Myspace pitch deck leaks, reveals how the underdog plans to take on Spotify and Pandora

After giving us details on the new Myspace last week, the music platform's leaked pitch deck reveals more about how the site plans to challenge Spotify and Pandora for a top streaming service spot.

Last week we finally got a first look at the new Myspace, a sleek, smart, conceptual twist on one of the original social networks. New owners Chris and Tim Vanderhook and Justin Timberlake have more than managed to inspire renewed interested in a platform that very nearly faded into the darkest corners of the Internet.

But the Myspace revival isn’t only UI-deep, and BusinessInsider has gotten its hands on a very revealing pitch deck from the company. According to the document, Myspace plans to challenge Spotify and Pandora and position itself as a top streaming service. Interactive Media (owned by the Vanderhooks) is looking to raise $50 million toward the site’s relaunch – $10 million dedicated to marketing, $15-$25 million for licensing deals, and another $15-$25 for general expenses.

Right now, the new Myspace features an embedded music player that follows you around the site, as well as a video player that automatically fills the screen (which you can optionally pop into the lower right-hand corner). There is no downloadable client, it’s all Web-based, and at the moment there are no premium account options. Of course, in our time with Myspace last week, it was emphasized that we were getting a very early look at the site, and that there’s plenty of growing and building to do. Specifically, the team said the platform would follow what the community of artists and users wanted – including ways to sell merchandise and download music.

And in the pitch deck, you can see Myspace plans to deliver; prospective plans include “subscription, transaction (downloads, merchandise, tickets),” and something called “Myspace TV.” The transaction model is slated to launch in 2013.

The fact the Myspace is positioning itself to take on Spotify and Pandora isn’t surprising. The company has deals with all four major labels as well as an impressive number of indie labels and artists – five million unsigned artists to be exact (the catalog boasts 42 million songs in total). This slide right here pinpoints the competition Myspace is about to get itself into:

And here’s why it thinks it can do things better: “Myspace has a significant cost advantage with respect to the music streaming costs compared to Spotify and Pandora because our proprietary 27,000,000 song library from unsigned artists accounts for ~50 percent of song plays on our services and has a zero cost basis … Myspace pays the lower Radio rate on the vast majority of our label related song plays.”

Myspace plans to leverage its vast amount of unsigned music and artists to propel itself among other streaming services, which is a bold move: The streaming wars have so far been won by being able to provide licensed music (right, Google Music?). But Myspace also has the four major labels in its arsenal, making it a very viable option. It’s definitely a much more immersive, versatile experience than either Spotify or Pandora, although its plans for introducing a transaction model will likely play a huge role in its potential. For now, we’ll continue to try out the beta and see how this all unfolds in the coming months. 

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

DT Daily: Microsoft launches Windows 8, Apple vs Pandora

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October 26, 2012

• DT Daily Syndication

Microsoft officially launches Windows 8, Apple guns for Pandora with its own streaming radio service, the U.S. government bans smartphone unlocking, Tim Cook slams Windows 8, and we take a look at this week's newest movies.

Related Links:

• Windows 8 and Microsoft Surface Launch
• Apple’s Online Radio Service to Challenge Pandora in 2013
• Unlocking your smartphone will soon be illegal, and other DMCA new rule insanity
• As Surface hits stores in China, Ballmer talks it up while Apple boss calls it ‘compromised, confusing’
• New Movies!

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Apple planning to take on Pandora and Spotify, report says

Apple has Pandora and Spotify in its crosshairs, according to a report Thursday, as the tech giant plans a rival offering to the popular music streaming services.

Apple is reportedly looking to establish itself in the music streaming space by taking on the likes of Pandora and Spotify, services which allow users to build customizable online ‘radio stations’ based on their personal music preferences.

Citing “people familiar with the matter”, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday evening that Apple’s free, ad-supported service will be made available across all of its hardware products, which include its mobile devices and Mac computers.

It could even be coming to PCs running Windows, though devices powered by Google’s Android OS would be excluded, the source told the WSJ. That doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, as Google and Apple continue their no-love-lost battle for supremacy in the mobile sector.

According to the WSJ, Apple is currently in talks with a number of music providers in an effort to hammer out licensing deals for the new service, though a launch is not expected for at least several months.

The WSJ points out that Apple could be a threat to existing services thanks to its firmly established and massive presence in online music sales and the fact that it already has such a large number of music-playing devices, such as the iPhone and iPod touch, in circulation.

Services like Pandora and Spotify, which stream songs based on a user’s existing tastes, have built up a steady following since arriving on the scene, with music fans able to access an enormous library of songs for free as long as they have a connection to the Internet.

But a quick look at the numbers show there could be rough waters ahead for these companies. Pandora has 54.9 million active users, while Spotify, which launched in the US last year, has 16 million. In comparison, there are more than 400 million iTunes accounts up and running. Do you think the Cupertino company will be able to blow away the competition with a streaming service of its own?

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Pandora for Android hands on: It’s not ugly anymore!

Pandora brings a much-needed update to its Android app. We go hands on to take a look at what has changed in the streaming music service's redesign.

The folks at Pandora have always been rather fond of their Android audience. As they should be. Since releasing its first mobile apps in 2009, Pandora has seen a 1,585 percent increase in its mobile audience. Despite this huge increase in on-the-go audience, the Pandora Android app has gone relatively unchanged. Today, Pandora makes amends with an update that brings a complete redesign.

While the mobile market has been good to Pandora in terms of users — it has 50-100 million Android users alone —  the streaming radio service’s apps have left a lot to be desired. Because the Android user base is so fragmented, it’s hard to create an app that works on every device. The revamped version of Pandora adheres to the new style guidelines for Android apps set by Google, which ideally will optimize its functionality and accessibility across the Android market.

The app sports a new blue and white skin that makes it far more aesthetically pleasing. One thing that is oddly unchanged is the widget, which still uses the same black and white color scheme as the old app. The button layout also remains the same on the widget. It could have just been passed over in the process, but considering the actual function of the widget didn’t change, it’s kind of surprising Pandora didn’t slap a new coat of paint on it. Nonetheless, it functions how you’d expect and looks just fine as it is.

More important than the color pallet (unless you’re worried about having your music app make your eyes or something) is the in-app navigation, which also got touched upon in the redesign. While the standard playback buttons are in the same place, the controls for other options like buying or bookmarking a  track have been moved to a drop down menu. This is an improvement over hiding them on the Menu button, though tapping the Menu button will reveal their new location as well.

If you’re looking to learn more about the song that is currently playing, you’ll no longer have to aim to hit the tiny information button. Instead, a sizable button that shrinks and expands the album art reveals details about the artist and the song. Both are presented as snippets and you can choose what you’d like to read more about. Track information details why Pandora selected songs for your station as well as similar songs. When available, song lyrics also appear. Artist information includes a full biography, discography, and similar artists.

The Pandora for Android app revamp doesn’t feel so much like a total renovation as much as it does slight remodel. It’s not a new house for Android users, but it’s a new coat of paint and some shifted furniture. It’s noticeable enough and it improves the overall functionality of the product, but don’t expect a lot of new functionality. There are already millions of Pandora users that are listening to streaming music on their commutes or in their cubicles. Odds are, this isn’t going to scare any of them away. You can download the update from the Google Play store and give it a shot yourself.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com