Microsoft In Talks To Buy Shoutcast And Winamp From AOL(techcrunch.com)
techcrunch.com
Microsoft In Talks To Buy Shoutcast And Winamp From AOL
http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/21/source-microsoft-in-talks-to-buy-shoutcast-and-winamp-from-aol/
17 comments
Starting a Winamp fund. 100k to join. If >9 other people join me we will make AOL an offer. Contact in profile.
If you're genuinely serious, do you happen to have $100k to invest in other projects? Because I have lots of ideas. Website in profile.
That's now how investing works. What you're asking for is a "gamble" with no guarantee of a return on investment. Ideas are everywhere, ideas are endless. Some of the greatest "ideas" make no profit because there's no market for them, consumers don't care for it's implementation, or the team doesn't work well together. So many things have to go just right for an "idea" to become a business. Sometimes you have a great idea, great implimentation, great team, and it all still fails. Investors want you to have already gone and proven you're not a gamble by at least building a minimum viable product, have some sort of team already assembled and working, and have started making some kind of revenue or growth in users. If you have nothing then you're the type of investment that's really a gamble.
Winamp has a return on investment (a slow one but still a return), your ideas on the other hand are a gamble. I don't mean to discourage you I just want to save you some time. Also asking random people to invest in your ideas is also illegal. You have to have a pre-existing relationship with someone /or/ join a community like AngleList to solicit investment. Angel investors also must have an income over a certain amount of money. Some of these laws may change in the near future with crowd funding becoming so popular but in the mean time be careful.
Winamp has a return on investment (a slow one but still a return), your ideas on the other hand are a gamble. I don't mean to discourage you I just want to save you some time. Also asking random people to invest in your ideas is also illegal. You have to have a pre-existing relationship with someone /or/ join a community like AngleList to solicit investment. Angel investors also must have an income over a certain amount of money. Some of these laws may change in the near future with crowd funding becoming so popular but in the mean time be careful.
"asking random people to invest in your ideas is also illegal"
1) You learn something new every day.
2) I don't want to live on this planet any more.
1) You learn something new every day.
2) I don't want to live on this planet any more.
Oh don't worry, you can still do it, just head over to AngleList and you can grab yourself some investors. They all meet the qualifications (have a certain income level) and since it's a platform specifically for investing it's not a random solicitation so you don't have to know them personally before asking.
Here's an example: https://angel.co/makespace?ref=startup_card
Here's an example: https://angel.co/makespace?ref=startup_card
I would hate to see the legislative definition of "random".
I should have said "general solicitation" meaning "general audience". People who don't know what they're getting themselves into.
If you set up an event like "demo day" at Y-Combinator where investors and founders meet and discuss equity and terms that's perfectly legal. That's NOT general solicitation. Everyone there knows what they're getting themselves into. No one can be "tricked" into investing like the general public can.
If you set up an event like "demo day" at Y-Combinator where investors and founders meet and discuss equity and terms that's perfectly legal. That's NOT general solicitation. Everyone there knows what they're getting themselves into. No one can be "tricked" into investing like the general public can.
Wouldn't that rule apply to a Winamp fund as well?
Good question... I want to say yes, but technically ewam hasn't specified that people in the fund will share equity. It sounds like a donation but it obviously isn't.
If you have $100,000 to buy a software mp3 player chances are you're not the type of person the SEC is trying to protect from bad investments. So shhhhhh, we'll just keep quiet.
If you have $100,000 to buy a software mp3 player chances are you're not the type of person the SEC is trying to protect from bad investments. So shhhhhh, we'll just keep quiet.
Winamp isn't an idea.
wrt my post, s/ideas/unique project with preexisting code and hardware/. Granted it's no MVP with a proper income strategy.
Are my ideas on how to proceed correct? I'm not sure--perhaps I should validate on my own. I can't afford to scale yet (time and money), so perhaps I should seek to "wow" and then seek interest. I can at least do that on my own.
That said, your post was really insightful. As another already mentioned, I wasn't aware about the solicitation rule.
Are my ideas on how to proceed correct? I'm not sure--perhaps I should validate on my own. I can't afford to scale yet (time and money), so perhaps I should seek to "wow" and then seek interest. I can at least do that on my own.
That said, your post was really insightful. As another already mentioned, I wasn't aware about the solicitation rule.
