Yesterday it was reported that Apple had signed a deal with EMI in connection with its new cloud-based music service. Today the news is that Apple is yet another rung up the ladder.
According to Bloomberg, Cupertino-based Apple have just signed a deal with Sony Music. The question is, can it get to the top of that ladder before its Worldwide Developers Conference next month. You can bet the computer giant is eager to unveil its cloud-based music service then, and if the last of the big four record companies, Universal Music, follows in the footsteps of EMI, Sony and Warner, then Apple will be able to do just that.
A cloud-based music service will allow users to listen to their songs on their mobile device wherever they are, so long as they have a connection to the Internet.
If Apple can secure deals with the major music companies, it will mean, among other things, that users won’t have to spend hours uploading their music collection to Apple’s remote servers. Instead, Apple would simply scan the user’s hard drive, and then connect the data to master recordings on its servers. Yesterday, news appeared of an Apple patent published by the US Patent and Trademark Office showing how the company would ensure the seamless streaming of music, meaning there would be no lag between the time it takes for the music to begin playing after the track is chosen.
Amazon and Google will be looking on and wondering what their next move should be. Up to now, they haven’t secured any deals with the music companies regarding their recently launched cloud-based services. Users of their respective offerings will have to spend time in front of the computer uploading their music collections, which could mean a few late nights for some.
Specific details of Apple’s cloud-based music service are, as you would expect, pretty much unknown at this point in time. Meanwhile, we wait for news of a deal with Universal Music. It can’t be too long in coming.
