It looks like MTV will launch the Urge Music Store this week. Early indications are that the song count (2 million) will make it a nearly instant competitor with iTunes, Napster and Yahoo, and will also feature exclusive content from MTV and their related music networks. Additionally, you'll be able to either purchase songs or use the subscription model (which has yet to fully take off).
The entire site will strongly integrated with Windows Media Player, which could provide an interesting alternative to iTunes. This service will only work with players that are not iPods, and Apple's music store is limited to iPods.
In our mind, a battle much like the desktop PC fights of the 80s and 90s is shaping up. Although Apple computers came out of the gates quickly in that market, their choice to make their system proprietary was one of the key factors in the "Wintel" model taking over the industry. No one can dispute the the Apple/iTunes/iPod model is today's undisputed champion, but will the marketing clout of MTV, coupled with the ubiquity of Windows Media Player, be the first step in a market share reduction and leveling like Apple saw in the desktop computer market?
Either way, it's going to be interesting to watch.
Comments