Apple killed lala.com

I upvoted cuz nobody else will, because you're using "zune pass".

Another good alternative is emusic.

$10/month for 30 DRM-free downloads. Only downside is it's only independent labels, so no Rolling Stones. Lots to choose among, though. Their website says they've got 6 million tracks from 60,000 record labels.

I use Zune Pass too and I've been generally satisfied with it. It's a lot better now than it used to be, almost to the point where I could probably ditch my Rhapsody subscription but Rhapsody proves pretty useful and has been venerable for ages now. I never could get into lala and I'm glad I didn't after this move.

No, offering a similar service is not prerequisite for anticompetitive douchebaggery. Like, if the RIAA had sued Lala out of existence based on flimsy loopholes, would we have said, "Oh, but the RIAA doesn't offer any service along the lines of what Lala does, so that wasn't anticompetitive in the slightest"? No, we would have said that the RIAA was trying to squash innovation and didn't want to have to keep up with the times, etc.

The point is that the parent seemed to think Apple was just killing off an innovative business model that threatened its own, but I don't think that's the case.

Is there any contract?

Does it have any mention at all of what happens if lala shuts down?

Maybe he can demand cash, since he is no longer getting what he paid for.

Also, can you sell itunes credits?

Looking gifted horse in the teeth. Apple/Lala are giving him a 100 bucks, despite not being obligated the slightest to do so. But obviously for some people even free is not good enough.

edit: seriously people, read todd3834's comment bellow [ http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1307514 ]; unused credits can be refunded - USED credits (i.e. the money one had spent to practically rent the music) are given back as iTunes store credit;

From the Lala email to customers:

> In appreciation of your support over the last five years, you will receive a credit in the amount of your Lala web song purchases for use on Apple's iTunes Store. If you purchased and downloaded mp3 songs from Lala, those song will continue to play as part of your local music library.

> Remaining wallet balances and unredeemed gift cards will be converted to iTunes Store credit (or can be refunded upon request). Gift cards can be redeemed on Lala until May 31st.

Upon first read, I though maybe the web song credit could be refunded on request. On second read, I'm guessing no. But it's probably worth a shot.

Apple's acquisitions are few and mostly (IMHO) strategically well thought-out. Let's look at Apple's lala process for clues to where they're going.

Consider the possibility that the lala-buyout/close-down is prelude to Apple's next quantum leap in streaming service. [remember the huge NC data center that's nearing(?) completion]

The "store he doesn't want to shop at" may soon leap-frog what he lacked at lala. I understand that it's probably aggravating at time point to anyone with a substantial investment in lala service, but... the broader implications for overall media streaming/services may surprise us all.

I've worked through acquisitions.

I think in a lot of cases if you request a refund instead of the new service you'll get one.

So in other words, the money given them creates absolutely no obligation on their part to do anything whatsoever.

That is incredible. Why would anyone pay money for that?

I am still a bit skeptical that this would hold up in court. There are laws about what you can hide in the fine print, and often judges will hold the transaction to be for things that that a reasonable person would expect, not what is stated in the contract.

That is probably not enforceable. Unfortunately the only real option is a class action lawsuit which would probably result in a minimal rebate.

More like "Lala is doing something we want to do, I can't become profitable, let's buy them cheaply for their existing work and engineering team and shut them down so we can offer our own solution that can make money."

It's only negatively impacting the artist if they didn't get a cut of his original purchase.

In this scenario, the only person who has ended up without something they initially had is the consumer. At worst the artist lost a potential future sale, which very likely wouldn't have been made due to the consumer having paid for the content previously. The consumer who paid for the ability to listen to their music, had it taken away, and pirates it as a result, is simply regaining access to content they had been deprived of.

Now, if the artist got an insufficient or unfair cut from the original Lala purchase, that's between the artist and their publisher. Also not something the consumer is responsible for.

> you're advocating illegal activity

When laws are bad, civil disobedience is morally justified. It's arguably a moral obligation.

> negatively impacting the artist who created the music you like

The guy has already paid for the music. Downloading it will make no difference to the musicians. If someone likes a band, thy can go to their gigs or give them money directly; enriching the likes of the RIAA or Apple is morally wrong, because these people will use that money to restrict everyone's freedom.

> because you dislike a business model

Some business models are evil.

> FYI, in case you missed it, music purchased from ITMS is DRM free.

Irrelevant; music on streaming services such as Lala has DRM, since the whole point of a streaming service is that the listener isn't supposed to get control of a copy (obviously there are ways round that).

Nothing's wrong with it.

My point was that the original poster paid money to listen to some music, but then the service closed. Therefore he has a moral right to use technical means available to him to continue to listen to it.

I have friends in the UK, I paid them via Paypal and they setup the account for me. I realized when I was there in November last year I could've also gotten a prepaid credit card.

Where's the evidence of LaLa's ability to maintain operations?