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Lala: The return of my.mp3.com
mathewingram.com/work —
... . Users could simply have the service scan a compact disc and then the songs would be unlocked online, so that they could be listened to anywhere there was Internet access. It was a great service, and like Harry I was pretty sad to see it get shut down after a lawsuit from EMI (Michael has since tried to create a similar service at mp3tunes.com, which is ...
Michael Robertson: Thoughts on Lala.com
mathewingram.com/work —
Since Lala’s newly-relaunched music service includes a “music locker” feature that is virtually identical to one that Michael Robertson pioneered with MyMP3.com back in 2000 — only to ultimately be sued into oblivion by the RIAA — I emailed him to get his thoughts on what the company is doing, and how things have (or haven’t) changed since he first launched MP3.com. Here’s what he said in response:
“I really admire what Lala is trying to do. Their user interface is nice and concept as you pointed out is one I championed in ...
Lala Opens Music Locker and DRM-free MP3 Store
Zatz Not Funny! —
... The streaming and “syncing” feature sounds very familiar to me. You know why? Because it is almost exactly the type of “music locker” service we once knew as MyMp3.com (don’t go there, it’s an adult site now) and mp3tunes.com which still exists but is being sued by the the record labels. So here I guess the labels think it’s okay because they’ve put their restrictions on the streaming rules and they are getting paid royalties. The business model is similar to Rhapsody except it’s pay per tune, instead of pay per month, for music streaming. It’ll appeal to people ...
Learn from CD Baby and make $20 million without stress
The Next Web —
... who has had a long string of successes followed by stress. He formally started MP3.com and lost it to legal assaults in the first bubble and now is again in the midst of yet another legal wrangle with EMI who have been at him and his latest business MP3Tunes like a dog with a bone, currently demanding everything from his home to the toilet paper he uses in the mornings! ...
Mike Robertson open letter to EMI
p2pnet news —
p2pnet news view Music:- What do music sharing genius Michael Robertson and massive illegal file sharing criminal (according to the RIAA) Marie Lindor have in common? - p2pnet asked earlier today, going on:
“MP3Tunes owner Michael Robertson recently said EMI has been engaging in massive free online distribution, ‘using its own websites, using music blogs and other third party sites, and employing paid content delivery networks, of its song files, including the song files which it alleges MP3 is infringing,’ posted Ray Beckerman in ...
@ MidemNet: MP3.com's Robertson Vs EMI's Nicoli: A Legal Divide; Music Biz Failed Like Wall Street
paidContent —
An extraordinary spectacle to open this weekend's MidemNet digital music conference in Cannes, France. MP3.com founder Michael Robertson, named on the speaker agenda, couldn't be here in person after all - because terms of EMI's lawsuit against his MP3Tunes music site prevented him being on stage with ex EMI Music CEO Eric Nicoli.
Instead, Robertson appeared above Nicoli's head, on the big screen from California via video link - a potent reminder the gulf between labels and technologists is still all too wide, the legal animosity all too prescient.
EMI under Nicoli issued a 2007 ...
EMI Suing More Music Sites For Offering 'Playable Search'
paidContent —
Seeqpod's founders must feel like Mike Robertson about now. Just as EMI is suing the MP3.com founder for his Sideload site, the label and its Capitol imprint have now filed suit against Seeqpod for copyright infringement, VentureBeat writes. Warner already sued Seeqpod, which doesn't host tracks but which provides a search index and player for them, in January 2008. Unlike Warner's, EMI's case is personal - just as it targeted Robertson personally, the label has named founder and Seqqpod CEO Kazian Franks and investors Raf Podowski as Shekhar Lodha defendants. Not only that. ...
Ask a Geek Girl: How Do I Sync My iPod to Three Computers?
GeekSugar —
Dear geeksugar,
I use three computers. I have a desktop with all my old data, a laptop for home use and a work computer. Over the last couple of years my music library has spread across all three machines. How do I sync my iPod up with them all without losing my playlists and ...
Spotify, Napster and The Quest For Premium Music Dollars
TechCrunch —
This guest post on the struggles of online music services to reach profitability is written by Michael Robertson, the founder of music sites MP3.com and MP3Tunes, as well as a number of non-music related startups like Gizmo and Dealpedia. As one of the first entrepreneurs to battle the music labels over an online service, he has a unique perspective on the scene.
A new music service called Spotify has attracted millions of users in a short time with the enticing lure of listening to any common song on your computer free. ...
MP3Tunes Founder declares online music streaming death
901am —
... In a guest post for Techcrunch the founder of MP3.com and MP3Tunes, Michael Robertson, declares the actual online music streaming climate death.
The music selling and radio business is increasingly being commoditized. Profits are being squeezed to the point of unsustainability. This spells pending doom for imeem, Pandora, Myspace Music, Slacker and the newest entrant Spotify unless there is an industry-upheaving royalty rate change.
After analyzing both the massively hyped Spotify and the under Best Buy rebooted ...
Michael Robertson on importance of open formats
TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home —
CNet has an interesting interview with Michael Robertson, the man behind the original version of MP3.com, Linspire Linux, and now MP3tunes.com.
Most of the interview involves Robertson’s many battles with the music industry, and persistence with the mp3 format in spite of naysayers—well worth reading, but not particularly applicable to e-books.
However, this part strikes a chord with what TeleRead has been saying about the importance of open formats. Robertson had been discussing how, in 1997, Real had 85% of the market and was ...
How To: Back Up All Your Stuff, For Free [How To]
Gizmodo —
People don't neglect backing up their computers because it's hard—it isn't, at all. No, people file into the inevitable death march of data loss for one reason: Backing up usually costs money. But it doesn't have to. When your concerned friends and family insist that you have to back your data up, they're effectively telling you two things: That backing up your data will save you a massive headache in the future, because more likely the not, your hard drive will fail; and, less bluntly, that you need to buy a hard drive. And who wants to do that? It's hard to lay out ...
MP3tunes Founder Fights Court Decision That Could Help Music Labels Bankrupt Him
TechCrunch —
Two years ago, a bunch of labels affiliated to music giant EMI Group sued both MP3tunes and its infamous founder Michael Robertson – former founder and CEO of MP3.com and currently running VoIP startup Gizmo5 – over alleged copyright infringement. A year ago, a judge did the sensible thing and tossed out the part of the case that could personally bankrupt the man.
Fast forward to about two weeks ago, when a new ruling gave EMI again a way to go after Robertson’s personal assets in court.
That poor decision was ...