I wasn't either until someone told me. Most startups and businesses fail. The released failure numbers are way too low because they don't take into account that most small business owners don't even bother registering their business so when they close them down there's no paper trail to add to the statistic.
Think of how gullible the average American is (look at all the things infomercials convince them to buy) If it weren't for that rule a lot of innocent people would lose their life savings because a lot of them 1) believe in the goodness of people and 2) don't understand finance or investing.
Those rules were created to prevent your old folks from investing in a miracle snake oil business or a new hair growth tonic business from a traveling salesman.
Think of how gullible the average American is (look at all the things infomercials convince them to buy) If it weren't for that rule a lot of innocent people would lose their life savings because a lot of them 1) believe in the goodness of people and 2) don't understand finance or investing.
Those rules were created to prevent your old folks from investing in a miracle snake oil business or a new hair growth tonic business from a traveling salesman.
what about kickstarter/indiegogo type investments?
Those are not investments, you do not get a percentage of the company. Those are donations with a gift. What you get out is a gift, t-shirt, your name in the credits, prototype, free account before everyone else, etc...
People can pay $5,000 for a prototype of a drone they helped back on Kickstarter but that $5,000 is not equity, nor a gamble. It's a donation. The backer knows they are kissing that $5,000 good bye and are only given a chance at receiving a prototype drone. It's a donation with a gift.
An investment is when there is an expected return. I put in $5,000 but I expect to one day receive that $5,000 or more back. I own a tiny piece of the company. To help the average person know what they're getting themselves into the SEC has specified rules that a company must follow in order to solicit and accept public investors (aka going public / IPO). They MUST release certain financial information at certain time intervals, they must use certain accounting methods so as to not hide money, not hide profit, not hide losses, and discourage insider trading, etc...
If a company hides losses it causes a huge mess (ENRON).
So is there a Kickstarter for companies that are public and allow the average person to "invest" in them?
Yes, Scottrade & E-trade & stock brokers are basically the kickstarters of public companies. Those companies are all public and registered and you can go and see how they've been doing historically and invest however much you want in them.
People can pay $5,000 for a prototype of a drone they helped back on Kickstarter but that $5,000 is not equity, nor a gamble. It's a donation. The backer knows they are kissing that $5,000 good bye and are only given a chance at receiving a prototype drone. It's a donation with a gift.
An investment is when there is an expected return. I put in $5,000 but I expect to one day receive that $5,000 or more back. I own a tiny piece of the company. To help the average person know what they're getting themselves into the SEC has specified rules that a company must follow in order to solicit and accept public investors (aka going public / IPO). They MUST release certain financial information at certain time intervals, they must use certain accounting methods so as to not hide money, not hide profit, not hide losses, and discourage insider trading, etc...
If a company hides losses it causes a huge mess (ENRON).
So is there a Kickstarter for companies that are public and allow the average person to "invest" in them?
Yes, Scottrade & E-trade & stock brokers are basically the kickstarters of public companies. Those companies are all public and registered and you can go and see how they've been doing historically and invest however much you want in them.
i see; makes sense. thanks for clarifying :)
I get it's a piece of history, but how do you monetize this? Convert it to paid software? Streaming service subscription?
Winamp has a 10,000,000 - 50,000,000 installs android app, that opens up a lot of possibilities.
What kind of add revenue can you get from that user base?
No idea but I don't think display ads would be that great since it's mostly passive software. I would think there are better ways to monetize it - premium enhancements, amazon/itunes referrals, cloud backup/streaming your library, even just selling it for a buck ... 'best' trumps 'free' a lot of the time on mobile.
I swear I was reading a different HN thread on this topic yesterday or even today, and the very idea of paying for a music service was considered extremely offensive.
I pay for rdio and SubSonic. Granted my subsonic license is grandfathered in from before the developer changed to a subscription model, but the point remains.
From linked articles it has ~6mm in revenue already. Clean that up, optimize and then spread out.
It already was paid software! (Even if you didn't actually pay for it)
How did that work out?
AOL is a publicly traded company. They have "responsibilities" to their shareholders to grow. How a private company of 20 can handle a product like Winamp is drastically different than a company with 5000+ employees. Flexibility, reaction speed, etc.
Actually, they have a responsibility to endeavor to turn a profit. Growth at any cost imho comes from MBA's who want to spin the lottery wheel and cash out stock options.
As well as it did for WinRar I suppose.
Depends on who you ask.
what would be the intentions ? With projects like audacious I don't even see how open sourcing would be a good idea ?
