Sony Connect Online Music Download Store Launches 373
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."
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Why i will never buy sony again. (Score:3, Informative)
I didn't install Sony's software (just the drivers and the OpenMG encoder) -- I use RealPlayer 10 which is surprisingly a decent product... Real cleaned up their act. The RealPlayer plugin for NetMD doesn't have DRM... although it takes a bit of work to get my iTMS purchased files onto my NetMD.
Also if you purchased a more expensive model it would have had a SPDIF input.
All of MP3 already outcompetes this (Score:5, Informative)
It's cheap (1 cent per megabyte), great quality (offers me lossless FLAC files), and legal (royalties paid to ROMS, the relevant group in Russia). And the files are unencumbered
All the problems of iTunes (summarized excellently at Downhill Battle [downhillbattle.org]) still apply. Why go for something restricted, too expensive, and too controlled by the media monopoly, when you can get cheap legal music from Allofmp3 or similar services?
But can you burn CDs with the sony store?? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Kiss Apple Goodbye! (Score:4, Informative)
Years and years of past experiences.
Re:All of MP3 already outcompetes this (Score:2, Informative)
Re:All of MP3 already outcompetes this (Score:3, Informative)
So while Paypal isn't the best company in the world, your not exactly handing your cc to some Russian hacker, or whatever.
By the way, does to country of origin automatically dictate that a service is run by super evil mafiosos? Seems like a bit of stereotyping to me.
Gailin
Oh, he's definitely bullshitting: (Score:1, Informative)
Re:All of MP3 already outcompetes this (Score:1, Informative)
They always start with someone saying "I'm not giving my credit card number to those dodgy Russians", followed up with a load of people saying, "Well I've been using them for months, no problems." Then it will be a slur - "Those dodgy Russians, all the cash will be going to the Mafia", at which point any Russians reading just get offended.
Then there will be the disbelievers. "It's too good to be true", they'll say. "It isn't really legal" they'll say - which might actually spawn some real discussion, but this won't actually come to any decisive conclusion.
Then there's the moral argument. "How do the artists get paid for this? It's far too cheap." Someone will subsequently explain that allofmp3 pays the artists in the same way the radio does.
Sigh.
My opinion of Sony (Score:2, Informative)
Because of SWG, I refuse to ever use a Sony service again (I'll stick with napster), although I'll still purchase their electronic goods.
Official Policy (Score:4, Informative)
Sony Connect hereby grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Connect Downloads in accordance with the following limitations (the "Limitations on Use"):
Permitted Uses: You may play the Connect Downloads an unlimited number of times on up to three (3) personal computers that are registered with the Connect service, including the personal computer on which the Connect Downloads are originally downloaded. Once downloaded to that personal computer, you may transfer the licensed Connect Downloads an unlimited number of times (except for WMG's Content, which may be transferred up to three (3) times) to portable music devices and media that read the OpenMG DRM such as the HiMD, the Net MD, and the Memory Stick media. You may not thereafter transfer, copy or export (or the like) such Connect Download from one such device to another, or to any media of any kind without maintaining the OpenMGDRM. In addition, you may also "burn" up to a total of ten (10) (up to five (5) permanent copies of the Connect Downloads in compressed form in the Atrac3 codec encrypted and protected by the OpenMG DRM and up to five (5) Redbook CD's) to either blank recordable CD-R compact discs or blank recordable CD-RW compact disc (i.e., a physical, non-interactive record configuration that conforms to either (i) in the case of CD-Rs, the so-called "Orange Book Part II" technical specification for "write once" compact discs or (ii) in the case of CD-RWs, the so-called "Orange Book Part III" technical specification for "re-writable" compact discs). Any burning or transferring capabilities of the Connect Downloads are solely an accommodation to you and shall not constitute a grant or waiver (or other limitation or implication) of any rights of the copyright owners of the sound recording and underlying musical composition embodied in the Connect Download.
Non-Permitted Uses: Any use of the sound recordings as embodied in the Connect Download other than as permitted above is a violation of the copyright in such sound recording under applicable laws, and is prohibited. Except as expressly permitted in the "Permitted Uses" section above, you may not reproduce, distribute or transfer the Connect Downloads, in any format. For example, you may not: (i) transfer the Connect Downloads to anyone else; (ii) register more than 3 computers with the Connect store at any one time; (iii) copy or transfer the Connect Downloads to more than the number of portable music devices expressly permitted in the "Permitted Uses" section above; (iv) "burn" more than ten (10) copies of any particular Connect Download to blank recordable compact disc; or (v) copy or transfer the Connect Downloads to any storage device or blank media not specifically authorized in the "Permitted Uses" section above. In addition, you may not reverse engineer, transcode, decompile, translate, adapt, modify, disassemble or otherwise tamper with the Content, or the software, or circumvent any technology designed to enforce these Limitations on Use. You further agree that you will not attempt to modify the software or the Usage Rules for any reason whatsoever, including for the purpose of disguising or changing ownership of the Content.
