Sony Connect Online Music Download Store Launches

securitas writes "USA Today's Jefferson Graham reports that today Sony launched its online music download store, Sony Connect, to compete with Apple's leading iTunes service. The tracks use the MagicGate DRM copy-protection scheme and will work only with Sony Memory Stick-compatible devices including VAIO computers, CLIE PDAs, MiniDisc, CD and Walkman products. Sony will also launch a new line of 1-gigabyte Hi-MD disc players that support the service. Sony Connect's catalog sports 500,000 tracks from independent and major labels and songs sell for 99 cents each or $10 per album. The service uses Sony's SonicStage software and works with Windows 98SE-XP PCs only. It is only available in the USA until the planned European launch in June. That's a whole lot of restrictions in an already-fragmented market. More at The Register and The Age."

Uuh...

[PatrickThomson]

Sony Connect Online? What an unfortunate acronym. What are they going to do, sue iTMS for selling music, the concept which they apparently own?

Buh-bye!

[Anonymous Coward]

...will work only with Sony Memory Stick-compatible devices including VAIO computers, CLIE PDAs, MiniDisc, CD and Walkman products...

Buh-bye, thanks for playing!

S.C.O

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, Sony Connect Online. Only 699 US dollars per song.

Re:So basically, Sony copied Apple . . .

[Glonoinha]

DRM'ed out the ass, doesn't work on anything besides Sony players, doesn't work on any of the players people already own.

Yet another wonderful idea from the Sales Prevention Team at Sony!

So many restrictions....

[jkabbe]

Can blonde people use it or only brunettes?

What a coincidence!

[danielsfca2]

it's small and it runs for 50 hours on a single AA battery. That and it's cheap -- I can [destroy] it and not worry!

What a coincidence!

That's the same reason I drive a Yugo!

Rob Enderle speaks

[Anonymous Coward]

"Walk into a store," he says. "You don't see MiniDisc players promoted or people talking about them. Its time was three years ago, and it didn't make it."

Since everything he says is wrong, can we assume that Sony actually has a chance?

Re:Kiss Apple Goodbye!

[wud]

Much as I like iTunes, Sony has several advantages

That was only 2.

Memory Stick? MagicGate?!

[sulli]

1998 called, they want their technology back. Do they really think the iPod generation will go back to Memory Stick for their tunes?

This service is dead dead dead dead DEAD . Toast. Kaputt. Stick a fork in it.

Re:So basically, Sony copied Apple . . .

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, but Sony is evil for doing this while App.. ...well, you get the idea.

Memory stick 256mb

[Anonymous Coward]

I will never buy a memory stick device again after buying a 256mb stick to play music with, which turned out to be 2x 128mb on a single stick with a "manual" switch to change between to the two banks of memory.

The switch being of course a bloody feature, like I want to pull out the stick and fiddle about with a tiny dip switch everytime I want to listen to a couple of tracks.