hope will be the iPod.

No matter how good iTunes is, Microsoft will win because it will bundle WM10 with Windows and users will just use it instead of an alternative.

[Mendosi]

Originally posted by kim kap sol
No matter how good iTunes is, Microsoft will win because it will bundle WM10 with Windows and users will just use it instead of an alternative.

Of course it will help a -little- if those of us who are musicians keep making CDs for our windows friends with music encoded as AAC and including a copy of iTunes.
That probably works out to be about two drops in the bucket...

Mendosi

[MPMoriarty]

Originally posted by kim kap sol
Microsoft will likely flex its monopoly muscles and grab the people that haven't made the switch to iTunes.

Once Microsoft brings this out, Apple's only hope will be the iPod.

No matter how good iTunes is, Microsoft will win because it will bundle WM10 with Windows and users will just use it instead of an alternative.

Possibly, but...

If Apple is smart, it will make as many strategic partnerships as it can. The one with HP is a great example. Lots of consumers will soon buy an HP that has iTunes preinstalled on it.

Another thing is that it is all about the message. Apple has been pushing the iPod and iTunes on both platforms for awhile now. It has almost sunk into people's heads. Heck, the iPod is now becoming a status icon from what I have been reading.

Apple has a strong momentum going with its music strategy. Let's hope they continue to keep making it stronger.

Mike

[MacsRGood4U]

MS will certainly make a dent into Apple's lead. With over 60 players capable of playing WMA content that means Real and Connect will be left out of the equation. Napster is where the music is coming from if the use of the logo on the top right of the various screen caps. means anything and Napster still has some cache, especially among those who used to use the old service. With the amount of $$ they have, MS will put on a massive ad campaign. Apple needs to take the gloves off in response. They've never really done that before.

[hmurchison]

This is insane. Microsoft is going to kill napster. Think of this like the American Idols of computing.

Apple is the frontrunner.

The 3 Divas are

Napster
Walmart
Microsoft.

Walmart can survive because they are huge and well funded. Ditto for Microsoft. That leaves Napster the company that just sold their core assets to chase this dream. The market will spit amongst these 3 until Napster is dead. Then only Walmart and MS will remain to battle Apple.

Microsoft doesn't have the seamless Player/Jukebox capability nor do they enjoy a typical "Lockin" with music. It will be tough to unseat Apple as long as the iPod is a hot seller.

[JohnHenry]

Is the walmart music store doing well or something...
I have never heard another person irl talk about the walmart music store ever.

Unless they are way ahead of napster or something, I can't see napster dying before walmart.

MS sucks, but they have an advantage over apple in the music store business due to Windows, however...

1. They are late to the party
2. Their music doesn't work on the ipod
3. Um....thats about it really.

MS has a knack for showing up late, throwing gobs of money into something and killing the competition... this could get ugly...

[ibook911]

I have looked at the other music services, and I find them all a joke. Nothing is simple, quick, and full-featured like i-tunes. Windows Media Player with a store built-in? Yikes. I hate the rare occasions that I have to open that program. I have looked at the other music services, and I find them all a joke. Nothing is simple, quick, and full-featured like i-tunes. Windows Media Player with a store built-in? Yikes. I hate the rare occasions that I have to open that program. People often talk about a dislike for Windows OS or Explorer, but I think the Media Player is the worst thing Microsoft has put on this planet. JMHO.

I feel like the people who will go to this Windows Media Player Store are the ones who hardly know about online music. They'll probably lose it when their computer crashes because they won't back it up. I don't mean to be read, and I'm not trying to be offensive, but I simply don't get why people don't use what is #1: i-tunes!

However, I have no problem with Microsoft giving this a shot! I just hope it doesn't actually hurt the real online music provider.

[ajmas]

Talking of poorly designed UIs, has anyone taken a look at Sony Connect (http://www.connect.com/)'s client for MS-Windows? That really looks bad.

[Gavriel]

Originally posted by hmurchison
This is insane. Microsoft is going to kill napster. Think of this like the American Idols of computing.

Apple is the frontrunner.

The 3 Divas are

Napster
Walmart
Microsoft.

Walmart can survive because they are huge and well funded. Ditto for Microsoft. That leaves Napster the company that just sold their core assets to chase this dream. The market will spit amongst these 3 until Napster is dead. Then only Walmart and MS will remain to battle Apple.

Microsoft doesn't have the seamless Player/Jukebox capability nor do they enjoy a typical "Lockin" with music. It will be tough to unseat Apple as long as the iPod is a hot seller.

Microsoft is by far Apple's greatest threat. They are a well funded, monopoly monolith, with a penchant for aggressive business behavior. Also, Microsoft is doing this not only to get a slice of the online music business, but also to standardize on their proprietary Windows Media format(s).

[MacsRGood4U]

Why does the Napster logo appear on the Microsoft screens posted by A.I.?

[satchmo]

Don't forget that while Apple has the iPod, MS will soon unveil their own branded MP3 knockoff player.

From a report I heard, MS had specs of and pics of the iPod plastered on the walls of their development team.

Now, I don't think they can best the iPod (short of copying it down to the scroll wheel). But coupled with their clout, and inclusion of WM10 player, this store has a chance to give Apple and iMTS a run for their money.

It also doesn't help that Apple's distribution and supply of iPods (regular and mini), have been spotty at best. I'm not writing off Apple yet, but the fallback plan could always include dropping the iPod mini to $199.

