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VIRTUALISATION Meet Deezer, iTunes threat or failure?
VIRTUALISATION Meet Deezer, iTunes threat or failure? | Meet Deezer, iTunes threat or failure? |
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| by David Swan | |
| Tuesday, 28 July 2009 | |
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That's right, from the lovely people who brought us baguettes, croissants and that zestful brand of kiss comes your new music streaming service. But it's not all bread and lovemaking. The prospect is definitely alluring; millions of songs available at your fingertips free of charge. But, as the site is based in Europe, many of the songs are unable to be streamed in Australia, something likely to frustrate and offend many local users. Similarly, the descriptions of each artist are in French, as are many of the help files, despite being on the English version of the site. My French is improving, but my frustration, too, grew considerably. So how many songs, you ask? At time of writing Deezer is home to 3.7 million songs. Universal Records have made a deal with Deezer that has seen much of their collection available to the site, and there are some (limited) offerings from other labels, too. Deezer's 3.7 million compares to iTunes' 10 million, but is ideal for people on a budget or simply anyone that would like to try new music without buying it. Based on my experiences most of the newer, more mainstream tracks were available in Australia but more obscure artists were unable to be played. You might wonder about the legality of such a site, however the Deezer site outlines Deezer as "a Simplified Joint-Stock Company with a capital of 50.406,64 euros registered with the Trade and Companies Register in Paris under the number 495 246 308." It's all very official sounding, but further research confirmed that Deezer was one of the first music sites to sign an agreement with a publisher rights' organisation to reimburse artists through advertising revenue. Whicih is a good thing. One of Deezer's big points of difference is that its mobile app is compatible not just with iPods and iPhones but also with phones from Blackberry, Sony Ericsson, Samsung and more. Basically anyone with either a smartphone or a high-end model will be able to access Deezer's web radio or MP3's uploaded by the user, which of course isn't the same as being able to stream the millions of songs on demand but is still pretty damn nifty. The web radio is ad free and there 35 stations on offer, along with SmartRadio which plays music you may like, based on your listening preferences. So, what's the end verdict? Read on to find out. CONTINUED PAGE 2 |
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