Amazon cloud storage service for music beats Apple and Google to the punch
Amazon's offer of 5 GB of storage free for any digital file, including music, is one step ahead of similar efforts by Apple and Music.
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Amazon.com Inc. has started an online music storage service that has beaten Google and Apple to the punch, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The service, called the Cloud Drive, offers 5GB of free storage for any digital file. Users can upload and play music via the Cloud player, provided they have a computer with Internet access, or an Android smartphone or tablet.
Paid plans are available for those who want more, the cheapest offering 20GB for $20 a year. Music files can be saved in MP3 format or AAC, the standard format for Apple iTunes, WSJ reported.
The Journal said Amazon appeared to be racing Google and Apple, both of whom are working on a similar services (the latter as a possible iPhone 5 launch tie-in), which offer an online music or video collection identical to that on a user's home drive, but accessible elsewhere.
However Amazon may have moved too soon: the Journal reported that it was still working out legal issues and as yet had not secured content licenses from some major labels and studios, the Journal reported. Sony Music Entertainment expressed dismay at the launch of the storage service. "We are disappointed that the locker service that Amazon is proposing is unlicensed by Sony Music," a spokeswoman said.
The Journal reports that launching such "locker" services before content licenses are sorted out can be a major headache. Google announced such a service last year but has yet to launch the Google Music service after months of negotiation with major labels.
This service is not yet available to New Zealand consumers.
NBR Staff
Wed, 30 Mar 2011
Wed, 30 Mar 2011
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Amazon cloud storage service for music beats Apple and Google to the punch
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