Much bigger than you think. . . (Score:4, Informative)
This is actually much bigger than you think. . . in fact it's much
bigger than Sony or portables
This Sony Connect actually fits into a larger distro called AnyMusic available in Japan that was
created by a cooperation of Japanese consumer electronic firms including Sony. AnyMusic [eetimes.com]
Sony, Kenwood, Pioneer, Sharp, Onkyo, Marantz, Denon, JVC, and Yamaha
plan on creating consumer electronic devices beyond portables that will
be comptable with the online distro (using Atrac3 and OpenMG X/Label
Gate); also likely the Sony PSP/PS3 will also be compatible as well as
other non-sony devices.
Here are some devices that support the format:
Pioneer [impress.co.jp]
X-AM1
Kenwood [impress.co.jp]
Sony [impress.co.jp]
NetJuke (40GB HDD)
Demos:
Corporate [impress.co.jp]
CE [impress.co.jp]
screenshot
Re:Deja Vu (Score:5, Informative)
OT, but to correct this little urban legend... "superior" is in some ways relative, and in Beta's case applies to only one measure: resolution. Even there the difference was small and was more than offset by the tiny capacity of Beta tapes - you could fit far more on a VHS tape, so I'm not sure this is an overall technical win for Beta. Regardless, SuperVHS was on the market at the same time as consumer Beta and those wanting a sharper picture could simply opt for an SVHS machine (as I did) to get the best of all possible worlds. Obviously, VHS also offered the most choice in hardware and software, so I've always thought it questionable when I see Beta listed as "superior" to VHS. Beta was just poorly designed and implemented all around.
The Beta format is still used in news and other professional industries, though vastly upgraded over the consumer version (and with the obvious added expense). It's still not a "standard" though, as other tape formats are common as well.
Minidisc : See above
Minidisc was never superior to anything. ATRAC initially compressed music pretty badly, to the point where it was initially not much better than analog cassette tapes, let alone CD's or even MP3's. Capacity was always an issue with MD as well, as it was with beta. MD was (and to an extent still is) useful for certain things like recording live shows or DJ sets, where you could plug a portable player in and basically have a poor-man's DAT. Sound quality was not equal to DAT, but the discs were/are more durable and user-friendly.
MD did fairly well in Japan but it was despite its technical limitations, not because of any superiority. It really succeeded there because the discs and players were small, not for any other reason.
I guess my point is this music store is just another in a series of Sony blunders. They've had plenty of success stories as well, but they're no stranger to failure and this seems like another doomed venture to me. How many crippled music file sites can the market support, anyway? If iTunes cannot even meet its own expectations (despite Jobs' proclamation that it has "exceeded all expectations", 70 million is still a lot less than 100 million), then I don't see what vast untapped market Sony is expecting to materialize. They're going after the same tiny market of overpaying, choice-hating DRM-lovers that Apple is, and not very well, I might add.
Re:So basically, Sony copied Apple . . . (Score:5, Informative)
Yeah, that's my biggest gripe with Apple and iTMS. I mean, iTMS only works on Windows and Mac. Yeesh. Talk about vendor lock in - what about non-Apple machines?
*whispering off camera*
Huh? Apple doesn't make i386 machines? And they don't make Windows? Oh, uh ok. Well, still, it sucks that you can only burn CDs on Apple computers.
*more whispering*
Wait, you can burn CDs on any machine with iTunes and a CD burner? Oh, well, OK, it still sucks that you can only burn them on Apple media and then only play them back on Apple CD players.
*whispering, louder this time*
Wait, they're regular audio CDs that you can play back in your car or home stereo? Red-Book compliant? No Apple computer required? And you can burn them to any CD-R media? Hrm. Well, there's still vendor lock-in because of the, uh, hrm, let me get back to you on this one...
Re:Kiss Apple Goodbye! (Score:2, Informative)
Re:All of MP3 already outcompetes this (Score:5, Informative)
Not even close. Itunes pays the greedy record industry bastards 50 cents. There is a huge difference. The artists are likely to get 2.5 cents [ezboard.com]
Re:So basically, Sony copied Apple . . . (Score:5, Informative)
I had to read this information on the web, because nowhere in the little Sony store display, or on the package of one such recorder, did I see any mention of their proprietary format, or the time it would take to record.
Fucking....Bastards.
DRM, especially DRM that the company selling it is trying to control, seems to always becoming at the expense of convenience for the user.
Re:$1 per track is far too expensive (Score:3, Informative)
Occam's Razor would indicate that with many people's livelihoods at stake, the online music retailers have done a substantial amount of research into the pricing of music -- at least, more than the average Slashdotter. Anecdotal stories aside, it appears that $0.99 is the current point on the supply/demand curve that generates satisfactory volume and profitability. Pricing theory is an incredibly detailed art and science, and you can be sure that companies of this size are spending the bucks to do the math -- regardless of whether you agree with their strategy.
