Digital

Carphone Warehouse launch music anywhere service

By | Published on Tuesday 3 August 2010

Carphone Warehouse is launching a “cloud-based” music service, which I have agreed to refer to as a “cloud-based” music service on account of it being a bit cleverer than your average streaming music service or device-locked download platform. It’s basically what would happen if you had a helping of Spotify in a bowl, and you accidentally spilt a packet of digital locker service into it. If you follow.

Powered by US digital company Catch Media and called Music Anywhere, basically you subscribe (thirty quid a year), download an app to your main computer, and it creates a log of all the music stored on your PC.

Then if you access the Music Anywhere platform from any other digital device it will make that catalogue of tunes available, only you won’t actually be accessing the MP3 file stored on your computer, but the version of that song stored on the Catch Media server. If there are any tracks in your MP3 collection not in Catch’s 6 million strong song catalogue, the app uploads a copy of those tracks so it can play them to you (only you, mind) remotely as well.

I’m not 100% certain I’d ever want to use it, but it is a rather clever system. Although initially only available in the UK, users who sign up here will be able to access their music anywhere in the world, with Catch having the relevant licenses with non-UK collecting societies in place to offer such a thing.

The new service, which will work on selected mobiles too, will be flogged relentlessly at Carphone Warehouse shops, and at the new UK stores of parent company Best Buy, who also own the ‘looks a bit rubbish in comparison’ Napster subscription service.

READ MORE ABOUT: | |