Tuesday, April 04, 2006
easyMusic
easyMusic is yet another example of Stelios and the easyGroup fighting for the "little guy and offers current hits and back catalogues starting at 25p a track. The assholes from the BPI have tried to stop me and have tried taking me to court but they have failed.
easyMusic offers best value music downloads
The IFPI has announced that paid-for music downloads increased tenfold during 2004 with some 200 million tracks being downloaded worldwide. The launch of www.easyMusic.com has been well timed to take advantage of this huge growth in demand for online music. easyMusic offers the best value on the market with tracks from 25p on a 'pay as you go' basis. This contrasts with some subscription services where consumers lose their entire library of already downloaded music if they fail to keep up with their subscription. Neither does easyMusic insist that consumers buy a specific portable player in order to listen to downloaded music."easyMusic has both the best prices and a service which is easy to understand and use,With hundreds of music download websites now springing up easyMusic can now offer a recognised brand which represents best value and ease of use to consumers."
www.easyMusic.com has launched, download tracks from 25p
The easyGroup has once again extended its brand, this time into the music download business. www.easyMusic.com is now live and has launched as a pay-for-download music site offering tracks for as little as 25p which represents the best value in the market.
The music on offer at www.easyMusic.com is taken from current hits and back catalogues from more than 200 record labels, including all the majors. A wide selection of music is available from all sorts of contemporary styles to classical music.
"Once again the easyGroup has reduced prices to consumers. With prices starting at 25p a track easyMusic is bringing lower prices and better value to all music lovers."
Paul Myers, CEO and Founder of Wippit said, "easyMusic.com is set be the first stop destination for shoppers seeking value. That won't mean a compromise on quality though, just keener pricing and less restrictions on what you can do with the music you buy."
Not only does easyMusic offer the best value to consumers but it also offers the best and fairest service. Unlike some competitors easyMusic does not insist on 'tethered' downloads where tracks which have already been downloaded become unplayable if consumers' subscriptions to music download sites expire. Neither are easyMusic downloads tethered to the extent that that cannot be transferred from a PC to another device. easyMusic prices starting at 25p a track should come as a welcome relief to consumers just as the Office of Fair Trading is being asked by the Consumers Association to investigate why some UK consumers are being charged more for downloads than other European customers downloading the same music.
This is what the BBC had to say in my support:
Music industry leaders are launching a court bid to stop an internet café chain from talking publicly about negotiations to settle a £1m claim over downloading music.
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Sony Music Entertainment want Easyinternetcafé - part of budget airline founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou's Easygroup - to keep their discussions confidential.
At the High Court in London, Mr Justice Collins ordered the application for a "gagging" order should be heard in full next week.
Music downloading should be legalised - it's far cheaper than putting CDs into little boxes
Stelios Haji-Iaonnou
Until a year ago, customers at the chain - formerly known as Easyeverything - were able to download music and burn it onto CDs in-store.
But the BPI and its members said the process infringed copyright, and demanded £1m in compensation - a claim Easygroup calls "excessive".
Sony and the BPI say it is "a matter of public policy" that parties in legal proceedings be encouraged to compromise in disputes - and that compromise would be much less likely if confidential matters were given publicity.
Easygroup sent employees to the Royal Courts of Justice dressed in orange boiler suits calling for "the right to free speech".
The demonstrators accused the music industry of "milking the consumer" and presiding over a "CD rip-off".
Stelios Haji-Ioannou said the company was offering £30,000 for a UK settlement, and £50,000 for a global case - while the music industry was now seeking £100,000 and £380,000 respectively.
Mr Haji-Ioannou also founded Easyjet
He said the company had put up signs in his store telling customers not to burn CDs - and it could not be held responsible for their disobedience.
But he added that he would be more than willing to pay licence fees to the music industry for allowing his customers to download music.
"I think that music downloading should be legalised. It's a far cheaper way than putting CDs into little boxes," he said.
"You can't stop the consumers doing it, so you might as well legalise it. They should take it away from bootleggers and turn it into a legitimate business."
