Yahoo readies iTunes rival for launch

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Web giant Yahoo is poised to launch a new digital store and music player, aiming to compete more directly with Apple Computer's successful iTunes service, according to sources familiar with the project.

As previously reported, Yahoo has been working on the project along with digital-music wholesaler MusicNet since before the $160 million purchase of rival music company Musicmatch. Sources familiar with Yahoo's plans said the new store and software had been scheduled to debut early this week but that the launch date was pushed back. Representatives from Yahoo and MusicNet declined to comment for this story.

Yahoo's full-fledged entry into the digital-music retail business could help shift a market that has remained tilted strongly in Apple's favor. Yahoo has already built a large and loyal following for its streaming-music and video service, and could parlay that into music sales. Indeed, the company's Launchcast radio services was the highest-rated Webcasting service online in January, according to ratings firm Arbitron and ComScore Media Metrix, attracting more than 2.2 million people that month.

News source: C|Net News.com

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#1 Djmutik1013 on 08 Mar 2005 - 15:34

Full of spyware, adware and junkware

(3 replies) #2 Jstphish on 08 Mar 2005 - 15:42

All I can say is Yahoo has a lot of work ahead of them.

#2.1 m0rpheen on 08 Mar 2005 - 16:06

yupp... far too late in the game to become a serious RIVAL

#2.2 YaddaMe on 09 Mar 2005 - 00:12

Too late? Are you kidding? Digital music sales are still in their infancy.... anyone with the proper software & clever marketing can become king of the mountain.

Granted, Apple being first (and getting it right from the start) has a big advantage, but it's far too early to know what, or who, will become the market leader.

#2.3 eminem213486 on 10 Mar 2005 - 00:55

haha. apple is NOT the first. dont start that already. but yes they did it right... somewhat. but dont like to play well.

(1 reply) #3 wicker_man on 08 Mar 2005 - 15:42

Apple has got the cream of the digital music sales already, as well as portable music players. Everyone tries to bring them down, but it's not the same anymore, as 'me-too' products rarely beat the products they impersonate. Meanwhile Apple is probably working on something else...

#3.1 Scorcho on 09 Mar 2005 - 03:54

likewise Apple once dominated the personal computer market before they fell by the wayside. rarely do single-company monopolies hold for long.

#4 doubledragonxz on 08 Mar 2005 - 16:41

They have Launch, the radio streaming service, already and adding a music store is just a natural step for Yahoo!, which can become a contender if their big consumer base follows their new tactics.

#5 antareus on 08 Mar 2005 - 16:51

Yahoo, as usual, is late to the game in a thoroughly 'me too' fashion.

#6 XanDaMan on 08 Mar 2005 - 17:02

But music match is ass. Their current sotre is a direct clone of itunes. And their software just aint nice to browse music in, and if I wana paly a file directly, I'd rather use winamp.

(2 replies) #7 BGuillaume on 08 Mar 2005 - 17:32

QUOTE

That was the biggest crap I've ever read. yahoo never had any spyware in their soft...are dumb enough too mix it up with a cookie ?

Just ONE, tell me ONE thing Yahoo has been "late" with?

But music match is ass

Elected best player 5 times in a row...

#7.1 mko on 09 Mar 2005 - 02:02

hahahahaha

#7.2 antareus on 09 Mar 2005 - 12:37

OK, how about being late with desktop search?

I've never seen someone defend MusicMatch, either. This is epic.

(2 replies) #8 Xtreme $niper on 08 Mar 2005 - 17:33

Hurray for taking the article i posted and calling it your own!

#8.1 antareus on 09 Mar 2005 - 12:37

Why do you care?

#8.2 chacho on 09 Mar 2005 - 23:45

Guess what? No one gives a **** who submitted the story!

#9 daveoc64 on 08 Mar 2005 - 20:42

Why do they need to bother? What about the 1000s of other "iPod killers" that were released last year? We all know they totally wiped out Apple's market share!

#10 chacho on 08 Mar 2005 - 20:48

If they don't have a product like the iPod to go with it, it won't win. Simple as that.

#11 dhitb on 09 Mar 2005 - 06:28

Unless the format is MP3, OGG, or a loosely-based DRM AAC file, it will be doomed to fail just as Napster 2.0 et al. I don't care for the article enough to even skim through the whole thing so I don't know if they've announced a format yet, but I think it would most likely end up as WMA.

#12 antareus on 09 Mar 2005 - 12:39

The funny thing is, roughly every month a company readies an "iTunes/iPod killer" and proudly announces it to the press. Then, we don't hear anything else from them again.

#13 Da22in on 11 Mar 2005 - 02:09

Yahoo is going to kick iTunes' arse. Those fanboys who disagree need to understand Yahoo's significance and amount of traffic that passes through it's servers.

The iPod is overpriced,overhyped, and a POS. iTunes is overpriced and a rip off scheme between Apple and the RIAA. The success of both is a result of marketing and trendy, ignorant sheeple.

I could really care less though. I don't own or want a portable mp3 player and I download all music for free.

Yeah - you don't agree so I'm a troll - we all know the drill......

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