In Apple might turn out to be the winner in the race to start a cloud based music streaming service that allows users with Internet connection to access their music libraries from anywhere. The companys digital music locker, to which Apple watches have awarded the name of iCloud, will get unveiled at the developers conference scheduled in June. Technically speaking, Google and Amazon have been ahead of Apple, as they have already launched their cloud based music service. But there is a crucial difference. Google and Amazon are yet to get the approval of major record labels, and this creates the risk of their service getting mired in all kinds of legal challenges.
Apple, on the other hand, is playing it much safer. The company has been busy negotiating with major music labels. According to media reports, the company has already secured streaming rights from Sony Corp.s music division, EMI Group and Warner Music Group. The company is also closing in on an agreement with Universal Music Group, which is the worlds largest recording company. The top music companies do not care so much about whether the tracks were acquired legally or were ripped from a CD; their main concern in this case is if the iCloud system might be creating a new copy of the music online without having to pay for it.
The agreements that Apple has entered into with the music companies represent a significant step towards the legitimisation of the cloud based music storage system. The service will work by constantly scanning a users iTunes library, whose songs will be mirrored on Apples servers. This means that users will be able to avoid the lengthy process of uploading their music into the cloud. They can simply stream the music to any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or any other compatible device. There is one additional benefit that the users of cloud music service can expect: apparently Apple will replace any low-quality songs with higher-quality ones. So even if the track you have in your device is of bad quality, it will start playing well once you put it on the cloud.
Taking into account the ever-increasing storage capacity of Apple devices, it is possible for us to question the relevance of such a service, but Apple is optimistic about the future of cloud based music service. The company even plans to charge a fee from users. The big unknown in case of Apples iCloud is of course the price. As Apple has cut deals with major music labels, it might not be able to do without charging its users. But how much is the charge going to be? With behemoths like Google and Amazon nipping at its heels, Apple cant afford to overcharge in the music streaming business.
Apple might turn out to be the winner in the race to start a cloud based music streaming service that allows users with Internet connection to access their music libraries from anywhere. The companys digital music locker, to which Apple watches have awarded the name of iCloud, will get unveiled at the developers conference scheduled in June. Technically speaking, Google and Amazon have been ahead of Apple, as they have already launched their cloud based music service. But there is a crucial difference. Google and Amazon are yet to get the approval of major record labels, and this creates the risk of their service getting mired in all kinds of legal challenges.
Apple, on the other hand, is playing it much safer. The company has been busy negotiating with major music labels. According to media reports, the company has already secured streaming rights from Sony Corp.s music division, EMI Group and Warner Music Group. The company is also closing in on an agreement with Universal Music Group, which is the worlds largest recording company. The top music companies do not care so much about whether the tracks were acquired legally or were ripped from a CD; their main concern in this case is if the iCloud system might be creating a new copy of the music online without having to pay for it.
The agreements that Apple has entered into with the music companies represent a significant step towards the legitimisation of the cloud based music storage system. The service will work by constantly scanning a users iTunes library, whose songs will be mirrored on Apples servers. This means that users will be able to avoid the lengthy process of uploading their music into the cloud. They can simply stream the music to any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or any other compatible device. There is one additional benefit that the users of cloud music service can expect: apparently Apple will replace any low-quality songs with higher-quality ones. So even if the track you have in your device is of bad quality, it will start playing well once you put it on the cloud.
Taking into account the ever-increasing storage capacity of Apple devices, it is possible for us to question the relevance of such a service, but Apple is optimistic about the future of cloud based music service. The company even plans to charge a fee from users. The big unknown in case of Apples iCloud is of course the price. As Apple has cut deals with major music labels, it might not be able to do without charging its users. But how much is the charge going to be? With behemoths like Google and Amazon nipping at its heels, Apple cant afford to overcharge in the music streaming business.
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