MTV To Launch Downloading Service

[Pat Marquez]

MTV (http://www.mtv.com) is set to try to get its share of the digital-music pie, with the roll-out of a new online music retailer set for tomorrow (May 17). The download service, Urge, will put the MTV brand into the multimillion download industry, and will feature exclusive tracks culled from bands’ appearances on upcoming TRL and Unplugged episodes. To give it a push, MTV partnered with Microsoft to integrate the music store into upcoming upgrades of Windows Media Player similar to the retail/player integration in iTunes.

Urge faces an uphill battle. It enters a field dominated by Apple’s iTunes, which boasts a market share of 70 percent of the downloadable-music market through last year, according to the NPD group. It will be incompatible with iPods, the portable mp3 player favored by about 80 percent of users.

[Roboman]

Holy shit...integration with WMP? That's crazy, and there must be some crazy money behind that. And how will "Urge" not be compatible with iPods? Does it only deal in WMA's or something? I can't believe anyone trying to battle with iTunes would be that incredibly stupid.

[satanisanerd]

Itunes has a hold of the online download business. I doubt this business model will work but that's just my opinion. Look at how many other digital downloading companies have missed the mark.

[fakedasmile]

It's going to consist of mostly television shows because MTV doesn't play music. I mean how wonderful will it be to have episodes of amazing shows such as, Yo Mama, Pimp my Ride and who can forget Sweet Sixteen at the click of a button. If I know MTV, the music industry of APPLE will have no problems keeping consumers.

[ETesdall]

It's going to consist of mostly television shows because MTV doesn't play music. I mean how wonderful will it be to have episodes of amazing shows such as, Yo Mama, Pimp my Ride and who can forget Sweet Sixteen at the click of a button. If I know MTV, the music industry of APPLE will have no problems keeping consumers.

Does the show Yo Momma piss off anyone else. Its really like mtv is fucking with America almost making fun of its audience saying that people will watch ANYTHING!!!!!!! that they put into a half an hour slot and air.

[clace]

and this will be the only way mtv will get music to people anymore

[Geoff Lou]

this will absolutely fail without ipod compatibility.

[theguiltyfew]

all downloading services are retarded anyways, because of all the digital rights shit they put in the songs files. it makes the files very incompatible to begin with. and of course the service is going to be incompatible with ipods because mtv is getting help from microsoft to help them launch the service, and microsoft does not want to promote the use of apple products (ipods). it makes sense why they did it. its just not a smart move. even though ipods are overpriced, not durable, incompatible, and unoriginal. they are the hottest selling portable media device on the market.

[theguiltyfew]

this will absolutely fail without ipod compatibility.

and not necessarily. i think microsoft is going to announce some kind of new portable media device soon. one to directly compete with apples ipod. at least thats word on the street.

[cahrishurr]

and not necessarily. i think microsoft is going to announce some kind of new portable media device soon. one to directly compete with apples ipod. at least thats word on the street.

where did you hear about this

sourch?

[myfirststereo]

"All you need to know: Urge will sell music for a half hour each day then fill the remaining 23 1/2 hours with crap TV for slow teens."
-Stephen Colbert

[Skibum]

even though ipods are ... unoriginal.
You have no idea what you are talking about. in 2001 the iPod whas totally revolutionary. There was nothing else like it. Thats right, most people didn't even know it existed till like 2004.
And while i'm ranting, does it bother anyone else that Bill Gates has been right behind Steve Jobs with his nose up his butt just waiting for the next idea to rip off and market to the masses. Enter 'urge' and watch microsoft screw over something that could be beautiful. And anyone that thinks they can waltz onto the music scene with their shitty WMP program + phantom WMA player and trump iTunes+iPod is dellusional and deserves to fail miserably. How many companies have released the "next big music player" which will "blow the iPod out of the water." Damn I hate microsoft and anything they touch. Look at all the low quality crap they produce.

Bring on the rebuttals