Microsoft To Give Away Free Music To Get Around iTunes Lock In?

from the one-way-to-do-it dept

There's been lots of buzz about the rumored plans for a Microsoft competitor to the iPod, with news reports coming out yesterday saying it will be out in time for the holidays this year. The basic story is that Microsoft has gotten sick of waiting for any of its partners to beat the iPod and has decided to just build its own device, taking a page from their success with the Xbox. Nothing too surprising there. However, Engadget has uncovered one juicy tidbit that, if it turns out to be true, is quite interesting. In order to break the stranglehold Apple has on the downloadable music store market thanks to its own copy protection system, Microsoft's will apparently scan your iTunes and allow you to download any tracks you bought from iTunes for free on its own platform. The company, obviously, would then pay the rightsholders for the songs, but according to the article, Microsoft sees this as a worthwhile marketing expense to move people off of iTunes. If it's true, it's definitely a smart move, as there's little likelihood of any other method getting people out of iTunes lock-in. Though, it's not clear if the new songs will be just as locked-in to Microsoft's format, though that seems likely. Of course, we've wondered in the past why other companies (like ISPs) haven't done the same, agreeing to eat the costs on downloads, allowing them to be a loss leader that brings in plenty of new customers.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    gerry kearby, 6 Jul 2006 @ 4:36pm

    loss leading with music

    My experience with the record companies (a few years ago) was that they were opposed to their product being used as a loss leader...went to great lengths to keep it so.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Jul 2006 @ 4:43pm

    So why not continue to buy all your music on iTunes and then get a free copy for your Windows branded player? I mean, if you use iTunes you probably have an iPod and this just makes buying iTunes music twice as effective.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Just Me, 6 Jul 2006 @ 4:46pm

    Fantastico

    I hope that they do go ahead with this. I am sick and tired of hearing how cool the Apple IPod is.

    I just don't like the idea of having no control over what device I could use to listen to the music I download.

    Not that I am big fan of Microsoft, but I am sure that they could afford to spend a little money from their huge budget to compete with Apple.

    Also, I am sure that this news will be welcomed by all the artists, who should have better contracting power, given the competition between suppliers.

    Good news for music buyers too. :)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anthony, 6 Jul 2006 @ 4:55pm

    no subject silly

    Out with the old, in with the new. I'll buy one when they come out.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Jul 2006 @ 5:01pm

    Re:

    Because it still comes out of your pocket. It's not free to you. The DUPLICATE you get from MS is free.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    glee, 6 Jul 2006 @ 5:12pm

    Bigger Picture

    DRM is fundamentally flawed. Why should rightsholders be entitled to payment for every platform their device plays on?
    Its the same game where we the consumers were forced to pay for our vinyl album music collections on tape and then cds.

    There's an opportunity in the digital world to end this extortion.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    glee, 6 Jul 2006 @ 5:14pm

    Bigger Picture - REVISED

    DRM is fundamentally flawed. Why should rightsholders be entitled to payment for every platform their MUSIC plays on?
    Its the same game where we the consumers were forced to pay for our vinyl album music collections on tape and then cds.

    There's an opportunity in the digital world to end this extortion.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    anonymous coward, 6 Jul 2006 @ 5:34pm

    new overhyped and underperforming gadget, same as the old overhyped and underperforming gadget.

    as long as consumers fail to understand that buying any DRM'ed product is the equivalent of punching yourself in the balls, the mpaa/riaa and device manufacturers will keep dumping the same crap on us.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Jul 2006 @ 5:34pm

    I think you're all missing something...

    Under the Copyright law in the USA (the only country where I even have an inkling of clue about copyrights) it is perfectly legal for one to platform shift their media.

    The only thing that makes it illegal is the DMCA coming behind and saying you cannot decrypt (or even discuss decrypting) any copy protected works, no matter how useless and futile the copy protection is.

    SO, I see absolutely no reason why M$ would have to pay the RIAA or their clients for any platform shifting media files that M$ allows its customers to download.

    IE: M$ will give you the file for free, and they wont pay for it.

    WHY? cause you are legally entitled to it. And if they assist you in exercising your right, they will sweep a cubic asse tonne of customers from iTMS.

    This doesnt make their M$MS any less evil than iTMS (as long as its using stupid lockin DRM) its just the worlds best marketing strategy for killing iTMS. And its FREE.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Chris, 6 Jul 2006 @ 6:03pm

    This will happen

    This will happen.

