Gotta Be Mobile » Lala

Apple Acquires Lala. Music Streaming On the Way?

Warner Crocker — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:58:25 +0000

If you’re like me you’re thinking it was only a matter of time. Yesterday Apple acquired the music streaming service Lala, apparently for a song (the price they paid, not Steve Jobs’ singing.) Of course the speculation is now rampant that Apple will soon be launching a music streaming service feature as a part of iTunes. But there are some interesting facts to spin before that can be a solid assumption.

First, the licenses that Lala owns that allows it to stream music are not transferable. That simply means Apple will have to negotiate those separately. And given how much Apple and the Music industry view each other as necessary but not friendly partners that could prove an interesting round of talks. Assuming that happens, you can bet the pricing model is going to be an interesting one given that Apple most likely doesn’t want to upset its existing iTunes apple cart.

All eyes (and ears) will be looking to see how this plays out.

Apple Acquires Lala. Music Streaming On the Way? is a post by Warner Crocker from Gotta Be Mobile.

Google Begins Roll Out of Music Search

Warner Crocker — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:09:47 +0000

Google is starting a gradual roll out of a new search service for music that should put a tune in your heart. No, Google is not getting into the music biz. The idea is this, if you search for a song title, lyric, artist, album name, etc… you’ll be presented with results that include links to audio previews of those songs which can be played back via MySpace or Lala. Google is also teaming up with streaming services Pandora, Rhapsody, and imeem, so that you can follow links to those services and discover more music similar to your query. Of course the supposed beauty of this is that no money changes hands as what you play doesn’t cost you, and Google isn’t collecting freight on the songs. The other services are already paying the piper.

Discovery seems to be the key here, at least as far as Google tells it. The idea is to make it easier for you to find music you’re looking for, or discover tunes similar. Lala is prepping an iPhone app, so we’ll see how this new musical search will evolve on the mobile front as well.

Google Begins Roll Out of Music Search is a post by Warner Crocker from Gotta Be Mobile.

Amazon, Walmart and Others Up Digital Music Prices

Warner Crocker — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:12:53 +0000

You kind of knew it wasn’t going to last and that this would happen. The day after iTunes put its price increase into effect (some songs for as high as $1.29, some as low as $.69), the other big online music retailers followed suit. Amazon, Wal-Mart, Lala, and Rhapsody, have now raised their prices as well.

All but Walmart now list prices for hot selling and new stuff at $1.29 per song. Walmart is at $1.24. Now that there isn’t much difference between prices or DRM restrictions, it will be interesting to see how the on line music market plays its next tunes.

Somewhere some music industry execs are smiling and smoking cigars over this.

Amazon, Walmart and Others Up Digital Music Prices is a post by Warner Crocker from Gotta Be Mobile.

Ten Cents A Dance, er Song, with Lala

Warner Crocker — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:52:53 +0000

This may turn out to be an interesting development in the digital music biz. Lala is offering a new cloud model for purchasing and listening to music. In addition to purchasing DRM free music for 90 cents a cut (some will cost more) from the service, you can plop down one thin dime, leave that song in the cloud and listen to it anytime you wish. That’s right 10 cents per cut and that dime allows you to play the “web song” any time you wish and as many times as you wish as long as it is streamed.

If you want to take that song out of the cloud, you pay the regular rate of 90 cents less the 10 cents that you’ve already paid. And here’s an interesting twist. If you sign up for the service, Lala will give you 50 free songs to get you started, and its helper application will scan your library on your computer and give you web access to all the songs already on your computer for free. That includes the ones that you may have picked up along the way from other than legal means.

Lala worked this deal out with the major labels and supposedly 175,000 songs are going to be available on its launch today. This will be interesting to follow, and of course all the caveats about your data in the cloud apply.

How about you? Does this sound like service you can or would use?

Via TechCrunch

Ten Cents A Dance, er Song, with Lala is a post by Warner Crocker from Gotta Be Mobile.