Meh
i think i will stick with Spotify
French internet outfit Deezer is bringing its YASMS (or Yet Another Streaming Music Service) to the UK. It's FFU-compliant (Far From Unique). The UK has no shortage of music streaming services already: We7 was the first to get established, and Spotify launched in the UK over two years ago. In France, Deezer claims to have six …
I don't think that the problem is that all the services are pretty much identical, it's more that we now have an online streaming model that appears to work well with the punters in Spotify, and that it's one the labels are happy with as well.
Look at how long it took Spotify to get up and running, all the legal hassles it had, and the grief the labels gave it. Then when it took off in a major way, the labels were right behind it
Now, other companies see that the labels themselves are happy to work with that model, so they just copy it rather than have to jump through ridiculous hoops with new ideas/services.
The labels have accepted online models, but as we've seen so many times in the past, they're reluctant to the point of being Luddites in accepting anything else new. So, for the time being, the Spotify way of doing business with the labels will probably be the best we can expect to see.
Here in France pretty much everyone uses Deezer at home. It has a relatively good selection of artists and it's easier to let people use it at a party than to let them touch your vinyl, cds and/or mess about with your mp3s.
I have a Deezer Premium account that came free with my Orange mobile account. It allows offline listening, although you have to synchronize first and the files are encrypted on the hard drive. It wasn't at all a factor in the contract I chose but I have to admit that the android app gets used a lot; with a premium account you get unlimited mobile streaming.
Will I do? Got it on my phone, been having some serious nostalgia moments with their selection of '80s songs. Set up a playlist, sync'd it, now I can listen when I want as often as I want even when there is no signal... Plus, downloading or streaming from Deezer doesn't deduct from my monthly allocation.
I've been using mflow since Spotify limited free accounts. No ads, so enjoying while it lasts.
I've used Deezer before (it's actually worked in the UK for ages), it's alright, but I don't think the UI is any better than we7, and with limits even worse than Spotify, I tend to forget it even exists.
1. find a singer or band whose music has not been licensed for digital streaming or downloads ( there are quite a few, enough to suit all musical tastes )
2. locate examples of their music on one of these streaming/downloading services
3. complain to them that they're pirating these tracks
4. when they reply that they have been licensed to use these tracks by a major label (and they will), point out that the label has no rights to do this which means the service is indeed a pirate since there is no way of paying the artist(s)
5. for bonus points, add that you've passed on details to the artist(s) in question who have a history of successful litigation in such matters and express the hope that the contract between service and major label sets out clearly who is liable in such cases (which it wont)
Oh yes, that would be the corrupt regime where downloading stuff is illegal, yet our blank media hasn't gone down in price, implying we're *still* paying the long-standing levy - for an act that is now no longer lawful.
I'm not sure what is more surprising: the shit that gets push through government, or the shit that we're (still) willing to put up with...
Erm... I can't remember the last time I burnt anything to disc.
My extensive collection of (royalty free and legally obtained) downloaded music is on hard drive and if I want some of it when I'm out and about it's a simple matter of copying it to a memory stick for the car stereo or to my mp3 player.
They can charge what they want for blank media... I haven't bought any in years.
Mine's the one with the 32GB X-Fi in the pocket.