So the trend for established brands to jump onboard the digital bandwagon continues. After being seen as the face of DRM for a while and also as something of a slaveowner (remember George Michael's run-in before he took up herbal cigarettes and power naps at traffic lights?), Sony has signed up to a deal with internet radio/music company Last FM.
The deal allows Last FM users to access all of Sony's catalogue and makes Last FM the biggest web radio service the world, according to the company.
What's interesting about this is that obviously Sony are now buying into the idea of the web being a way to break new acts and generate revenue outside of traditional channels. Clearly this is something of a new departure for the company but I predict more partnership announcements shortly.
For music fans the long tail just got a little bit longer....
Comments (2)
Who is George Michael?
Not being a user of Last FM, I'm not certain of how this will bring in money for Sony - but I'm glad that they may soon be stopping their very restrictive digital rights management policies. Right now doesn't everyone want to be able to play their music (legally) on more than one device without fiddling around checking it in and out?
Posted by Ted | July 9, 2007 6:09 PM
Posted on July 9, 2007 18:09
Teddy - Hahaha. You know George, he's the guy at the lights whos's slow to pull away and seems to be surrounded by hazy smoke...
I think Sony will be looking to use this deal to push new acts and to use the facility on Last FM to profile the listening habits of users. Mabe they'll also be using it to broadcast new "live" casts by their artists to bring in extra revenue.
Watch this space.
Posted by wesley | July 9, 2007 6:13 PM
Posted on July 9, 2007 18:13