Apple strikes deal with Sony for streaming iTunes music service - report

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Apple has reportedly inked a licensing deal with Sony Corp.'s music division to begin offering the label's catalog in the cloud, leaving Universal Music Group as the last holdout among the major record labels.



Bloomberg reports that Apple has reached licensing accords with Sony Corp., EMI Group, and Warner Music Group to allow users to access song collections from mobile devices via the Internet. Prior reports had noted that EMI and Warner were on board with Apple's plan for a cloud-based service.



Though Universal Music Group, the largest recording company, has yet to agree to a deal, Apple and the label are close to reaching an agreement, according to one person with knowledge of the deals. After signing licensing agreements with the labels, Apple would also need to renegotiate agreements with music publishers, which control different rights than the labels, the report noted.



Sources said plans for the new service could be previewed as early as next month at Apple's sold-out Worldwide Developer Conference. According to a report last month, Apple has finished work on the service, which is being held up by pending music label and publisher agreements.



People familiar with the matter said Apple's rumored cloud music service won't require users to upload online collections, giving the company a significant advantage over rivals Google and Amazon. Amazon launched its Cloud Drive and Cloud Player services in March, and Google launched a Music Beta cloud service last week.



Although Google and Amazon beat Apple to market with their cloud music services, music industry sources have expressed the belief that Apple's take on cloud music will be vastly superior. Both Google and Amazon reportedly chose not to secure music label support before launching their services.



Mounting evidence suggests that Apple is planning a new "iCloud" service. AppleInsider exclusively reported last month that Apple's plans for iCloud include more than just streaming music. Sources suggest that iCloud will be the central component of a revamped MobileMe that could bring a variety of personal data and media into the cloud.



After getting off to a rocky start, MobileMe struggled to gain traction. In 2008, Apple CEO Steve Jobs took the MobileMe team to task for the service's troubled launch. "You've tarnished Apple's reputation..." Jobs reportedly said. "You should hate each other for having let each other down?"
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 33
    magicjmagicj Posts: 406member
    No post about yesterday's Congressional privacy hearing? There was some good stuff there, like Google themselves calling for additional legislation covering data breaches.



    BTW, what is Apple's policy for handling this? What would they do if someone stole people's contacts that have been uploaded to iCloud, or from the iPhone, or from the Mac? Apple's Privacy Policy does not mention this. http://www.apple.com/privacy/
  • Reply 2 of 33
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Sources said plans for the new service could be previewed as early as next month at Apple's sold-out Worldwide Developer Conference. According to a report last month, Apple has finished work on the service, which is being held up by pending music label and publisher agreements.





    So this puts to rest the rumor that iCloud would be lunching tomorrow for retail anniversary. I guess it wasn't much of a good rumor anyways.
  • Reply 3 of 33
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by magicj View Post


    ...totally irrelevant...



    WTF???



    /ignore
  • Reply 4 of 33
    magicjmagicj Posts: 406member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hill60 View Post


    WTF???



    /ignore



    Asking how Apple deals with theft from its cloud service on an article about Apple's cloud service is absolutely relevant.



    As is asking why an Apple news web site didn't cover Apple being summoned before Congress.
  • Reply 5 of 33
    BOOM.



    Google and Amazon just shot themselves in the foot. Launching their music service without the label's permission? I had no idea they could be this incompetent.
  • Reply 6 of 33
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sheff View Post


    So this puts to rest the rumor that iCloud would be lunching tomorrow for retail anniversary. I guess it wasn't much of a good rumor anyways.



    It never made sense from the start. 10th anniversary of Retail coinciding with a product launch, a cloud service no less, was quite far-fetched.



    Most people that have worked in Retail, Apple or otherwise, know it's not *that* glamorous.



    I could be wrong, maybe there'll be something real nice to celebrate Apple Retail, but coinciding with a new product or non-retail service seems unlikely.
  • Reply 7 of 33
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ridley182 View Post


    BOOM.



    Google and Amazon just shot themselves in the foot. Launching their music service without the label's permission? I had no idea they could be this incompetent.



    It remains to be seen. Will Apple's iCloud stream any music from the labels or only those songs that you own? How would it know what you own? It would have to scan your library and match it up... if it's using the same algorithm as "Get Album Artwork" we're in trouble.



    Also, I have a number of tracks that aren't mainstream like DJ mixes, etc. Can it stream any track I tag to to be uploaded to the cloud?
  • Reply 8 of 33
    elrothelroth Posts: 1,201member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by magicj View Post


    Asking how Apple deals with theft from its cloud service on an article about Apple's cloud service is absolutely relevant.



    As is asking why an Apple news web site didn't cover Apple being summoned before Congress.



    You're just trolling, and trying to find excuses to justify it. Apple going to Congress is being covered ad naseum by AI and every other site out there. Apple hasn't even started its cloud service, or confirmed its existence - how is it going to reveal its "theft" policies? And have Amazon or Google revealed their theft policies for their already running cloud services? Try to be more subtle next time you troll here.
  • Reply 9 of 33
    magicjmagicj Posts: 406member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by elroth View Post


    Apple going to Congress is being covered ad naseum by AI and every other site out there.