Open source was not in my comment nor is it the intention of the Winamp fund.
The usual. Require Microsoft login. Move those users to the closest Microsoft products.
Phew! At least not a Google+ / Facebook profile linking. I am so happy MS (at least) did not join the social war.
Not sure if serious
But if you are, they did try to join the social-war: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So.cl
And failed.. The site actually seems to be down right now, I don't think they announced it being killed off though.
But if you are, they did try to join the social-war: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So.cl
And failed.. The site actually seems to be down right now, I don't think they announced it being killed off though.
Makes me wish I had money - I hope others who do take you up on this.
I'll gladly join in as a UI UX Designer for equity, website is in my profile.
I also emailed you the numerous ways to monetize Winamp by extending it's functionality into the social space. See my email "Winamp Fund - UI UX Designer seeking to join"
There's at least 4-5 ways to monetize Winamp and build it out.
I also emailed you the numerous ways to monetize Winamp by extending it's functionality into the social space. See my email "Winamp Fund - UI UX Designer seeking to join"
There's at least 4-5 ways to monetize Winamp and build it out.
Why not help with an open source player?
My problem with Open Source projects is they're built on hopes and prayers and not money. It takes funds to make things happen. It takes funds to pay the bills.
Open Source projects like PHP, MySQL, Wordpress, FireFox, OpenOffice are all backed by big companies that make a lot of money and can afford to keep the project alive. A lot of other open source software is just dead, going nowhere, without a plan, no source of income, and the community too afraid of money with a hatred of rich people and big corporations. They're more interested in running the software company "not like Microsoft" than making it successful and sustainable. I've seen a lot of good OS software die a miserable death because it's owners refuse to make money. So I refuse to waste my time on them.
Open Source projects like PHP, MySQL, Wordpress, FireFox, OpenOffice are all backed by big companies that make a lot of money and can afford to keep the project alive. A lot of other open source software is just dead, going nowhere, without a plan, no source of income, and the community too afraid of money with a hatred of rich people and big corporations. They're more interested in running the software company "not like Microsoft" than making it successful and sustainable. I've seen a lot of good OS software die a miserable death because it's owners refuse to make money. So I refuse to waste my time on them.
That's pretty short sighted. There are tons and tons of opensource software out there thriving, and without any type of backer. Some do it for fun, some to learn, some for pride, and some to give back. But I guess you think that DMs should have banner ads, and grep should return "No results found. Did you mean ....". It's ok to want to make money, and I wish you success in your endeavor, but insulting those with other motivations is tactless.
"There are tons and tons of opensource software out there thriving, and without any type of backer."
That's pretty short sighted as well. I don't want to invest my heart and soul into something only for it to disappear in a few years like so many have. In the long term, a lot of that software will be gone. Looking back at all the open sourced software I used as a teen most of it has decayed. Little by little over the years I'd receive an automated email from the founder who "built it out of love" saying he needs to "move on now, because I have a wife and kid on the way and a full time job".
Am I the one being insulting? Or are these creators who suffocate their own creations the ones who are insulting open source?
That's pretty short sighted as well. I don't want to invest my heart and soul into something only for it to disappear in a few years like so many have. In the long term, a lot of that software will be gone. Looking back at all the open sourced software I used as a teen most of it has decayed. Little by little over the years I'd receive an automated email from the founder who "built it out of love" saying he needs to "move on now, because I have a wife and kid on the way and a full time job".
Am I the one being insulting? Or are these creators who suffocate their own creations the ones who are insulting open source?
I can see where you're coming from, truthfully. I have went through that cycle myself. Sometime in your late 20s-early 30s you just get too busy with life for things you used to love. I think the main problem is that, regardless of what anyone thinks, source code is really hard to read. I mean, line by line, it's very simple. It's the logic, the relations, etc. that make it so as I'm sure you've experienced. So, in most cases, the maintainer is the only one who truly understands the entire project. So, when he/she gives up on it, it dies. But remember, it's open source so anyone willing could always take the reigns!
Contributing to open source doesn't have to be about pouring your heart into it, nor wasting your time. Bug fixes or improved algorithms are always a good start. But remember, it's open source - you're free to fork a project, dead or alive, and make it your own, to monetize it. The only drawback being that it remains open source, so someone else could just turn and do the same to you.
