The Carphone Warehouse have launched a new cloud based music service that will enable users to access their entire music collections remotely using computers or smart phones.
The technology behind ‘Music Anywhere’ creates a digital ‘fingerprint’ of a user’s music collection, which can be accessed through devices such as Blackberry and iPhones, using an app from anywhere in the world.
The app syncs with home libraries of music stored on computers, then making a cache of the most played songs, which users can access and play without the use of an Internet connection.
Of course, a key development in cloud technology is that music fans are no longer limited to what they have loaded onto their MP3 devices and the storage capacity of such players.
The Carphone Warehouse reportedly has deals in place with the ‘big four’ major music companies (Universal, Warner, Sony and EMI) alongside independent digital aggregators The Orchard and Merlin and will launch with a huge catalogue. The artists, labels and copyright owners will receive royalties from tracks played, in a model similar to that of royalties generated from radio plays.
The service will also get around the problem of music that is not yet available digitally but sits in a user’s library, burned from other formats such as cd and vinyl, by storing the tracks in digital lockers that can be accessed from the cloud.
Harry Malone, CEO of Catch Media, the company involved in creating the technology of ‘Music Anywhere’ told The Guardian: "I do think it has the potential to transform the industry because it provides a new source of revenue and will help to reduce piracy".
Generate debate: Are you surprised that The Carphone Warehouse beat major players such as Google and Apple to the punch? Does it have mass appeal? Will you be subscribing to ‘Music Anywhere’? Is this different to Spotify, in that the emphasis is on existing music collections rather than a more impulsive digital jukebox of tracks and playlists? Is the cloud all it is cracked up to be and will it help stamp out music piracy?
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