Microsoft hooks GarageBand
p2pnet.net News:- Microsoft’s MSN Music is to feature five GarageBand.com artists, “in a deal both companies said is aimed at giving little-known musicians access to a broader audience,” says an Associated Press story.
Cynics, such as ourselves, would say this is actually a blatant marketing ploy to attract users to Microsoft’s own plastic music ’service’- and a way for Bill and the Boyz to score a mark against Apple.
Some GarageBand groups already have their songs listed under Creative Commons and now Geoff Byrd, Portland, Oregon, Anne Heaton, New York City, Rowdee Black Giants, Philadelphia, Trip 2 Go Tampa Bay, and Sci-Fi Lullably, Whittier, CA, are under the MS banner – with MS charging the usual Big Music rip-off dollar-a-download.
“The alliance with GarageBand.com will help music fans easily discover their next favorite band without spending hours scouring multiple Web sites or local CD stores,” says a breathless puff piece from Microsoft in obvious reference to the fact the vast majority of knowledgeable music lovers get their fixes from the p2p networks.
“To help music fans discover this new talent, MSN Music will feature one free track from each artist,” says MS. “Their albums will be available for purchase from their custom artist pages.”
Byrd’s CD goes for a pricey $14 on the GarageBand site.
Be that as it may, this is the thin edge of a large wedge and you can be sure the operators of other corporate music sites will be scrambling to organize their own deals with ‘indendent’ artists and labels.
Expect to see p2p in the mainstream as an up-front corporate marketing, sales and distribution vehicle – and soon.
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See:-
broader audience – Microsoft to work with indie music site GarageBand.com, Associated Press, November 16, 2004
Creative Commons – GarageBand gets Creative, p2pnet, June 7, 2004
November 16th, 2004 at 10:53 pm
What isn’t mentioned is that the MSN music dept Head Honcho’s brother is the one who founded GarageBand.
Too close for comfort?
November 16th, 2004 at 11:05 pm
know any more?
December 15th, 2004 at 2:35 pm
This is Ali Partovi, CEO of GarageBand.com writing.
It is true that Hadi Partovi, my brother, was until recently the general manager of the MSN Music service. However, everybody remotely involved in the negotiation knows that if anything this made it more difficult, not easier, to forge a deal, as both parties wanted to avoid any perception of favoritism. The negotiation had to go through a different channel and Hadi was not involved directly.
It would be “too close for comfort” if all the other music services were embracing dozens of indie music sites, and MSN somehow did a special favor to exclusively work with GarageBand.com. However, the reality is the opposite. At least so far, very few other music services has shown as much interest in indie music as MSN has shown. GarageBand.com works closely with Live365 and MSN and is hoping to close deals with more music services in 2005.
humbly yours,
Ali Partovi
CEO, GarageBand.com