I’ll move to Linux thanks Amarok

Damien says, one of the biggest problems with Linux has always been a lack of strength in its media players. Amarok v2 is now in the pipe and its looking great.

The Amarok 1 client which most Linux users had to use (it was the best option) really lacked in its options for managing artists, albums, compilations as it relied on a database driven columns view. I never found that easy to use.

Amarok 2 looks to be offering more for those jumping to Ubuntu or other friendly Linux flavours. As Lifehacker puts it … There’s a lot less button clutter than with 1.x, the left-hand column has some of the familiar left-hand tabs—Collection, Playlists, Files—plus there’s a new “Internet” tab, where you find friendly things like last.fm and wikipedia support.

and you can see that Amarok 2 will now work on OS X and Windows!

Source: lifehacker.com and Amarok.kde.org

Vodafone UK launched new music mobile client

Vodafone UK has launched “Vodafone Music” a new, simple way to allow customers to discover and buy music anytime and anyplace.

Key features of Vodafone Music:

• User friendly visual library – search by track, artist, album or genre to find what you are looking for quickly and simply
• View album art and preview songs before buying
• Improved charts including new releases, top downloads and local sales charts
• Previous customers with a new handset can use the “Activate My Phone” option to gain access to and retrieve all previous downloads at no extra cost
• All downloaded music can be played in the music player on the phone

The new app is embeded in a number of handsets already - either under the Applications menu (see Sony Ericsson). Initially its available on 11 handsets: SonyEricsson: W910, W890 ,W880, W850, V640, V630, K850, K800, K770, K610 and Nokia: N73

I hope we can have the N95 version available soon

Source: http://www.vodafone.com/start/media_relations/news/local_press_releases/uk_press_releases/2007/music_experience.html

Whats your media player?

I’m starting a reader survey on Media Players - as there are a few assumptions I wanted to prove or understand.

1. If you have an iPod, iPhone or iTouch you use iTunes

2. You use Winamp casue you don’t want to use iTunes or WMP

3. you use windows media player as its the only thing you know or its the only one on your PC / Laptop

4. You use one of the new cross platform media centres or media servers as you’ve got a collection of music

5. You use linux and also stuck for choice so its Amarokfor you

Just add a comment to VOTE

I think there are many new media players out there that people haven’t heard of but would make a switch if they knew it was easy, had a better set of features or was marketed to them with some relevant feature.

For reference, I use Winamp and almost always have done so as I consider iTunes and WMP both to be ‘mainstream’. I use lots of different media players and am now looking at home media servers.

Vodafone live music awards 2008 Vote Now

The reunited the Verve have been shortlisted for next month’s Vodafone Live Music awards for both best live act and best live return.

The band are joined in the best live act category - won last year by Arctic Monkeys - by Kaiser Chiefs, Primal Scream and Muse. Last year’s best female Amy Winehouse is up against Duffy, Kate Nash and Estelle. The best male category will be between Paul Weller, Morrissey, Dizzee Rascal and Mark Ronson. Joining the Verve for best live return are Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin and Spice Girls. The awards, now in their third year, will be given out on September 18.

You can vote now - http://www.vodafonemusic.co.uk/awards2008/index.aspx

source: the guardian

Music file sharing on the up and up

Damien Saunders says -research shows continued growth in file-sharing and downloading of mp3s is now common place. This survey supports the view that prosecuting the mass population is not the right approach by the labels and rights associations.

British Music Rights research shows that file-sharing is done by a large number of people and even more are downloading music.

Music week reports these findings:

42% of those surveyed say they have uploaded files.

63% of people illegally download

48% of tracks on the average MP3 player are not paid for

just 15% of respondents are persuaded not to upload because of the risk of getting caught

95% engage in some form of copying

Source: http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1034563&c=1

Buy music from your pc and mobile with Vodafone

Vodafone has launched its Vodafone Music Manager software for your PC. The new software allows you to browse, buy and play music on your computer. Additionally it will sync or sideload music to your mobile phone.

When you shop, you are buying songs and tracks encoded with Windows DRM, but you are able to copy this to a number of devices and of course burn to CD.

Sideloading is simple -  as the DRM rights object gets sent to your phone when you buy something. Connect your phone to the PC, run the software and select the tracks to copy.

Vodafone Music Manager is currently available in Germany and Italy. You might need to click on the link to Music Manager after confirming you are running windows/internet explorer.

Vodafone to launch iPhone in emerging markets

Vodafone today announced it has signed an agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone in ten of its markets around the globe. Later this year, Vodafone customers in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey will be able to purchase the iPhone for use on the Vodafone network.

Madonna live showcase with Vodafone

Damien Saunders says: Shows how far technology has come to enable Vodafone users in 14 countries to watch Madonna perform fron New York on their mobile or PC

FROM NEW YORK’S ROSELAND BALLROOM ON 30 APRIL 2008

• Show to be broadcast live on 30 April 2008 from Roseland Ballroom in New York City on Vodafone live! and from www.vodafone.com/music
• Social networking technology will allow customers to chat to other online show goers and change camera angles to capture the atmosphere, excitement and vibe of this unique event
• Vodafone customers will have an opportunity to win tickets to the event and become one of the lucky few to see Madonna perform in person

This has many implications - first is drive awareness of Vodafone Music as not just a ringtones shop and could now help internet usage. This will showcase state of the art technology with a simulcast live on PC and mobile.

The show will also be replayed on mobile for up to 2 weeks and users can join a replay on their PC at specific times and chat to others watching the show.

Hard Candy - Madonna Music Mobile

Hard Candy - Madonna’s new album today is available exclusively on your mobile in a number of countries from New Zealand to the UK.

Each day customers can download to their mobile or PC one track from the album - 7 tracks in 7 days and on the last day, all tracks from the album will be available.

This is a first for Madonna as we all learned when 4 Minutes was made available also to Vodafone around the world in an exclusive.

Apple to standardise iTunes prices in Europe

comment: The reason that Apple charges different retail prices in each market is due to the differences in wholesale prices charged in each market by the major labels. Apple could use this as leverage against the labels to lower their prices in all major EU markets

Apple today announced that within six months it will lower the prices it charges for music on its UK iTunes Store to match the already standardised pricing on iTunes across Europe in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain. Apple currently must pay some record labels more to distribute their music in the UK than it pays them to distribute the same music elsewhere in Europe. Apple will reconsider its continuing relationship in the UK with any record label that does not lower its wholesale prices in the UK to the pan-European level within six months.

source: http://www.apple.com/uk/pr/2008/01/080109_itunespricing.html