Topic: Google or Amazon? (Read 5344 times)

JimH · « **on:** April 01, 2011, 11:06:48 am »

I've had a couple of interesting calls this week from Amazon and Google. I just had another at a "very high" level with Amazon. He suggested that "money would not be a problem".

I wish I could say more, but I can't. My question is this. Which is a better fit for JRiver and for you, our customers?

chriswatson · « **Reply #1 on:** April 01, 2011, 11:23:50 am »

Amazon

I buy all my music from Amazon. They just came out with a free video streaming service for their gold customers and they have the cloud music service. Lots of different ways to tightly integrate into a lot of different monetary streams.

With Google you run the strong chance of becoming backwater application service of some sort for them.

Amazon has a strong incentive to push something as it makes them direct $$$ whereas Google seems to get involved with certain projects as blocking moves. IMHO Android as cool as it is is a "blocking move" on their part to keep the pathways to Google search open.

my 10 cents, your mileage may vary.

mark_h · « **Reply #2 on:** April 01, 2011, 11:28:33 am »

Assuming it's not an April Fool - Amazon. Their customer oriented focus is a perfect fit for JRiver.

preproman · « **Reply #3 on:** April 01, 2011, 11:33:16 am »

Which ever one will lets us download music content at 16/44 and up.

wig · « **Reply #4 on:** April 01, 2011, 11:41:25 am »

Amazon. I love the Android platform, but the customer experience with Amazon is always better. Their smooth (for me) rollout of the Amazon app store and the Cloud player/MP3 store is just another example. I'm already checking both on a daily basis.

MrC · « **Reply #5 on:** April 01, 2011, 12:29:53 pm »

Amazon.

leezer3 · « **Reply #6 on:** April 01, 2011, 12:47:45 pm »

I'd honestly require more details on the specifics

Both have advantages in terms of a strategic tieup, but knowing the details is vital.
I'd probably choose Google over Amazon as a straight investor/ buyout (Look into Sketchup as a good analogy to your situation), but in terms of a more content orientated partnership it might well be Amazon.

-Leezer-

DarkPenguin · « **Reply #7 on:** April 01, 2011, 06:13:24 pm »

Amazon. I love Amazon.com so much I'd @#%$!@ it if I could.

wilfredjg · « **Reply #8 on:** April 01, 2011, 07:18:37 pm »

Amazon has my vote. Buy all my MP3 and CD from Amazon.

arvi · « **Reply #9 on:** April 01, 2011, 07:25:29 pm »

Amazon, by far....But What for? In other words what will this enable us (the users) to do that we cannot do right now...and interacting with Amazon through MC rather than directly does not sound very exciting.

cncb · « **Reply #10 on:** April 01, 2011, 07:48:50 pm »

This kind of thing makes me a little nervous. If we're talking buyout, then MC could potentially be ruined (think Meedio/Yahoo). If we're talking a specialized player, then "standard" MC could get less attention. In any case, after all that I vote for Amazon

.

brossmac · « **Reply #11 on:** April 02, 2011, 01:30:12 am »

If I was still in the US, I'd say Amazon. But in Canada now I can't even use the new Amazon Cloud Player. Of course, I don't know if any Google music offering would be available up here....

glynor · « **Reply #12 on:** April 03, 2011, 02:20:11 am »

I'd be interested to see/hear what both want to offer, especially if it involves TV/Movies and not just music (especially not a subscription music service).

But, I generally agree with the others above. I buy essentially all of my music either directly from the artists (especially if they offer FLAC, as they sometimes do now), or from Amazon. Their customer service has always been good for me, and I'm also a big fan of shopping with them. I don't know that Google has much experience running what amounts to a customer-facing "store", and some of the moves in this space they have made (Android Market, for one, and direct-selling the Nexus One for another) haven't really gone so well. Deep integration with Amazon's MP3 and Unbox services would be a great addition to MC, especially if it resulted in financial support for you.

I'm imaging an item in the tree where we can browse the store catalog in MC-like views (rather than just portals to the website), filter them, and purchase music and rent/stream/buy video content. This would be fantastic. Also, a system where we can easily select an existing artist or TV Show in our libraries, and then jump to this related "Buy/Rent" view where we can see what is available from the store, using the Metadata to collect and show the truly related content. When you buy, it would automatically download the content and add it, with good tags, to the library. Rentals could function like a "temporary file" in MC's library, that you could play and pause and use much like you would any other file up until the expiration date, when it would be automatically removed. And, of course, have all of this available from Theater View.

I'm very intrigued by this news. Keep us informed where you can.

PS. Oh yeah, and a Mac version.

csimon · « **Reply #13 on:** April 03, 2011, 06:21:53 am »

coughLinuxNASservercough

I'd say Amazon, but as with another post above, if it means losing control and taking it away from the "community" then neither.