I hope I don't come off too much like a zealot. Open source is important to me because it's how I learned, and how I in turn made a good living for myself. So I feel compelled to give back, to perhaps help others one day as they've done me. But I do understand it's easier for me - someone gainfully employed, than someone not. In other circumstances, I'd probably value my time a bit more.
Contributing to open source doesn't have to be about pouring your heart into it, nor wasting your time. Bug fixes or improved algorithms are always a good start. But remember, it's open source - you're free to fork a project, dead or alive, and make it your own, to monetize it. The only drawback being that it remains open source, so someone else could just turn and do the same to you.
I hope I don't come off too much like a zealot. Open source is important to me because it's how I learned, and how I in turn made a good living for myself. So I feel compelled to give back, to perhaps help others one day as they've done me. But I do understand it's easier for me - someone gainfully employed, than someone not. In other circumstances, I'd probably value my time a bit more.
Sweet. The world needs more freemium, gamification, ads, subscription plans and "social."
Sweet you have no imagination.
What you're probably imagining: http://cdn0.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/4243405/microsof...
What I'm imaging: http://www.tsemrinpoche.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/20060... (a world without ads and bullshit)
What actual Winamp users really want: http://www.avinashtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/winamp...
What I'm imaging: http://www.tsemrinpoche.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/20060... (a world without ads and bullshit)
What actual Winamp users really want: http://www.avinashtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/winamp...
1) Nope, that's not what I'm imagining at all. In fact I love the Winamp interface just the way it is. No gamification. No points. Only extensions to the product without changing it. I don't want to list them here because I emailed them to the poster who wanted to pitch into a fund to buy Winamp from AOL and we decided to keep them a secret.
2) That's because you're negative & disdainful.
3) If you're not growing you're dying. Keeping Winamp the same without changing anything is exactly what has led AOL to sell the property in the first place.
I understand where you're coming from, I've read through some of your past comments. The reason why you've become negative and disdainful is because you're wasting your time arguing with "stupid people" (you know who I'm talking about). Stop doing that because it will destroy you and suck you dry of all your energy. I only had to skim 3 pages into your comment history to see you've been arguing with "people who cannot be changed" (aka "______ fans" and "what's wrong with destroying privacy" type folks) and you have a history of trying to talk them out of their stupidity. Don't do it. Just stop. I stopped and I'm a much happier person.
2) That's because you're negative & disdainful.
3) If you're not growing you're dying. Keeping Winamp the same without changing anything is exactly what has led AOL to sell the property in the first place.
I understand where you're coming from, I've read through some of your past comments. The reason why you've become negative and disdainful is because you're wasting your time arguing with "stupid people" (you know who I'm talking about). Stop doing that because it will destroy you and suck you dry of all your energy. I only had to skim 3 pages into your comment history to see you've been arguing with "people who cannot be changed" (aka "______ fans" and "what's wrong with destroying privacy" type folks) and you have a history of trying to talk them out of their stupidity. Don't do it. Just stop. I stopped and I'm a much happier person.
Have spoken with a few people already. Of those, three others have currently offered support. Need help even if you do not have funds:
What we need are contacts at AOL and AOL Music. If you know anyone that works at AOL or anyone that has a relationship with someone at AOL let me know.
PS. Had two offers with BTC pledges, unfortunately that would make things more difficult so please just help with USD or personal contacts.
What we need are contacts at AOL and AOL Music. If you know anyone that works at AOL or anyone that has a relationship with someone at AOL let me know.
PS. Had two offers with BTC pledges, unfortunately that would make things more difficult so please just help with USD or personal contacts.
Do you think Microsoft is offering AOL less than $1M? Selling to Microsoft would be an easier transaction and a bigger headline.
But I do think your venture is much more interesting! :)
But I do think your venture is much more interesting! :)
Did a monkey write this?
"picked up through its 1999, $80 million acquisition of Nullsoft in 1999. But today Techcrunch has learned that AOL is talks with Microsoft"
"picked up through its 1999, $80 million acquisition of Nullsoft in 1999. But today Techcrunch has learned that AOL is talks with Microsoft"
Please don't insult the monkeys.
Looks like a poorly coded markov bot wrote it
not time 4 profred, in internets FIRST post winner!
