Music downloads with Sony
The future of CD sales looks doomed: it was predicted in a recent Forbes magazine survey that by 2012 sales from music downloads would outweigh sales of CDs.
Even that estimate looks to be shaky now as totally free, totally legal download sites have been given a huge boost in the unlikely form of Sony BMG. Sony BMG is not renowned for assisting any aspect of music downloads, and certainly not for endorsing sites that actively encourage it.
We7 – Peter Gabriel’s fledgling free music download service – has done the impossible and secured Sony’s backing for its venture. From the end of April all of Sony’s back catalogue will be available completely free for streaming from the site. In terms of securing a future for the site, and for music downloads in general, this is a coup of epic proportions.
Interestingly there are rumors of many other partnerships between big name industry players: mobile provider 02 has announced a partnership with music download giant Napster, who are also in talks with Vodafone. Interesting times for music downloads and for us, the users.
Related Articles
Posted in General
March 25th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
[...] BMG has long been the arch-nemesis of the music downloads. Now it has apparently switched sides to become stable-mate We7, Peter Gabriel’s ad-supported [...]
March 26th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
[...] one-time staunch opponent of anything that resembled a music download, Sony BMG have agreed to supply their entire back catalogue for users of Peter Gabriel’s We7 [...]
March 26th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
[...] Music downloads are having a particularly interesting time of late: 24-7 Entertainment is preparing to launch unlimited mobile music downloads for a Nordic provider; mobile provider 02 has announced a partnership with music download giant Napster; Napster is also in talks with mobile giant Vodafone. [...]
March 26th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
[...] world stands up, shocked, to take notice. If there were every to be an emphatic announcement that free music downloads were the future of the music industry, then this is [...]
May 6th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
[...] What others others are saying: Music downloads will surpass CD sales in four years Music downloads with Sony [...]
May 6th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
[...] What others are saying: Music downloads will surpass CD sales in four years Music downloads with Sony [...]
May 13th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
[...] groups are leaping on the free music downloads bandwagon (excuse the pun) and offering entire albums for free – or at least very close to it. Last year [...]
May 13th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
[...] site and choose how much to pay for the album which essentially resulted in the possibility of free music downloads. This year Nine Inch Nails are offering their newest album entirely for free – there is not even [...]
May 14th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
[...] as singles from their 2007 album Year Zero. A few months ago Trent and the gang offered more free music downloads to fans who could download sections of “Ghosts I-IV”, an instrumental album released with a [...]