Like any good CEO, Microsoft head honcho Steve Ballmer is happy talking about the social sharing and other cool features of Microsoft’s Zune music player. Unfortunately, his words don’t match up with the actions of his partners at Sony and Universal Music Group
There are now reports that nearly 40% of the songs purchased or acquired through the ZunePass cannot be shared.
Most of the songs that that fall in the cannot be shared category are from a company that thinks all its customers are thieves - Universal Music Group. UMG had cut a special deal with Microsoft, and is getting at least a $1 a Zune. (Insert: marry to the mob joke here!) Sony Music is the other label with some sharing restrictions. Public Knowledge has a pretty fair and balanced overview of the situation.
3 comments so far
4:15 PM PT
With the digital music market as mature as it is, it just doesn’t make any sense to launch something unless you’ve got the killer solution worked out and everyone on board.
OF COURSE some of the labels object to the sharing feature…that’s what they were born to do! Why did MS feel the need to advertise something that they knew would be crippled at launch?
It’s not 2001 anymore, people. You can’t launch music services that suck and expect people to forgive the shortcomings.
8:21 AM PT
The sharing feature isn’t what most people would buy it for really (definitely considering how restricted it is now), Microsoft ought to concentrate on telling people just how nice an audio and video player it is, or soup-up the sharing in a firmware update and go for it!
2:37 PM PT
I am helping to spread the word about an MSN sweepstakes going on right now. If anyone is interested in trying to win a free Zune, they should enter.
People who make MSN their homepage have the opportunity to win a free Zune. The promotion can be found at (link) .
They are giving away 50 Zunes, and the contest closes on Feb 28, with random drawing of all 50 winners on or about March 14.
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