I'm not sure if the posters on this thread are serious (w.r.t fundraising/designing/contributing for Winamp), but here's is my thought:
I would venture that doing this exact same thing for Foobar2k is going to have a higher possibility of success than for Winamp. Secondly, while Winamp has mostly been in maintenance, Foobar is now considered an audiophile grade player (bitperfect?) (e.g. [1]) . There's also this team that has built a stripped down version of Windows 8 with Foobar for audiophiles ([2]) There is usually a post every now and then on Hydrogenaudio forums, asking if Foobar2k can be opensource/ported to linux, and the answer is the same - the authors have no plan to make it so, because in all probability they are waiting for a financial outcome of all this work.
Be warned that the authors can come off a bit... prickly. But I suspect that is the side effect of handling a huge freeloading community for many years.
Disclaimer - I have moved off PC audio for a while now. I prefer listening to my audio on the phone streaming from my laptop over Plex (however, I got interested in Foobar again while trying to build a stripped down Windows 8 using AudiophileOptimizer[2])
[1] http://archimago.blogspot.ca/2013/06/measurements-part-ii-bi... [2] http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f11-software/iso-usb-key-i...
I would venture that doing this exact same thing for Foobar2k is going to have a higher possibility of success than for Winamp. Secondly, while Winamp has mostly been in maintenance, Foobar is now considered an audiophile grade player (bitperfect?) (e.g. [1]) . There's also this team that has built a stripped down version of Windows 8 with Foobar for audiophiles ([2]) There is usually a post every now and then on Hydrogenaudio forums, asking if Foobar2k can be opensource/ported to linux, and the answer is the same - the authors have no plan to make it so, because in all probability they are waiting for a financial outcome of all this work.
Be warned that the authors can come off a bit... prickly. But I suspect that is the side effect of handling a huge freeloading community for many years.
Disclaimer - I have moved off PC audio for a while now. I prefer listening to my audio on the phone streaming from my laptop over Plex (however, I got interested in Foobar again while trying to build a stripped down Windows 8 using AudiophileOptimizer[2])
[1] http://archimago.blogspot.ca/2013/06/measurements-part-ii-bi... [2] http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f11-software/iso-usb-key-i...
I agree that the posters might be more successful in getting the source code from Foobar than Winamp, but I don't think it's a better move.
The post regarding Winamp closing has 892 points and 520 comments now, which I think it's the largest number of comments I've seen in a HN history - although it's probably not the overall largest, it's a clear sign that the Winamp brand is still incredibly valuable.
Compare that to Foobar2k. In that thread it was consistently rated as the best alternative, and yet how do the users see it? "Closed source, confusing at best, current authors come off a bit prickly".
Winamp is not just a media player - I'd argue that by now it's closer to an ideal. Getting the rights for that brand sounds to me like the best idea.
The post regarding Winamp closing has 892 points and 520 comments now, which I think it's the largest number of comments I've seen in a HN history - although it's probably not the overall largest, it's a clear sign that the Winamp brand is still incredibly valuable.
Compare that to Foobar2k. In that thread it was consistently rated as the best alternative, and yet how do the users see it? "Closed source, confusing at best, current authors come off a bit prickly".
Winamp is not just a media player - I'd argue that by now it's closer to an ideal. Getting the rights for that brand sounds to me like the best idea.
I don't know why Foobar2000 is closed source.
I was really hoping they would just open source it.
Would love if this happened, but I wasn't hoping for it. It's a shame, though.
It's more to it than simply open source it. I work for AOL, and know some folks who worked on Winamp on a personal level. Winamp has proprietory licenses for some of its codecs for every install AOL pays licensing fees which it does recoup via other services (such as search agreements with GOOG or Shoutcast major partners). If it were to AOL to open source it, it need to strip our those pieces, translating into few months of work on the clock.
Can you contact me? Info in profile.
Why is MS doing this? They should just leave WA alone.
IMO, every passing day SME-sized consumer software companies are going to find it harder to survive. I wish there was a consumer market for well written compact software that just does its job well, doesnt mine your data, doesnt try to push some shitty subscription model or advertisement crap onto users.
IMO, every passing day SME-sized consumer software companies are going to find it harder to survive. I wish there was a consumer market for well written compact software that just does its job well, doesnt mine your data, doesnt try to push some shitty subscription model or advertisement crap onto users.
Given the choice between WinAmp disappearing and Microsoft adopting it, what would you pick?
In the first case, your only solution is to stick with one of the older versions that are offered for download on some OldVersions page (since AOL is apparently removing their download links). In the latter, you still have that solution, but now there's also the possibility of Microsoft keeping it available, or screwing up newer versions.
