OD2 launches UK music download store 1 day ahead of Apple
Posted on 14/06/04 14:12 by Seán Byrne                             
OD2 launches UK music download store 1 day ahead of Apple

OD2 SonicSelector has launched its music download service in the UK, just one day ahead of Apple's predicted UK launch date.  Like OD2's other retail partner's, it will offer music as pay-per-download and pay-per-listen.  Consumers can listen to full tracks at 1p/1c per play and download tracks for 75p/99c a pop. 

 

SonicSelector works through Windows Media Player through the use of its proprietary plug-in and will work on Microsoft's OS only.  It features a 350,000 library of songs and purchased downloads can be recorded to CD or transferred to a suitable WMA compatible player.  GristyMcFisty submitted the following news via our  news submit :

UK-based digital music distributor On Demand Distribution (OD2) today launched its own a la carte download service, a day ahead of Apple's anticipated European iTunes Music Store launch.

The new service not only provides downloads by a novel 1p-a-go on-demand jukebox feature.

OD2's SonicSelector will be made available through OD2's retail partners. One of them is UK cableco NTL, which today said it was also touting Napster's download and subscription services.

Other partners include MTV, ISPs Tiscali and MSN, and PC maker Packard Bell. SonicSelector is available in the UK, France, Germany and Italy.

OD2 announced last summer that it would offer a download service alongside its traditional subscription-based offerings. Coca Cola's MyCokeMusic was the first to use the new system when it launched in the UK this past January.

The Windows-only SonicSelector is backed by a 350,000-strong song catalogue - half of Napster's 700,000 selection, a figure Apple is also expected to tout tomorrow.

 

With the recent launch of Napster in the UK, this service will at least add some competition to online music services in the UK.  With several music download services running in the UK and Europe, it will be interesting to see how it competes once it does finally start up in Europe or the UK.  iTunes was one of the first to start-up in the US and so far it is in no hurry to start up elsewhere.

 

Feel free to discuss and find out more about online music download services on our Music Downloads, P2P & Legal Issues Forum.

Source: The Register

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Reactions
Discuss this article with your fellow community members! We appreciate your valuable input, but please keep the reaction policy in mind and make sure your reaction is constructive.
By zulu9812, Monday 14 June 2004 15:58
zulu9812Let me spell it out for the uncomprehending businesses: I-W-I-L-L-N-O-T-P-A-Y-M-O-N-E-Y-F-O-R-D-R-M It's as simple as that
By Nila, Monday 14 June 2004 17:11
I gotta say, I quite like the sounds of the pay per play scheme and the price (1p) sounds fair to me. I cant think of any songs I LOVE listening to and would want to hear more than 50 times at the MOST for the VERY good ones. This means it would cost me 50p for the song over my lifetime which sounds alot more reasonable. It also lets me test out songs and see if I like them without wasting £1 getting them. Paying 1p to test a song sounds fair enough - covers costs for them :P I think that sounds like a good pricing policy and the first one I've heard of at all that makes me think 'hmm, I might actually consider trying that legally'. Even thou, having said that, it'd fully depend on how much the DRM made it a pain in the ass for me to put on my mp3 player etc.
By jab1981, Monday 14 June 2004 18:28
Zulu... Has the thought occured to you that perhaps it's not that the business are uncomprehensive, but perhaps as a business that's selling hundreds of millions of songs they simply don't care what you personally will pay for? I think it's as simple as that.
By Seán, Monday 14 June 2004 19:20
SeánI also agree with the pay-per-play scheme. It will give a competitive advantage over apple at least Smilie The only issue now is that it is limited to PC only as I cannot see how a pay-per-play scheme would work on a portable player without authorising the 1p payment each time the user pushes 'play'. Stick Out Tongue OD2 Eircom's music service in Ireland offers this same capability and also gives the option to get unlimited listening to a song for one year at 10c/song (temporary download). The only thing I do not like about OD2's service is their use of WMA. While I'm happy enough of them allowing the user to record their own Audio-CD's, I do not like the annoying audible artefacts WMA has, even at 128kbps 2-pass VBR encoding. puke
By zulu9812, Tuesday 15 June 2004 13:02
zulu9812I think I'm quite safe in thinking that I am not alone
By knepleyp, Tuesday 15 June 2004 19:29
Then goto allofmp3.com , 1 cent a meg for any format you want at any bitrate. Althought some true pirates will still find a complaint with the site i'm guessing. devil
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