AOL Music Now Relaunches Music Service

Planetrudy writes "Reuters reports that AOL has launched a new version of its Music Now subscription service. It's web-based, slick, performs well (fast page loads and downloads), and contains over 2.5M songs and 'thousands of videos.' This launch seems to be in line with AOL's 'tearing down the wall around the garden' strategy."

Tear down the wall, but give the user a tether.

[Tackhead]

> AOL said digital media on the service can play directly from a Web browser without the need to download a standalone software application, as with Apple Computer Inc.'s popular iTunes service. It is also compatible with Microsoft Corp.'s PlayforSure compatible portable devices.

Translation: If you're using Windows, you have an MS DRM-compliant player (Windows Media Player) installed. You therefore don't need iTunes. It gives you DRM-cripped windows media files, and it requires that you run IE, with ActiveX and Javascript turned on.

Tearing down the wall around the garden? Hardly. Just changing the name spraypainted on the Gates.

AOLs track record

[IflyRC]

Personally I'd be afraid to purchase anything from them. With AOLs history, I'd expect to be signing up for one of those CD clubs where you get a CD every month for life and can't cancel. I can see that with AOL. Also, it makes me fear for my personal information. Should I cancel the service, will my information be sold? Leaked? How in-depth will their sales reporting data be?

Last month you purchased the new album from SomeStupidArtist - we thought you'd like to hear the new release from a similar group called SomeStudidTeenAct

Re:Russia

[jb.hl.com]

Or you could "donate" some money by buying a CD or using iTunes/MSN Music/Napster. Then you can boycott AOL, get music, AND give the artists (and everyone else involved with making a record) money! Everyone wins!

Re:Tear down the wall, but give the user a tether.

[jb.hl.com]

Be fair though, this is an AOL service. It's hardly targeted at Firefox/Linux/Winamp/whatever users, it's targeted squarely at people who don't want to, for whatever reason, use something other than Windows Media Player. For those people this service will do admirably.

Re:Strategy?

[alcmaeon]

Let' see, AOL invented the $14.95/month from everyone forever strategy and it got them where they are today--the verge of bankruptcy. It sounds really good, but I'm thinking something is left out of the formula. Maybe they should add value for the expense. Or maybe "consumers" don't really like being a perpetual money drip for corps.

Note to Microsoft: No one in his right mind will "rent" Windows Vista, but AOL would like company in its misery.

Re:Nothing to see here folks, move along...

[OverlordQ]

1) It's still pay-to-play (you stop paying, songs stop playing)

Well yea, it's a subscription service. If you go rent a rug doctor you dont get to keep it after your rental period is up.

Re:Nothing to see here folks, move along...

[rearden]

I wish people would stop listing "doesn't play on iPod" as a reason the service is no good. If the Apple Fan Boys are not happy that does it not play well with iPod - then complain to APPLE! This is not the sites fault, it is the fault of APPLE which REFUSES to license FairPlay to anyone. While this is Apple right, dont hold that against others. I dislike MS as much as most, but at least their system gives me SOME choices in different sales sites, different players, etc. Apple makes all the choices for me- iPod and iTunes - and nothing else. I for one would like say... a changeable battery!

PS: Before you get all up in a huff saying "iPod's support MP3's" well yeah but like it or not (and I for one do not) none of the major RIAA companies will license music for non-DRM download. Get over it, that is not a valid argument as a way to have other sites support iPod and we all know it.