What Don Reisinger loves about MySpace Music
As someone who spends most of his day on the computer, I need to do everything I can to keep myself entertained. Sometimes, that manifests itself in games and other times I find entertainment on the Web through online music services.
For years, I used Pandora, the song discovery service powered by the Music Genome Project, and loved every minute of it. But over the past couple months, things have changed and I’ve quickly started to dedicate all my music time to MySpace Music.
The reasons why are numerous, but I should first note that I’ve got some issue with the service. First off, it’s inundated with ads, and no matter where you go, you can bet that any MySpace Music page will be flanked by blinking advertisements or other unwelcome additions that detract somewhat from an otherwise outstanding service.
I should also mention that MySpace Music doesn’t allow its users to share playlists, which is a bit annoying. You also can’t have it "on-the-go" nearly as easily as you can with a site like Pandora, which offers a mobile app for those who want to hear music while away from their computer.
Other than that, though, I simply love MySpace Music. It’s the single reason why my love affair with Pandora is over and it’s my first destination when I want to listen to music while I work. Simply put, it’s outstanding.
See the full article at Webware.
U2’s New Album Debuts on MySpace Music
It’s nothing new for albums to premiere online before hitting record stores (do those still exist?), but the debut of U2’s album on MySpace Music marks a big moment for the service. The latest release from arguably the biggest band in the world, the “No Line On The Horizon” album will be available exclusively on U2’s MySpace profile until March 3rd.
There are no embeds allowed, and you can’t even purchase the tracks yet through MySpace’s digital download partner, Amazon MP3. But you can stream the entire album for free and add any of the tracks to a MySpace playlist, perhaps giving you a reason to open up your MySpace account again if you’re a U2 fan.
See the full article at Mashable.
Amazon Unveils New Kindle as Competitors Multiply
SAN FRANCISCO (AdAge.com) — In its second press event since the launch of the Kindle, Amazon took the wrappings off the second-generation version of its popular electronic reading device today.
The bookseller showed off new features that pundits and blogs had widely expected, but the predictability didn’t stop the hype meter from getting revved up. Amazon’s relative few press events and its silence on expectations for this latest launch did much to dial up anticipation and fed the frenzy that much more.
For the full story visit Ad Age.
Amazon vs. EBay: Who’s the Online Sales King?
It’s a tale of two online sellers — and two fourth-quarter earnings reports.
When Amazon reported earnings at the end of last month, it showed why it’s about the only recession bright spot in retail, as its investments in the buying experience, customer service and smart fourth-quarter promotions have paid off.
The week prior, eBay told a different story, even though a recession should arguably be its time to shine. It’s lost affiliates and failed to build out a unified experience and direct e-commerce platform. Now, fear some analysts, it may be too late.
Full story Ad Age.
Amazon releases the Kindle 2
Amazon released the second generation of their Kindle reading device today. The new version is significantly thinner than the first generation one, and also boasts better battery life amongst other features.
I know a lot of people love the feel of paper between their fingers, but devices like this are the end of paper books and newspapers as we know it. It has been speculated that the Kindle has outperformed Apple’s early iPod days in terms of sales – that would be pretty significant if true.
