According to
Billboard, Microsoft is about to "launch an artist-focused podcast" for the beleaguered ol' Zune. If you own one, you'll be able to get interviews and audio-visual ephemera and whatnot from folks like Common and Oasis and other musicians that Idolator may not have already written about multiple times today. But you don't own one. [
Billboard]
In "color me confused" news, one new aspect of the Zune mysteriously not mentioned during last week's exciting rollout was that now, courtesy of a partnership with McDonald's, you, the Zune user, can wirelessly download music while underneath the magnificent golden arches. This is somewhat similar to the iPhone/Starbucks partnership. I haven't been in a McDonald's in ages, so maybe they've hipped up the place as far as recommending music goes; either way, I think I'll just stick to my Double Double from In-N-Out and wait until I get home to download the new Taylor Swift single. [
PR Newswire]
BREAKING: Zune Tattoo Guy Gives Up
"I am done. I have had the Zune since day 1 and have noticed little improvement. I have tried my best to support them every step of the way but the recent Xbox Live announcement at E3 made me lose it. To not include Zune Marketplace or the ability to load videos from Xbox Live to your Zune made me finally give up. I am in the works of figuring the best way to get a new tattoo to cover the logo on my arm. Thanks for all the harsh comments and you will see very little of me anymore." I guess this means
the name change plan never worked out? [
Zune Scene]
Joy Division rocked futilely in the face of a cold, uncaring world before its leader could take it no longer. The good people at Zune can relate to that tragic spirit, and are celebrating the band with a limited edition Zune player that reuses the artwork Peter Saville created for
Unknown Pleasures. "It's a tribute to deep respect for graphic design that lives on through artists like Peter Saville, and to independent film-makers that believe in more than just commercial success. Ultimately, it's a tribute to the self-belief and self-expression that inspires true authentic art," said Zune's General Manager of Global Marketing. Much like Factory Too. [
SPIN]
Microsoft is apparently sending "substantial one-time bonuses" to independent labels and digital aggregators that deal with those labels as a thank you for letting the Zune use their content in Zune's new music-sharing functionality. The Orchard sent an e-mail to its partners saying that Microsoft "made a corporate decision to demonstrate their commitment to the independent sector in a manner we all appreciate: rather than simple lip service, they wrote a check"; they also said that partners would get a "Zune bonus" derived from this payout. Anyone seeing a bump yet? How much did you get?
E-mail us with details—all tips are confidential, of course. [
Hypebot]
Finally, Canadians Can Ignore The Zune, Too
In news that will no doubt please
that Zune tattoo guy, Canadians will have the opportunity to purchase themselves a Zune as of June 13, in three different sizes and several different colors. Microsoft Canada spokespeople promoted the Zune's community features and the fact that it's not an iPod; early reports that the Canadian Zune would require 60% of music uploaded to it to be Canadian in origin were not immediately confirmed, nor were the rumors of the highly anticipated Tragically Hip-branded version. [
The Canadian Press]
NBC may be holding back its TV shows from the iTunes Store, but it's more than happy to put them on the less-trafficked Zune Marketplace. (There's no doubt some "let's keep punishing Apple" corporate logic behind this; I hope to see it laid out on an upcoming
30 Rock episode.) Also, Zune is introducing a "sharing" feature that smells to me more like a "recommendation" feature. See if you feel the same way! Zune users can access friends' nine most recently played songs and nine favorite songs.
But! In order to get said songs they first have to sign up for a $14.99-a-month ZunePass, which offers unlimited access to "a library of millions of tracks." So they'd have access to the songs anyway. Right? Am I missing something, or is this all supposed to make sense in the same way that
Deal Or No Deal does, i.e. not at all? [
WSJ]
Maniac travels nearly 500 miles just to hold pre-release second-gen Zune in his hands and see if it lives up to his fantasies. Someone needs a hobby. [
Listening Post]
You do remember the Iowa resident known as "Zune Tattoo Guy," yes? And how he added to his first Zune tattoo with a second? And a third? Well, apparently he
really liked all the Internet attention he garnered with those moves, because he's now claiming that he's planning on changing his name to "Microsoft Zune." And turning the whole endeavor into a video blog. The fact that he is making this move
before he goes for the forehead tattoo is making me think that his devotion is at least somewhat serious. [
ZuneScene via
Gadget Lab]
The first artist to warrant a specially tricked-out Zune is ... reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel, a Puerto Rican act who appeared on R. Kelly's "Burn It Up" and who were the first act to place four singles in the top 10 of the
Billboard Latin chart; the device will be sold at Wal-Marts beginning next week, and people who pick it up will be able to have the duo's forthcoming album a week before street date. This space has given the
no-longer-brown turd a hard time in the past, but this is actually a pretty shrewd move by the Zune marketing department—finally, a digital-music player that
isn't solely targeted to indie saddoes! [
Billboard]
Gizmodo has all the details on the new Zunes, which are coming in three iterations: $249 for an 80-gig, hard drive-based Zune and $149/$199 for four-gig and eight-gig flash-based versions. The Zune Marketplace will in fact have DRM-free music, and the device's wireless capabilities will now allow for cord-free syncing with a PC, as well as no expiration date on shared songs. (They'll still expire after three plays, though.) [
Gizmodo]
Idolator
Microsoft, whose Zune player has never found a foothold against Apple's iPod behemoth despite reinventing itself into something cuter and less bloggy, has yet again changed the way it sells and plays music. Although how much of a change this new model is depends on how much of a future you think the whole "subscription model" for music has. Man, those guys are gonna ride that horse to the bitter end, despite overwhelming evidence that consumers don't seem to care about subscription services, no matter how great a deal they are. And with the development of streaming radio stations on the iPhone, why pick up a Zune with a subscription service? People just want to own stuff if they are going to pay for it. Period. It's why car leasing and house renting have always rubbed me the wrong way: If I'm putting in the money for something, I want to walk away with it.
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