[MacsRGood4U]

I don't believe MS is coming out with their own branded player. They have made deals with several other companies to put out players (same as they did with the tablet). I read that 60 excisting and new players will be compatible with the new WM10 software.

[hmurchison]

60 players and nothing yet that seems like a capable iPod competitor. It's the typical PC numbers game. Impress you with the numbers and then piss you off with the product.

[RolandG]

Links to pictures 2 through 5 seem to be broken... maybe the server was shut down due to high traffic. Are there any known mirrors?

[Messiahtosh]

MSNBC had a story on this that was slanted in Apple's favor, surprisingly. They called the legal online download business, "iTunes and the 7 dwarfs."

[Gavriel]

Originally posted by Messiahtosh
They called the legal online download business, "iTunes and the 7 dwarfs."

:D That's an instant classic.

[sjk]

Originally posted by MacsRGood4U
Why does the Napster logo appear on the Microsoft screens posted by A.I.? I wondered about that, too. It doesn't show up in Microsoft Windows Media - Sleek New Design (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/mp10/newdesign.aspx) screenshots. Was it Photoshop'd in (the .uk site's not responding so I can't look at the shots more closely)? Or hmurchison may want to retract his "Microsoft is going to kill napster" comment. :)

[Steve]

It wasn't Photoshopped in. WMP10 lets you browse music stores from within the player. In this case, the Napster store is the one enabled.

[hmurchison]

Originally posted by Steve
It wasn't Photoshopped in. WMP10 lets you browse music stores from within the player. In this case, the Napster store is the one enabled.


With a 90% duplication of songs the idea of browsing stores is decidely microsoftian and banal. Exclusive content is generally rare and not too desirable.

[ajmas]

Originally posted by hmurchison
With a 90% duplication of songs the idea of browsing stores is decidely microsoftian and banal. Exclusive content is generally rare and not too desirable.

Exclusive content is probably rare, but its not what's important. When you walk down the street you get to buy your music from any number of stores, whether it be for price, service or trust. Why should it be any different on line?

[kim kap sol]

Is the Microsoft music store up and running? The week has come and gone.

[ibook911]

Originally posted by kim kap sol
Is the Microsoft music store up and running? The week has come and gone.

I was wondering the same thing. I'm too lazy to turn on my XP box.

[kim kap sol]

Originally posted by ibook911
I was wondering the same thing. I'm too lazy to turn on my XP box.

Heck...I though SP2 was supposed to come out on automatic update...has that happened?

[Amorph]

Originally posted by ajmas
Exclusive content is probably rare, but its not what's important. When you walk down the street you get to buy your music from any number of stores, whether it be for price, service or trust. Why should it be any different on line?

First, because an online store can have everything in their catalog "in stock" so things like physical store size don't matter. Second, because every online store is as close every other, so location doesn't matter. So, two of the most crucial variables in retail are moot.

What about the last one? Well, brand only goes so far. The Microsoft stores all license exactly the same back end (so except for the most trivial cosmetic differences, the shopping experiences will be interchangeable), they'll probably wind up with exactly the same catalog (or close enough as no matter), the same DRM (too restrictive), the same file format (WMP), and since they're identical in every other respect, the prices will probably end up the same, too. I shouldn't even use the future tense. This is already true. That moots a third crucial variable in retail: Specialization; or if you prefer, "brand identity."

Why did iTMS succeed? Because Apple didn't just license some other solution, put lipstick on it, and push it out the door. They busted their asses working on everything from the presentation of the site to how it's accessed (through iTunes, not through a browser) to the DRM (liberal, and uniform, so you don't get too many nasty surprises using the music you've licensed), etc. Microsoft is hoping that a large number of what amount to commodity stores will overwhelm one really good store, and they're probably evoking the PC metaphor to justify it. But you know what? The exact subset of the PC market that most closely mirrors this model — the low end — is brutal and unprofitable. Any number of would-be competitors, including huge brands like IBM, have bailed out, and consumers have shown no brand loyalty at all - hardly surprising, given that the only substantive differences between the machines are the logo and a few bits of plastic. If it weren't for the top-down, socialist enterprise market, and MS riding IBM's coattails into that market, the PC hardware market might look a lot different today. Since the music-store market is in the more democratic consumer market, I don't see how this approach will get anywhere.

So what will happen? The Microsoft-allied stores, forced into the same interface, will all compete for the same slice of the pie, whose size will be determined by the quality of the WMP 10 user interface, which is completely out of their control (just as the interchangeability of low-end PCs is due to the hardware standards enforced by the commodity market, which are beyond any vendor's control). I expect the same thing to happen to these stores to happen to the Microsoft allies: They'll eat each other, until maybe one or two remain, and if MS has carved out enough of the overall pie to allow them to remain profitable, they'll soldier along. If not, they'll die.

Their entire strategy is built around contempt for the consumer. They assume that you can bamboozle them with "branding" instead of doing the work involved in offering real, substantive choices.

Locally, every music store in town has a specialty. There have been chains that offered the same catalogs in the same size store, and all but one is gone. Why? Because if consumers are going to have to make a decision, they'd like it to be a meaningful and substantive decision, and they'd like the choices to be quality.

[monkeyastronaut]

Damn it looks so ugly. I'm so glad there's iTunes.

[ibook911]

Originally posted by kim kap sol
Heck...I though SP2 was supposed to come out on automatic update...has that happened?

I don't know. I downloaded it three weeks ago. Microsoft had a site for IT professionals or something, so I just downloaded it from there. I put it on two machines. They wanted regular consumers to wait for the Windows Update to give it to them, but I didn't want to wait.