Mr Haji-Ioannou said the "gagging" order came about because the music industry was embarrassed by its £1m demand becoming public knowledge.
easyMusic offers best value music downloads
The IFPI has announced that paid-for music downloads increased tenfold during 2004 with some 200 million tracks being downloaded worldwide. The launch of www.easyMusic.com has been well timed to take advantage of this huge growth in demand for online music. easyMusic offers the best value on the market with tracks from 25p on a 'pay as you go' basis. This contrasts with some subscription services where consumers lose their entire library of already downloaded music if they fail to keep up with their subscription. Neither does easyMusic insist that consumers buy a specific portable player in order to listen to downloaded music."easyMusic has both the best prices and a service which is easy to understand and use,With hundreds of music download websites now springing up easyMusic can now offer a recognised brand which represents best value and ease of use to consumers."
www.easyMusic.com has launched, download tracks from 25p
The easyGroup has once again extended its brand, this time into the music download business. www.easyMusic.com is now live and has launched as a pay-for-download music site offering tracks for as little as 25p which represents the best value in the market.
The music on offer at www.easyMusic.com is taken from current hits and back catalogues from more than 200 record labels, including all the majors. A wide selection of music is available from all sorts of contemporary styles to classical music.
"Once again the easyGroup has reduced prices to consumers. With prices starting at 25p a track easyMusic is bringing lower prices and better value to all music lovers."
Paul Myers, CEO and Founder of Wippit said, "easyMusic.com is set be the first stop destination for shoppers seeking value. That won't mean a compromise on quality though, just keener pricing and less restrictions on what you can do with the music you buy."
Not only does easyMusic offer the best value to consumers but it also offers the best and fairest service. Unlike some competitors easyMusic does not insist on 'tethered' downloads where tracks which have already been downloaded become unplayable if consumers' subscriptions to music download sites expire. Neither are easyMusic downloads tethered to the extent that that cannot be transferred from a PC to another device. easyMusic prices starting at 25p a track should come as a welcome relief to consumers just as the Office of Fair Trading is being asked by the Consumers Association to investigate why some UK consumers are being charged more for downloads than other European customers downloading the same music.
This is what the BBC had to say in my support:
Music industry leaders are launching a court bid to stop an internet café chain from talking publicly about negotiations to settle a £1m claim over downloading music.
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Sony Music Entertainment want Easyinternetcafé - part of budget airline founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou's Easygroup - to keep their discussions confidential.
At the High Court in London, Mr Justice Collins ordered the application for a "gagging" order should be heard in full next week.
Music downloading should be legalised - it's far cheaper than putting CDs into little boxes
Stelios Haji-Iaonnou
Until a year ago, customers at the chain - formerly known as Easyeverything - were able to download music and burn it onto CDs in-store.
But the BPI and its members said the process infringed copyright, and demanded £1m in compensation - a claim Easygroup calls "excessive".
Sony and the BPI say it is "a matter of public policy" that parties in legal proceedings be encouraged to compromise in disputes - and that compromise would be much less likely if confidential matters were given publicity.
Easygroup sent employees to the Royal Courts of Justice dressed in orange boiler suits calling for "the right to free speech".
The demonstrators accused the music industry of "milking the consumer" and presiding over a "CD rip-off".
Stelios Haji-Ioannou said the company was offering £30,000 for a UK settlement, and £50,000 for a global case - while the music industry was now seeking £100,000 and £380,000 respectively.
Mr Haji-Ioannou also founded Easyjet
He said the company had put up signs in his store telling customers not to burn CDs - and it could not be held responsible for their disobedience.
But he added that he would be more than willing to pay licence fees to the music industry for allowing his customers to download music.
"I think that music downloading should be legalised. It's a far cheaper way than putting CDs into little boxes," he said.
"You can't stop the consumers doing it, so you might as well legalise it. They should take it away from bootleggers and turn it into a legitimate business."
Mr Haji-Ioannou said the "gagging" order came about because the music industry was embarrassed by its £1m demand becoming public knowledge.