I was also a victim of the Meedio/Yahoo scandal...

glynor · « **Reply #14 on:** April 03, 2011, 10:12:07 am »

Quote from: csimon on April 03, 2011, 06:21:53 am

I was also a victim of the Meedio/Yahoo scandal...

I believe J River is privately held, and I don't see Jim selling out right now. I could be wrong, of course, but I really don't think a buyout is what he meant.

BullishDad · « **Reply #15 on:** April 03, 2011, 10:31:39 am »

When Amazon launched Cloud Player and Cloud Drive, I immediately looked at Interact and sampled Cloud Player to see if JRiver was behind the software. My unsure conclusion was "probably not". However, it struck me that if Amazon wanted to improve Cloud Player it should hire Jim and crew. There has also been news that Google is working on a music service that is in-house at the moment, so I can see interest from both companies coming JRiver's way.

I'd say that Amazon is a better fit than Google. Amazon has long been a leading seller of music and movies, and is continuing to raise the bar with its recent moves. They offer strong competition to Apple (iTunes) and Netfilix. They made non-DRM'd MP3 music available when nobody thought it could be done. I think Amazon is more committed to becoming the store for all your media needs, whereas I see this an experiment at Google. If the powers that be at Google felt that the project was not providing the expected results, I could see it being dropped in short order.

Good luck, Jim, with your future discussions. I sense something big in the works which can be very lucrative for JRiver. I'm sure you'll keep your loyal customers in mind (as you did in asking the question in the opening post) and we'll continue to see your product evolve and improve beyond the great product it already is.

shAf · « **Reply #16 on:** April 03, 2011, 12:59:55 pm »

I agree with most of the earlier posts. My only additional comment is to ask ... how many times has Google bought into something to really never finish it, and sometimes even break it. USENet was never the same, and Google Groups didn't get to where it is today until several years later, and it's still not as good as USENet was. IMHO, Google's implementations of Chrome are a joke (ie, compared to Mozilla).

Don't get me wrong .. where would we be today wo Google (... and as much as I hate to admit, Android ...) ... but I'd be advising JRiver to leave this particular implementation to Amazon (... if & only if it's what I believe it is ... more info please).

Finally ... put in a good word for us Canadians ... your source of most singer/songwriters!! (... altho Ryan Bingham has struck a very enjoyable resonance 'tween my ears this afternoon ...)

my CA$0.02

bwaldron · « **Reply #17 on:** April 03, 2011, 01:16:11 pm »

Amazon, definitely.

steveklein · « **Reply #18 on:** April 03, 2011, 02:57:23 pm »

i'll break the trend and say google.

now i don't use either's music service (didn't even really know google had a music service?)

but i do use google for just about everythign else from storing photos to handling my maps to email, online access to documents, etc etc etc

so, yeah, i'm all for incorporating google into MC...

JimH · « **Reply #19 on:** April 03, 2011, 06:27:51 pm »

I feel badly now but take a look at the date.

Quote from: JimH on April 01, 2011, 11:06:48 am

I've had a couple of interesting calls this week

mark_h got it.

I am surprised how heavily the sentiment tilts toward Amazon.

Frobozz · « **Reply #20 on:** April 03, 2011, 06:46:14 pm »

Well Amazon knows how to sell things. Google, not so much. Google tends to be more open though and more shiny. I'd have voted for Google.

cncb · « **Reply #21 on:** April 03, 2011, 08:46:33 pm »

I feel so used

...

MrC · « **Reply #22 on:** April 03, 2011, 09:08:04 pm »

We all knew it was an April Fools joke. Our joke was that we responded. :-)

glynor · « **Reply #23 on:** April 03, 2011, 10:14:22 pm »

Quote from: JimH on April 03, 2011, 06:27:51 pm

I feel badly now but take a look at the date.

I saw that and thought it could be, but figured probably not. Give me a break... I'm tired.

BullishDad · « **Reply #24 on:** April 04, 2011, 07:43:37 pm »

I feel so embarrassed for falling for the April Fool's joke after writing up a big lengthy post

. I think this is Jim's recurring "happy" dream. Maybe someday it will come true. I should have realized that a non-disclosure agreement would likely have made any hint of a deal a no-no.

MrHaugen · « **Reply #25 on:** April 05, 2011, 05:47:58 am »

This is the third time I fell for one of this jokes

I would probably not recognize one if it hit me in the face with a calendar.

wig · « **Reply #26 on:** April 05, 2011, 08:50:16 am »

I saw the post about talking to Logitech regarding Squeezebox, and figured it was along the same lines; some sort of low-level integration with their services. I should have been tipped off by the 'money will not be a issue' comment.

chriswatson · « **Reply #27 on:** April 08, 2011, 04:48:29 pm »

Man I am such a sucker

INTERACT FORUM

Author Topic: Google or Amazon? (Read 5344 times)