Cloud Music On Your iPhone, iPod touch and Android Phone

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:19:42 GMT

After a puzzling 3.5 month wait, Apple has finally approved Airband, an app for iPod touch and iPhone users to play music directly from their MP3tunes locker. Google fans will find a beta version of the first MP3tunes app in the Android marketplace. With both devices, your entire music library is just a couple of clicks away. Users can break free of the local storage limits on their mobile device and stop having to constantly sync...

Gizmo website UI

feeds@yuku.com (Anniekin) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:24:37 GMT

I am writing to report a recent visit to gizmo5.com fully intending to switch over from Skype.
However I found the site to be so confusing that I ended up signing for another 3 months with them.
While I don't mind paying a little more for Gizmo, in support of it's open source standards, I want to quickly find out how much it will cost.
A package deal for CallIn, CallOut, and OpenSkype for personal users and businesses should be the first thing I see on the site, rather...

EMI You Lie

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:15:02 GMT

Our battle with EMI over personal music lockers is nearly marking its two year anniversary and slowly moving forward. While EMI drags the case out, they're working hard to disparage MP3tunes and portray us as massive copyright infringers (a tactic they use against all companies they sue). To prove their case they're claiming that all tracks online are infringements and therefore anyone that links to them or allows storage for them is a knowing infringer. Anyone with a working...

What I'm Excited About

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:29:14 GMT

"There are many things that I am excited about in the technology business. The following are just a few..."

Read the entire Michael's Minute here.

A Free Phone Line Using Google and Gizmo5

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:46:33 GMT

With Gizmo Voice, anyone can now have a free phone line on their computer, wifi phone, or in their home. This free phone service includes a US telephone number with an area code of your choosing, unlimited incoming calls, sophisticated voice mail (transcription included), and the ability to make limited US calls all for free. In addition, there are no setup, monthly or annual fees.

Sadly, Pandora Is Still Going Bankrupt

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:05:19 GMT

The online radio business is doomed because the required per song payment to the record labels is too high to ever have a profitable business. Recently a new set of rates were announced which press reports said "averted the royalty crisis". It's true the new rates are lower, but they are nowhere close to allowing a viable web radio business.

Vote for the Craziest Digital Music Ideas Ever

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:44:00 GMT

The digital music business has seen some crazy ideas over the last decade. Michael Robertson has searched the archives and come up with a list for you to vote on. What do you think is the craziest digital music idea that has come along in the last decade?

Read the entire Michael's Minute and place your vote here....

Legal Update on Personal Lockers

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:24:27 GMT

Our battle to defend the legality of personal music lockers is inching forward and I'm anxious to have the Judge examine the core issue - can you store your music in the cloud so you can access it on any device? I think the answer is yes and believe the law is on our side, but the Judge will ultimately decide. Before we get to his ruling we have to traverse the many steps in the lengthy and costly US legal system which is what I want to update you on.

Obama OKs Network DVR And Hints At Music Locker

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:22:24 GMT

President Obama's attorney filed papers with the Supreme Court supporting an earlier court decision that found Cablevision's remote storage DVR to be legal. The solicitor general also showed technology savvy, mentioning "cloud services" and even commenting on a music locker where people upload their own files.

Operation And Justice For All while the Kris Allen Nation has Operation Ding Dong to garner more votes for their contestant. These digital campaigns explain how to vote using

Lala On Network DRM

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Thu, 07 May 2009 22:45:23 GMT

Previously I wrote about how Lala is using Server DRM to lock their users into a system where they control how music is used. It surprised me that some readers didn't see Lala's service as a form of DRM so I thought I'd ask Lala to describe their system. Maybe if Lala were to publicly admit they use server DRM then the threat would be more clear. Here's Lala describing** how their system uses...

Roach Motel For Your Music (The New DRM Threat)

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:43:28 GMT

An insidious new plot to wrestle control of your personal music library is underway. Like a roach motel where insects check in but they can never check out, a new music service is using the same strategy with your personal song library. Big music loves this crafty idea and has backed the company with tens of millions of dollars, but if you want to enjoy your music wherever you like on whatever device you have...

OpenSky 2.0 SIP for Skype

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:50:38 GMT

I've been a vocal advocate for open standards both in music with my company MP3.com and in VOIP with Gizmo5 because open standards always give consumers more choices and ultimately better value (see: Skype Bad, Gizmo Good). MP3 has triumphed as the open standard in music and VOIP standards got a huge boost this week with two announcements. Gizmo5 launched its SIP for Skype service called

A Tivo For YouTube - DownloadHelper

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 10:27:19 GMT

There are millions of videos on YouTube and many come and go. (Warner Music recently removed all of their music videos and Universal Music has threatened to do so.) What's needed is Tivo-type software which lets you control when and where you view it. A powerful Firefox add-on called DownloadHelper from a French company lets you save videos from YouTube (and most other video sites), put it into a locker or even send it to your phone. Sophisticated users have always been able to do this,...

Who Is Ryan Sit And Why Is EMI Suing Him?

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:37:35 GMT

The record labels' legal rampage against technology is growing in ferocity with an unprecedented broad attack that threatens how the Internet fundamentally operates. Nearly a year ago Warner Music sued Seeqpod in California claiming their search engine (which links to millions of songs) was a copyright infringement. Last week, EMI piled on with it's own copyright lawsuit this time in New York but, besides the venue, this lawsuit was fundamentally different. Instead of just targeting...

Building a Bridge to Skype Island with OpenSkyXX

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:35:12 GMT

A few years ago I gave a talk at a tech conference and asked Skype to "tear down the walls" and allow other phone users to communicate with Skype. Yet Skype remained a castle, with its surrounding moat making it hard for others to reach it. Casting metaphor aside, this simply means many businesses and consumers are not experiencing the financial benefit of net calling.

Music Search Engines Under Attack

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:11:51 GMT

As the founder and former CEO of MP3.com I like to think I played a small role in helping MP3 become the global standard and vanquishing DRM (at least with music). I noticed there are many meta search engines for free MP3 files, but none for commercial MP3s. (A meta search engine is one that searches multiple places and compiles the results.) Since there's a large variety in what stores carry I thought it would be useful to create an MP3 store search. Check out the newest version of

Will Obama Outlaw Your Tivo?

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 09:01:35 GMT

This week we will witness the swearing in of Barack Hussein Obama as the 44th President of the United States and there is a big list of issues he must immediately confront. You might be surprised to know that one such issue is the legality of the next generation of Tivo type video devices. Almost immediately, he will be required to take actions which could outlaw or legalize your next Tivo...

CES 2009 Highlights: Music Everywhere, NextGen TV, 3D

feeds@yuku.com (mmforum) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:57:43 GMT

I typically attend the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas which is the biggest conference in the US. This year attendance was noticeably down. Numerous press reports lament a lack of innovation and attribute the stumbling economy, but that's inaccurate. Products at CES are planned 1-3 years in advance and have not been affected by recent economic woes...

Michael's Minutes