    The guys at Red vs. Blue (Roosterteeth) are pretty cool with various sites hosting their videos, but they will NOT let it be "podcast", whether it's listed on iTunes or not. Since their existence depends on MS' good graces (MS can shut them down by claiming copyright infringement) it stands to reason that MS wants them exclusively on their service. I just wonder what it'll be called. My vote is for MScast.

    OK, it's a fringe observation. But sometimes you can see things clearer from outside the forest.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    Dan, 6 Jul 2006 @ 8:00pm

    Just like a gang war... who cares who wins?

    I look forward to this device.

    The IPOD was cool... five years ago. I think Apple has gotten too complacent.

    There's no reason music players should NOT have wireless/bluetooth compatibility nowadays.

    Once MS and Apple put each other behind their respective eight balls, competition should make things good for us consumers.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    Frink, 6 Jul 2006 @ 8:11pm

    Now there's something I've been waiting for - a Microsoft application scanning my hard drive, reporting home and then downloading a bunch of stuff back to me. Someone please remind me when it comes out so I can be one of the first to sign up. Wonder how many pages that EULA will be?

    I think I remember my mother warning me about taking candy from strangers.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    MIcrosoft and music player..., 6 Jul 2006 @ 8:55pm

    can you say laptop... J/k, well since the Xbox360 crashes, what do you think the music player will do, Honestly i believe that microsoft should stay out of the personal music player industry, no one wants a 3 pound paperweight that dies every 20 minutes and takes 3 minutes to boot up... i can see it now,

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Jul 2006 @ 9:56pm

    As much as I'm not a MS fan, I hope they start to make inroads in the digital music market. Apple needs someone to light a fire under them and keep them on their toes. It's been a while since anything really cool has come out from them.

    The other benefit will be that with more competition in this space, I can see Apple possibly loosening up on their DRM. I can see that they may start to license their FairPlay technology so that others might provide ways for users to sell music for the iPods.

    At least I hope it starts going that way...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    mp3playerguy, 6 Jul 2006 @ 11:13pm

    and then there was...

    Frankly, I never saw the point of the iPod in the first place, except maybe as the trendy new music player for yuppie scum who aren't even capable of using windows explorer to drag and drop mp3 files into an mp3 player. With windows now there aren't even driver installations with portable storage devices so why bother having a music device that needs its own special software and own special itunes downloading crap to use. Unless microsoft is intending for its player to also act as a regular mp3 player does without all extra fluff (which it probably isn't) then it will be just as lame and pointless to buy (which it probably will be) as an iPod, excepting all the yuppie shmucks who'll have to get one... never could figure out plug'n'play storage devices

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. identicon
    drm is lame, 7 Jul 2006 @ 12:11am

    icck!

    Labels and distros (MS and apple) need to give up on the DRM requirments and trust their own customers not to share what they actually legitimately purchase.

    The digital formats will likely change to the next best thing in 10 years anyway.. Why not use a digital format that works for everybody right now on every player out there.

    Gosh, I bet Micro$oft doesn't have the money to bribe the RIAA into allowing them to sell DRM free music.

    It's all a sham folks. Might as well buy your music on CD so you have it 10 years from now.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. identicon
    R. Larson, 7 Jul 2006 @ 1:47am

    iPod + DRM

    I don't know about anyone else, but my iPod plays mp3s just fine, no DRM. I buy music from allofmp3.com and I use a program called Anapod Explorer to add my files, playlists, etc. I also can use Anapod to bring my music back from my iPod to my PC in case of a HD crash. As long as the MS player supports regular old mp3s w/o DRM then I think it'll be a great competitor to the iPod, and within 3 years we'll start to see some fresh offerings on both sides.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. identicon
    Simon, 7 Jul 2006 @ 3:35am

    Never Happen

    This will never happen. Apple, or a hacker, can easily *DRM* your entire itunes library enough to spoof Microsoft into buying your entire library whether you purchased the music from iTunes or not. This could really be wrench in Microsoft's plans and I really don't see it happening for that reason.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. identicon
    Curious Yellow, 8 Jul 2006 @ 8:15am

    In the old days

    In the old days it when an LP was $6 and a cassette tape
    was a $1, one could save wear on the LP and have a copy that could go in a portable device (player or automobile)
    for skip-free enjoyment. My library was my own, and
    the LP still played on the stereo while the tape was out
    in the car.
    In the old days, no LP/turntable combination ever
    crashed, frooze, or locked-up a stereo system with
    an attempt by the LP distributor to prevent such a
    copy from being made.
    In the old days, one could go to a truck-stop and find a
    rack of 8-track tapes with titles a record store would
    not have on their shelves for not much more than the
    cost of the blank tape. A definite pirated copy with
    bad graphics or no graphics. (Don't worry RIAA, all
    such copies are no longer in use.)
    In the old days, I built my own mp3 library to put on
    CD-R disks that would play in a portable CD player,
    but despite skip-protection, would still be plagued by
    the bumps in the road. But my library was my own,
    the copy on the computer still played when I had a
    copy on my portable device.
    In these days, I bought an MP3 player that uses SD
    memory cards. Drag-and-drop to the SD card, skip-free
    enjoyment on the road. And still, my library is my own,
    self-managed and listenable on either system.