All I can see is hope.
In the first case, your only solution is to stick with one of the older versions that are offered for download on some OldVersions page (since AOL is apparently removing their download links). In the latter, you still have that solution, but now there's also the possibility of Microsoft keeping it available, or screwing up newer versions.
All I can see is hope.
Winamp disappearing by far. I haven't used it since my Windows days but it should die with dignity rather than turn into another Skype.
I was secretly hoping that somewhere down the line WA would get opensourced :)
I would like to have WinAmp open sourced. I think it would be an amazing contribution to the library of open source software.
Wow, if they replace Windows Media Player with it, and embrace shoutcast, that would be great. But probably not going to happen, so I wonder what they're thinking.
They're probably thinking "We can co-opt the userbase and make media-sharing lucrative".
What'll most likely happen is that they'll buy it and let it hang on in its current state like some half-wounded animal, kind of like Skype.
What'll most likely happen is that they'll buy it and let it hang on in its current state like some half-wounded animal, kind of like Skype.
That would be a win, sort of. If they could map WMP more like WinAmp at least
You really think that would ever have a chance to happen?
Well I thought the chance was none zero when WinAmp was going to expire directly. I upgraded it to 'slim' in the event Microsoft actually buys it from AOL.
It would either stagnate or go in the opposite direction.. and we don't need another WMP.
I fear that these technologies will suffer the same fate as Caligari TrueSpace: the IP is purchased, thrown into a bin somewhere on campus, and abandoned.
Hadn't heard of Caligari TrueSpace before now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TrueSpace
Winamp probably has a huge userbase compared to Caligari though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TrueSpace
Winamp probably has a huge userbase compared to Caligari though.
Yes, I'm sure it did (does). TrueSpace was priced around $300, which tended to put a damper on adoption.
As a 3d modeling and animation package, it served as a poor man's Lightwave 3D or Maya. The interface would probably give some designers fits. Still, it was a useful and nimble application and one of my first experiences with CGI. If I could get it to reliably run on an XP SP3 box or in a VM, I'd probably still be playing with it.
As a 3d modeling and animation package, it served as a poor man's Lightwave 3D or Maya. The interface would probably give some designers fits. Still, it was a useful and nimble application and one of my first experiences with CGI. If I could get it to reliably run on an XP SP3 box or in a VM, I'd probably still be playing with it.
Have to wonder if this is one of those situations where Microsoft wants to buy it to figure out later what to do with it.
Better to die a hero than live to see yourself become the villain.
No. This is now wrong. Microsoft is reformed.
Ya know, I'm over the whole trendy hating on MS, I was ready to argue with you.... but that link crushed me. I just hope they don't mess with Shoutcast too much; I love their 70's & 80's stream.
The whole Scroogled thing is extremely unprofessional. There are legitimate concerns with Google, and Google's proposal for tracking users beyond cookies (same as MS) is concerning. Google's change to have Froogle only search paid product placement is cheesy. But Microsoft's response undermines the actual arguments.
I'm actually a fan of it. Its about time Microsoft stopped quietly accepting every slur against them and dish some out. Examples would be the famous Apple Ad's, the negative press about Vista etc...
I know that's a very high school view but it does make things more interesting.
I know that's a very high school view but it does make things more interesting.
what slurs did Google levy against Bing?
The Yahoo attempted takeover springs to mind (mentioned already), and the accusations of copying search results,
http://googleblog.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/microsofts-bing-us...
http://googleblog.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/microsofts-bing-us...
Well, there's this:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/yahoo-and-future-of-i...
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/yahoo-and-future-of-i...
Whats the big deal? I'm not necessarily on Microsoft's side, but I'm DEFINITELY not on Google's side.
They're not reformed, they've just been weakened enough that they can't throw their weight around like they used to.
That implies that there's a meaningful distinction between "reformed" and "weakened"
It was too late for that when they sold out to AOL 14 years ago.
I feel like Winamp should be open sourced. There's enough enthusiasm here to guarantee a fairly healthy dev community. How does it compare with the default KDE/gnome players? Would it add anything of value to what is already out there?
(never used them since my linux boxen are all either networking or imaging focused, not desktop)
(never used them since my linux boxen are all either networking or imaging focused, not desktop)
Decent options. Amarok, Rhythmbox, Clementine.
I'm happy with Clementine.
