| Yahoo Music | |
| Commercial: | Yes |
| Type: | Internet radio, Digital music store, Music streaming service, Media player software |
| Language: | Multilingual |
| Registration: | Optional (required for most) |
| Current Status: | Defunct (merged into Yahoo!) |
Yahoo! Music was a brand under which Yahoo! provided music services including Internet radio, a digital music store, music streaming service, media player software, and original programming.
In June 2001, after the bursting of the dot-com bubble, Yahoo! acquired LAUNCH Media, which was facing financial difficulty, for $12 million.[1] [2] [3] In addition to a website with music news and videos, it provided an Internet radio service that allowed users to create personalized Internet radio stations by rating songs selected by a recommender system. Users were also able to listen to music from 150 preset Internet radio stations. The service offered both an advertising supported free version and a subscription fee-based premium version.[4] At the time of the acquisition by Yahoo!, the service had 7.4 million users.[5]
In December 2008, the service was integrated into CBS Radio due to a rise in royalty rates, with CBS taking full control of the service, including advertising and sales and adding compatibility with Firefox and Safari.[6] [7] [8] [9]
The service was integrated into iHeartRadio in June 2012, providing listeners exclusive access to music events such as the iHeartRadio Music Festival.[10] The service was shut down in early 2014 without any announcement.
On September 14, 2004, Yahoo acquired Musicmatch Jukebox for $160 million. However, the service was not integrated well, instead stagnating.[11]
In May 2005, Yahoo Music launched Yahoo! Music Unlimited, a music streaming service and digital music store.[12] [13] [14] [15] [16] Users paid a subscription fee to access a library of over two million songs which could be either streamed or downloaded as DRM'd Windows Media Audio files and played from a computer in near CD quality sound. Subscribers could also download songs for transfer to CD or supported portable devices with an additional per-song payment. Yahoo! Music Jukebox was the software used for the service. The service required an active Internet connection. It was discontinued on September 30, 2008.[17] [18] The service was praised for its music quality, interface, and cheaper price than competitors.[19] [20]