MP3.com Unveils InterOperating System

MP3.com, Inc. Thursday announced the debut of its Music InterOperating System (IOS) designed to allow the music business to interoperate in new ways by connecting retailers, labels, music players, and hardware and software tools.

“We believe that our Music IOS can bring different segments of the music business together in entirely new ways,” said Michael Robertson, chairman and chief executive officer of MP3.com. “For example, today the act of buying a CD, playing it on a stereo, and then putting that music in an online locker consists of three separate transactions. We expect to change that process by connecting a music retailer with a device manufacturer and an online locker service in a way that will make it one transaction. That’s just one example of the ways in which our Music IOS vision has the potential to streamline the music industry by integrating existing services together.”

The cornerstone of Music IOS is the new MP3.com Developers Network (MP3DN). MP3DN is a resource for products and service developers designed to enable consumer access to personal music collections from a variety of web sites or web-enabled devices. The various components of Music IOS are available, or are expected to be available in the near future, for download from the company’s MP3DN site at http://developer.mp3.com. Through the program, MP3DN members can qualify to participate in a variety of free web-based marketing opportunities to connect their products to MP3.com’s customer base of music and technology enthusiasts.

One component of Music IOS designed to bridge the gap between consumers, retailers, and developers is the Instant Listening application-programming interface (API), intended to add value to developer sites by potentially increasing CD sales and site traffic. The API allows music-related e-commerce partners to integrate MP3.com’s Instant Listening service into their site. Instant Listening enables consumers to access their purchased music immediately in a password-protected My.MP3 online music locker before the CD arrives in the mail, provided all licensing rights have been secured by MP3.com.

A number of MP3DN-empowered applications are displayed at the company’s “Next Generation of My.MP3” event in San Diego. One such is the Panja Broadband Music Player (BMP-100) a fully functional digital home stereo system designed to allow consumers to program and play MP3 files without downloading them from a computer.

Another element of Music IOS, the new Beam-it software developers kit (SDK), is also expected shortly to be available for download on the MP3DN site. The Beam-it SDK is designed to let developers integrate the company’s Beam-it service into their software, device or web site. The Beam-it service lets consumers instantly add licensed portions of their personal CD collection to an online My.MP3 music account in seconds.

An additional future element of the Music IOS is the Transfer2Device service, designed to enable the wireless delivery of digital music. Featuring one-step file-transfer and playlist management, Transfer2Device service allows consumers to transfer their music collection stored in a My.MP3 account to any web-enabled device.

“We believe that Music IOS will mobilize music beyond traditional boundaries,” said Shawn Conahan, vice president and head of MP3 Mobile. “We are dedicated to providing partners, developers, artists, labels and music fans with access to the technology that is driving the future of the music business.”

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