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Apple buys Lala music service. Could streaming iTunes be on the way?
Apple has reportedly just purchased Lala, a music service probably best known as a partner in Google's new music search results. Lala offers streaming access to its music library at a rate of 10 cents a track for unlimited replays. Does this mean a cheap streaming option will eventually come to iTunes?
Lala doesn't have a huge user base, so perhaps Apple is planning its own streaming music service to compete with the promising new generation of streaming services like Mog All Access and Spotify (which is anticipated to land in the US in 2010). Some sources are saying that Apple is very interested in Lala's payment system, which sells bulk song credits and thus requires fewer credit card transactions than Apple's current system.
Lala stores users' music in the cloud, so it wouldn't be a stretch for Apple to use this technology to provide users with streaming access to the songs in their iTunes libraries. Rebuying your library at 10 cents a song for streaming access wouldn't be horrifyingly expensive, and Apple would get to cash in again on songs it's already sold for 99 cents a pop. It's way too early to know Apple's actual plan for Lala, but it seems like a smart, forward-looking acquisition to me.
[via Wired]
Comments
6
Subscribe to commentsmattDec 5th 2009 4:23AM
I like Lala and use it regularly. Apple is going to GUT the company and the thing I love will be destroyed by Apple. If MS did the same thing people would be pissed off.
CharlieDec 5th 2009 7:07AM
If anyone remembers, Lala used to be a wonderful cd trading website until they turned their backs on their loyal customers by shrinking (then hiding) the service. After incrementally wasting our time, they thought we'd all be converts to streaming music. No love lost if Apple does gut it.
btdownDec 5th 2009 9:08AM
Guess I have to stop using Lala now. I was using it because it was NOT apple.
Itunes is crap and I expect they will infect lala too. Guess i have to find somewhere else to go.
IvanDec 5th 2009 12:17PM
6000 songs * .10 = $600
Hell no!
david bDec 5th 2009 12:18PM
I too am a Lala user... I hope Apple doesn't ruin it. I've been waiting for Lala to come out with a desktop app, but now I guess they'll just integrate it into iTunes, unfortunately. It probably also means there wont be a mobile Lala app that isn't tied to an iPhone.
ccJan 28th 2010 6:05PM
one thing you missed is that lala allows you to upload music you've already downloaded to them for playback on any computer.
so you won't have to re-buy old music and it allows you to have one central music source that you sync with lala and you'll have access to your entire collection where ever you go.