    -SeeWhy?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. identicon
    Bill, 10 Jul 2006 @ 5:33am

    Microsoft is Actually Spending Money?

    This is an amusing antidote to say the least. This is the first time, in a long while that I can remember that Microsoft is actually doing something for the benefit of it's consumers.

    However, before we start singing Microsoft's praises, the RIAA will still chime in and find some sort of argument that transfering music from one device to another, is not only not ethical but there should be an extra fee tacked on for the privledge of doing something that not only makes perfect sense but adds added convience to the customer.

    Let's just hope they will make it possible to play other formats other than their sickening WMA and the traditional MP3 format. Can we say OGG anyone?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. identicon
    JD, 10 Jul 2006 @ 8:50pm

    M$ just looking for more money.

    Psst kid buy our new toy, will give you free music downloads.

    What's so free about music you already paid for?? It would be good if they were to scan your itunes songs, and offer free downloads of songs that a similar.

    IE: You downloaded Aerosmith's " Jaded " with itunes, sothey offer you to download Aerosmith's " Crazy " or another song.

    Other than that, it's just a scam on the consumer.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. identicon
    JD, 10 Jul 2006 @ 8:50pm

    M$ just looking for more money.

    Psst kid buy our new toy, will give you free music downloads.

    What's so free about music you already paid for?? It would be good if they were to scan your itunes songs, and offer free downloads of songs that a similar.

    IE: You downloaded Aerosmith's " Jaded " with itunes, sothey offer you to download Aerosmith's " Crazy " or another song.

    Other than that, it's just a scam on the consumer.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  23. identicon
    DREi, 24 Jul 2006 @ 8:44am

    Re: iPod + DRM

    The Problem with this is that you use a 3rd party application to import MP3's and you shoudn't have to do that. it should be a given to use the MP3 format as well on the iPod

    link to this | view in thread ]

  24. identicon
    DSM, 18 Sep 2006 @ 7:37am

    Re: Bigger Picture

    Digital content is often viewed as "hard copy" content, whether on a disc or paper book. The rights of the original artist/writer/etc are not waived because it's in a digital form. Only hackers can subvert this, but it does not change the rights of the original content producer.

    If you were one of those people, I suspect your greed would move from it's hard position.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  25. identicon
    HG, 18 Dec 2006 @ 5:44am

    Windows stranglehold needs breaking

    Can't wait until Office is ported to Linux, and Xbox games are ported to PlayStation.

    Since iTunes isn't making Microsoft any money, it's locking in users. The only lock in I see is that we're being locked out from Microsoft only technology. I thank Apple for that.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  26. identicon
    Anthony Longoria, 15 Mar 2007 @ 7:49pm

    I think it is a good idea sisce i have no money to pay for music

    link to this | view in thread ]

  27. identicon
    james, 24 Apr 2007 @ 5:58am

    given an mp3 player

    hi good day
    i just want to ask you some thing then if you do it i will be very glad if you can send me a mp3 player i will be very greatful

    link to this | view in thread ]

  28. identicon
    hameater, 30 Oct 2007 @ 10:35am

    help of music

    dont get it how do u download rock band music sutch as aerosmith beatels moterhead matallica gun n roses red hot chili peppers or rolling stones...thin lizzy HELP

    link to this | view in thread ]

  29. identicon
    Bill Gates, 3 Mar 2008 @ 1:34am

    Declination of claim

    Microsoft wishes to inform you that your information is incorrect and from an fraud website. Microsoft has no intention of allowing computerists to transfer files from Itunes to any Microsoft program.Engadget has now been blacklisted by Microsoft your article may be terminated.

    Regards,
    Bill Gates
    ( Head of Microsoft)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  30. identicon
    anonymous, 24 Jun 2008 @ 1:51pm

    Megaupload downloading

    Most of my friends use this download center for a proper soft, music, programs etc at http://megaupload.name/

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.