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Myplay Launches Online Music Storage Community
To learn more about myplay.com, see the Webnoize video interview with Co-founder and Senior Vice President of Business Development David Pakman on Webnoize Live.
Two former Apple Computer executives have launched a service to help consumers store, manage and share copyright-protected digital music, as well as assist record labels in effectively promoting their artists to online consumers. The venture, myplay.com, inc., also received $5 million as an initial investment from Institutional Venture Partners, Integral Capital Partners and various private investors.
Myplay.com, co-founded by former Apple Computer executives Doug Camplejohn and David Pakman, functions as a central storage facility and comprehensive online music management service. Consumers can sign up for a free myplay.com account and receive up to 250 MB of storage space; paying subscribers can receive additional storage.
Once registered, myplay.com users can store downloadable digital music obtained from any web site by simply holding down a link and dragging it to a browser-based myplay icon. They can also transfer files from their own computer hard drives and compact discs. Stored files can be organized into custom playlists, then streamed on-demand or downloaded directly to portable digital music players.
According to Pakman, senior vice president of business development of the venture, myplay has focused on relieving consumer headaches involved with downloading music, such as storage space and keeping track of downloads.
Because myplay is a web-based service, users do not have to be concerned with loading music management applications onto their machines. Additionally, myplay.com users have access to their "virtual lockers" from any desktop computer, laptop computer, WebTV platform, cell phone or other Internet-connected device.
Future versions of the myplay.com web site will incorporate greater interactivity and community-oriented features, according to Pakman. Currently, the site enables consumers who have set up music lockers to arrange their tracks, create, post and browse playlists and invite friends and family to listen to the music on their playlists.
To ensure compliance with copyright laws, myplay intends to pay required royalties to copyright holders, according to Pakman. Myplay has applied for Internet streaming licenses from the three major U.S. performance rights organization, ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.
Additionally, the site has pledged to obey the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which dictates certain playlist restrictions for Internet radio stations and other online music services. Pakman said myplay's software can automatically inform users of these restrictions and modify playlists to ensure compliance (for instance, playlists cannot have more than three tracks from the same CD, or four from the same artist).
Pakman attributed the company's "consumer-centric service" approach in part to the shared experiences at Apple, where Camplejohn was a member of the team that developed the QuickTime audio and video compression system and Pakman founded the Apple Music Group.
However, in a Webnoize Live interview, Pakman emphasized the unprecedented promotional opportunity myplay.com represents for labels and artists.
"Myplay is a relationship marketing company that enables artists, labels and managers to talk directly to an active fan base," said Pakman.
"The holy grail for the music industry has always been: what do [consumers] have in their homes? What are they listening to?" Pakman said. Unlike Amazon.com or CDnow, which build consumer profiles based on actual purchases, myplay.com can detect and track consumers' interests without being dependent on a retail transaction taking place.
"By letting people store and organize their music, myplay.com knows a lot about what people have in their collection -- regardless of where [or how they obtained it] -- and that allows us to know a bit about the consumer."
Among myplay's partners are online music companies EMusic.com, Listen.com and Tunes.com, whose respective music directories myplay has licensed; Artemis Records, Atomic Pop and DreamWorks Records, who will market their artists through the site; computer storage expert EMC Corp.; and bandwidth provider AboveNet.
In addition to promoting downloadable music by artists, Pakman said, labels will also be able to use myplay as a way to direct fans to sales of CDs, tickets and t-shirts, and information about concert tours. Myplay.com will also be creating co-branded services with other Internet ventures.
With financial backing in place, the site will concentrate on generating revenue through advertising and labels' direct marketing campaigns, according to Pakman, as well as from paying subscribers.
The site's business model is similar to that of i-drive, which provides free media storage space on the Web. Earlier this month, i-drive paired with MP3.com to launch a custom version of i-drive within the MP3.com site.
Like myplay.com, i-drive.com is designed to make it easier for visitors to collect and manage MP3s. Visitors creating an i-drive account from MP3.com receive 50 MB of free storage, while benefitting from the music community that the Internet music stalwart has established.
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