The ubiquitous and 24 hour availability of digital music stores like iTunes, Amazon, or Google Play provide a person with an instantaneous ‘shopping experience,’ without losing the meaningful aspect of personal depth behind a gift, which comes from what music the buyer selects for their recipient.
However, when contemplating how instantaneous it truly is to give digital music, standing these competitors alongside one imminent newcomer may just see things get even easier and faster than they already are.
The newcomer in question is called Me2UMusic. In a press release, the company announced its app launch for December 1st, right at midnight GMT, (the company is UK based). Consumers will see the app under the name “M2.” While not explicitly putting a message of intense competition out to the above mentioned online music stores, this upcoming app does appear to get a leg up in the music selling market. Me2UMusic’s main point of differentiation is a hassle-free process for purchasing songs, albums, and creating unique playlists, for giving right to recipients’ smart-phones (Android, Blackberry, Windows, iPhone), tablet devices or computers, with an added personal message if one so chooses. This description doesn’t initially lean toward real points of uniqueness for successful market penetration. All the same, there is still the matter of the middle men the app is aiming to cut from the picture.
Me2UMusic starts out describing in the “About Us” section of their website, what a user has to do when preparing to give music as a gift without M2:
Even in today’s high tech world, if you want to buy someone music, be it an album, a playlist or even a single track, you have to rely on buying a physical CD, send them an online voucher, or try and navigate the intricacies of attaching an MP3 file to an email.
Contrarily, the entire procedure for using M2 is listed right on the website in six straightforward steps:
How to Buy a Track or Album, or to make and Buy a Playlist
- Simply click on “Buy Single / Album”, or “Make Playlist”
- In the search box enter either the artist’s name, a song or album title, or just a general theme e.g. Christmas, Birthday Love etc.
- From the search results pick the track or album you wish to purchase and click “Buy,” or pick the track you wish to put in your playlist and click “Add to Playlist”. Repeat this process until you have made your playlist, and then click “Buy”
- In the checkout page add your message or greeting and the mobile number or email address of your recipient.
- If you wish to make further purchases click “continue shopping” and repeat 2 thru 4..
- When you have completed all your purchases choose “checkout now” and you will be directed to the payment page. Once you have paid your music will be sent directly to your recipients phone, tablet or computer.
Me2UMusic is not only about fast purchasing. The company supports this one element with the second requirement of a large track library. Me2UMusic is already at 22 million tracks, pre-launch, thanks to the use of open digital content platform, 7digital, for the app’s API.
Chris Osbourne-Shaw, the director of Me2UMusic, is confident in the popularity his app will gain:
The way [M2] differs from anything available on the market today, is the way the music is sent direct to the recipient, and begins playing immediately, with no need for them to be re-directed to a website or redeem a token etc. This makes it much more instantaneous as a gift.
Those who are given a music surprise receive either SMS messages or emails and a single click of the content’s icon will start playback. Afterward, recipients can save the music to the library of their respective devices and use it in whatever way they choose.
The only piece missing is price. Thus far, all that is stated on the homepage is “great prices” but, if the prices are at all in line with those in 7digital’s US store, they should at least be right in line with, if not better than, the competition.
Kira is an old school music nerd with a love for all things creative; always searching for music’s common ground. She graduated with an M.A. in Performing Arts Administration from New York University. Drop her a tweet @shadowmelody1
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