I think it’s a great opportunity. Shoutcast has a greater installed base than Icecast. But more importantly a really passionate user base.
However there is broken feature by design on ALL those streaming services: they stop for whatever reason.
As a listener it’s a terrible experience. It’s alaways when you start listening something you really like that it stops.
And you could think it stops because I try to listen on the mobile, so that’s normal. NO it stops even at home on your desktop. When you start listening a stream, you’re 100% of one thing : it will stop but NOT when you decide to stop it.
But it wouldn’t be that hard to build a system that actually use a better caching system and pretend to be live instead of trying to stream a live content.
Listeners already grasped the idea of listening events which are not “live” thanks to podcasts.
In fact what is streamed nowadays is mainly pre-recorded songs/stories. So the notion of “live” is absolutely not necessary unless you’re broadcasting sports or once-in-a-lifetime events. And then TV / FM does a much better job.
That said, Shoutcast services are mainly non-live type of streams anyways.
So there is a great opportunity to buy the installed base of Shoutcast creators and listeners and Winamp userbase (pro-anti itunes).
The main idea is you change the sofwtare to make it work even when there is no internet connection.
A better caching system needs to be made on the device itself and on the server side.
In terms of monetization, it’s easy: audio adverts have already proved financial success.
It does work only because of their repetition AND their relation with the audience.
The best example of audio adverts are the songs with high rotation counts: they are the adverts of the big labels.
Here you got a system of dedicated listeners that you can target repetitively, endlessly, fairly (you don’t have to stream blocks of minutes of adverts)
Audio ads on webcast radio start to catch up with Radionomy systems by example.
AOL proved they couldn’t leverage that community. I don’t think Microsoft will do any better job as their main focus will be “integrate”. A strategy that rarely works.
Of course “a non-stop stream even without internet connection“ can happen without buying Shoutcast & Winamp, but what a fantastic opportunity and shortcut for those who can.
However there is broken feature by design on ALL those streaming services: they stop for whatever reason.
As a listener it’s a terrible experience. It’s alaways when you start listening something you really like that it stops.
And you could think it stops because I try to listen on the mobile, so that’s normal. NO it stops even at home on your desktop. When you start listening a stream, you’re 100% of one thing : it will stop but NOT when you decide to stop it.
But it wouldn’t be that hard to build a system that actually use a better caching system and pretend to be live instead of trying to stream a live content.
Listeners already grasped the idea of listening events which are not “live” thanks to podcasts.
In fact what is streamed nowadays is mainly pre-recorded songs/stories. So the notion of “live” is absolutely not necessary unless you’re broadcasting sports or once-in-a-lifetime events. And then TV / FM does a much better job.
That said, Shoutcast services are mainly non-live type of streams anyways.
So there is a great opportunity to buy the installed base of Shoutcast creators and listeners and Winamp userbase (pro-anti itunes).
The main idea is you change the sofwtare to make it work even when there is no internet connection.
A better caching system needs to be made on the device itself and on the server side.
In terms of monetization, it’s easy: audio adverts have already proved financial success.
It does work only because of their repetition AND their relation with the audience.
The best example of audio adverts are the songs with high rotation counts: they are the adverts of the big labels.
Here you got a system of dedicated listeners that you can target repetitively, endlessly, fairly (you don’t have to stream blocks of minutes of adverts)
Audio ads on webcast radio start to catch up with Radionomy systems by example.
AOL proved they couldn’t leverage that community. I don’t think Microsoft will do any better job as their main focus will be “integrate”. A strategy that rarely works.
Of course “a non-stop stream even without internet connection“ can happen without buying Shoutcast & Winamp, but what a fantastic opportunity and shortcut for those who can.
Oh man, Shoutcast brings me fond memories. There used to be some very good (albeit illegal) show providers like EveryShowSucks (ESS). The nice thing about the shoutcast model, is that you could just tune into a channel and consume whatever was available (knowing it was going to be good).
It is something that is not available in the Netflix-es, and Hulus of the world (and something that Cable still has).
It is something that is not available in the Netflix-es, and Hulus of the world (and something that Cable still has).
Am I the only one that noticed the article that AOL declined to comment on is by a company they own?... I find that rather humorous. AOL owns TechCrunch according to TechCrunch themselves.
I've got to say, never saw that coming. Good for the WinAmp team - better than having to just shut down the business.
Remember all that fun we were having yesterday?