The tremendous production and promotion cost for music is not "bullshit." A typical indie release must sell 100K copies before it breaks even. For a commercial release, it's a million copies. If developing and running the iTunes Music Store had costs of "near zero," why not launch one yourself out of your bedroom? Apple sold 70 million tracks last year -- why not get in that action if it's as easy as you state?
The Important Stuff Was Well Hidden... (Score:5, Informative)
Three PC's running Connect which may play your purchased files. Which is only available on PCs, no Mac version. iTMS just increased this to 5 PC's.
Each track may be "burned" 10 times: 5 times as a compressed, DRM protected file, and 5 times as an unprotected CD audio track. iTMS makes no claims on limiting the number of times you may copy the protected file. Each track can be burned from a single playlist 7 times (two more than Connect), and from different playlists over and over (no total burn limit).
Unlimited copies to devices which support OpenMG copy protection. Unless you have a file from "WMG", which can only be placed on 3 portable devices. All of the compatible devices are made by Sony. iTMS lets you make unlimited copies to iPods, made by Apple. Depends on the device you like.
Sounds likes iTMS has them blown away. I'm not sure how (or if) these are enforced by Connect. How you do keep people from backing up their purchased files to CDs?
MD versus hard drives. (Score:5, Informative)
When I wrote this reply, I interpreted your comment differently. I thought you were saying the media is "not as much [cost] as an iPod" when you apparently meant "not as much music as an iPod." But this is still something to consider.
$2 per 170MB disk
First, observe how ridiculous Sony's pricing here is in itself, when a 700MB standards-based disk called CD-ROM is $0.10.
Second, consider how many of these it would take to carry a substantial portion of music on you:
Let's take my 15GB iPod to compare. That's 88.2 MiniDiscs. Aren't they encased in little sleeves like floppy disks? So that would only take up your entire backpack. And the cost...
89 * $2.00 = $178.
So add $166 to the cost of the player (which you quoted as $130). So at least $308. So for $9 less you could have all your music on the player at the same time, and you wouldn't need a backpack-load of discs to carry it. And it would take about 20 minutes to transfer it the first time instead of having to record 89 MiniDiscs which I'm pretty sure would require a few days and a LOT of patience.
MiniDisc players are good for recording high quality audio, if you ever do that. And if you find the CD player a convenient way of listening to your music collection, but want something smaller, you probably wouldn't be disappointed by MD. But the whole point of good MP3 players (at least for me) is that you can put ALL of your music (or at least all the music that's important to you) on this player and never have to sit down for twenty minutes and think about "which 1% of my music should I take with me today?" With hard-drive based players, you can decide what you want to hear whenever you want, and have it playing five seconds later. Sony can't offer that with Memory Stick or with MD. They need to discover the hard drive. i don't see a real disadvantage to it.
I mean, what's the big incentive to switch from CD to MD? "Well, it's a little smaller. And you can use our proprietary software to restrict your rights to listen to your own music!"
Whereas the incentive to switch from CD to hard-drive players is much more tangible--carry all your music in a package much smaller than your CD [or MD] player, and it also doubles as an external hard drive. To update your collection, you plug it in and it downloads any new songs. This is much more compelling, and it's why Sony will lose this battle by a wide margin.
Re:heh (Score:3, Informative)
So where to start, old and aging is semi-true in the light of the older players. They store a CD's worth of music at a decent compression, 2-3 at a reasonable compression, which I'd say rivals most reasonable MP3 bitrates, and the 4x mode isn't really worth mentioning IMHO. Okay, fine. But the MD is getting bumped up to double that on the Hi-MD recorders with existing media and 1 GB of space for the new media.
Ooh, 1 GB you say. Well, it is removable media. You know, you can have multiple of these 1 GB MDs and change them? Kinda like CDs, but holding much more. And use the extra space as a removable device. Okay, that sounds pretty nice to me.
Only works on Windows PCs is a bit misleading. At least the traditional MD's have had optical and analog inputs for recording. If I remember right some of the decks had optical output as well. No computer needed. It's convenient (well, kinda, check later in the post) to have a PC, but not necessary.
Haven't mentioned battery life yet. My MD player gets over 40 hours on a single AA. What's the battery life on the iPod again?
I'll be the first to damn Sony for their crappy PC software and nightmarish attempts at copy protection though. The new Hi-MDs will be sufficiently crippled as far as making digital copies of even your own recordings go. The unwillingness to give the users control of their device isn't so nice. Sony is killing the format by making it so restrictive.
Talk about small and light though. Check here [big.or.jp] for some pics of one of their upcoming players. Tiny! It's hardly bigger than the disc itself.
Re:Uh.... (Score:3, Informative)
I purposely worded my question to exclude the PS2. I kinda feel like PlayStation is the only line that Sony's really handled well. And the quality of games available is its best attribute.
PS: You have no clue how many times I had to Google to get that date. The obvious, "playstation 2 release date" just gets list after list of when each game was/will be released.
Re:This sounds like a joke, but it's not April 1. (Score:3, Informative)