    Did I miss a post covering what happened at yesterday's hearing? Because zero posts isn't ad naseum.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by elroth View Post


    Apple hasn't even started its cloud service, or confirmed its existence - how is it going to reveal its "theft" policies?



    Apple's privacy policy covers all it's products. I looked at their policy and didn't see where it discussed theft at all. So I'm asking here, on a thread where Apple is introducing a service that will (according to AI) allow private data to be uploaded to their servers.



    So I'll ask again, what is Apple's policy when their customers' data gets stolen? Apple is asking us to store private data, like the names, addresses, and phone numbers of our friends, family, and business associates, on devices only they can protect, like iPhone and iCloud.



    Do they do anything at all when it gets stolen? If so, what?
  • Reply 10 of 33
    see flatsee flat Posts: 145member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by magicj View Post


    ........stolen? If so, what?



    I come here once a day to read up on tid bits of what might be coming along... as in rumours.

    I find the speculation entertaining.



    You're funny. Dont you have a life? So many posts trying to prove your point.
  • Reply 11 of 33
    magicjmagicj Posts: 406member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by See Flat View Post


    I come here ....



    Not interested in commentary, my friend. Just if anyone has answers to my questions. Which are:



    ● Why no coverage of yesterdays Congressional privacy hearing?

    ● Does Apple do anything at all when a customer's private data is stolen from their devices?
  • Reply 12 of 33
    dunksdunks Posts: 1,254member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post


    It remains to be seen. Will Apple's iCloud stream any music from the labels or only those songs that you own? How would it know what you own? It would have to scan your library and match it up... if it's using the same algorithm as "Get Album Artwork" we're in trouble.



    I imagine it would be reserved for tracks you have purchased from your iTunes Store account for three reasons:



    1) the integrity of that data is guaranteed

    2) Apple has existing access to this data

    3) It adds value to music purchased through the iTunes Store compared to music purchased elsewhere and imported (which Apple does not make money from)
  • Reply 13 of 33
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by magicj View Post


    Not interested in commentary, my friend. Just if anyone has answers to my questions. Which are:



    ● Why no coverage of yesterdays Congressional privacy hearing?

    ● Does Apple do anything at all when a customer's private data is stolen from their devices?



    Go find the coverage. I'm sure CSPAN has a full account of it.
  • Reply 14 of 33
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Regarding the MobileMe fiasco and Steve telling the staff they failed themselves I think it explains much in the way of SproutCore guys no longer at Apple and starting their own company:



    Strobe Inc. http://www.strobecorp.com/



    I'm more than a bit disappointed in SproutCore's all business logic in the browser approach.



    But then again, these guys don't strike much of having a background in EOF and how they could have handled a solution with business logic.
  • Reply 15 of 33
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by magicj View Post


    Not interested in commentary, my friend. Just if anyone has answers to my questions. Which are:



    ● Why no coverage of yesterdays Congressional privacy hearing?

    ● Does Apple do anything at all when a customer's private data is stolen from their devices?



    We await your insight at the thread you are so looking forward to:

    http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?t=124611
  • Reply 16 of 33
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dunks View Post


    I imagine it would be reserved for tracks you have purchased from your iTunes Store account for three reasons:



    1) the integrity of that data is guaranteed

    2) Apple has existing access to this data

    3) It adds value to music purchased through the iTunes Store compared to music purchased elsewhere and imported (which Apple does not make money from)



    If it is just the tracks it recognises that I have purchased, I am going to be mighty pissed and I think it will be a big let down. I truly hope it is also any song you upload yourself and that wireless Sync of any song you upload is possible.



    Apple, don't blow this.
  • Reply 17 of 33
    pxtpxt Posts: 683member
    Lucky this deal wasn't the other way around: Sony strikes deal with Apple to let people hack into their credit card info.
  • Reply 18 of 33
    radjinradjin Posts: 165member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by magicj View Post


    Asking how Apple deals with theft from its cloud service on an article about Apple's cloud service is absolutely relevant.



    As is asking why an Apple news web site didn't cover Apple being summoned before Congress.



    I guess you read the wrong article...
  • Reply 19 of 33
    cy_starkmancy_starkman Posts: 653member
    I am really curious. On one level I don't care because I don't need cloud access to my music.



    But in a few other ways... could this see the end of "sorry you lost the file you purchased", I've seen a fee bitten by that. Now I suppose you have forever access.



    But what of personal collection. Didn't steve jobs says something like 90% of music on iPods is ripped. Well to launch a service that excludes most of a customers collection is not so handy.



    Maybe a hybrid? So if it is iTunes bought it comes from the cloud, if it is your own it comes from your home collection. Bit naff but still functions.



    I'm still waiting for the iTunes time capsule NAS device which shares up the house collection sans computer (I know 3rd party options exist)
  • Reply 20 of 33
    irelandireland Posts: 17,799member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ridley182 View Post


    BOOM.



    Google and Amazon just shot themselves in the foot. Launching their music service without the label's permission? I had no idea they could be this incompetent.



    They get the same deal Apple will have. Labels don't want to give Apple too much control.
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