Samsung aims to become key player in digital content distribution through company buyouts

Posted on 27/09/2012 by Zachary Lutz

The writing has been on the wall ever since Samsung's acquisition of mSpot, but the Korean firm today confirmed to Reuters that it plans to join the ranks of Apple, Google and Amazon in the world of digital content distribution. Most importantly, it plans to do so through buyouts. Samsung executive Kang Tae-jin offered a rather frank overview of the company's ambitions, saying that it will grow Music Hub into one of the top four services in terms of revenue and subscribers within the next three years. According to Kang, the push isn't so much to tap a new source of revenue, but rather to drive hardware sales -- perhaps it sees Apple's rumored move into music streaming as a bit of a threat. That said, the announcement also dovetails with rumblings of Samsung's efforts to build a more self-sufficient software ecosystem. Whatever the true reason, we'd imagine that the folks at Pandora, Spotify and the like are now watching the phone a bit more intently. Wouldn't you?

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Samsung aims to become key player in digital content distribution through company buyouts originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 04:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Music Hub launches on Galaxy S III stateside with free trial in tow

Posted on 31/07/2012 by Joseph Volpe

Samsung's come a long way from the days of its first Galaxy S device. Relying back then, out of necessity, on third parties like 7Digital and Kobo to provide a white label content platform. Time, fortune and the popularity of its Android devices has changed the company's tack and with the unveiling of the Galaxy S III, it's heading for a streamlined user experience that integrates hardware with in-house software. Although Music Hub has already launched overseas in several European countries as part and parcel of its latest flagship, that service is now finally ready for primetime in the US.

Built upon the mSpot tech it acquired this past May, the company's freemium service combines the best of both worlds, offering non-paying users access to a digital storefront loaded up with millions of tracks from all four major labels (and some indies, too), a web-based player, as well as the ability to store purchased music remotely and offline for "registered devices." Whereas, the subscription version builds upon those gratis goods by adding personalized radio stations, free streaming and an iTunes-like "Scan & Match" feature to the mix for $10 monthly.

Ever cognizant of the already crowded digital music platforms provided by rivals, Samsung's tricking out this stateside debut with some goodies for the curious: a 30-day trial and one free album of their choosing. It's a nice incentive, for sure, but with so many already entrenched in the musical realms of rivals -- iTunes, Google Play and Spotify, for starters -- adoption of this new ecosystem's going to be a hard sell indeed. Click on past the break for the lowdown on this me-too, mobile music offering.

Continue reading Samsung Music Hub launches on Galaxy S III stateside with free trial in tow

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software

Samsung Music Hub launches on Galaxy S III stateside with free trial in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s Music Hub launches in UK, France and Germany, offers 100GB storage, unlimited streaming

Posted on 29/05/2012 by James Trew

We already knew Samsung was dipping a toe in the music market, and now it's officially landed. Music Hub will launch with the GSIII in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. It's fair to say the electronics giant will be trampling on a fair number of toes, with Music Hub offering both streaming -- from 7 Digital's catalog of 19 million -- as well as recommendations, and a 100GB iTunes Match-esque cloud service. You'll need to trump up £ / €9.99 (about $16) if you want the premium features (unlimited streaming from the catalog and the online storage of your library,) while the free option will let you listen to matched / purchased tracks anywhere (from your phone or the web interface). Samsung's clearly taking a holistic approach with Music Hub, and it'll be a standard feature on its phones going forward (plus potentially Smart TVs and even Fridges). It might not just be restricted to its own hardware eco-system either, with some talk of it coming to other mobile devices in the future, officially, this time.

Continue reading Samsung's Music Hub launches in UK, France and Germany, offers 100GB storage, unlimited streaming

Samsung's Music Hub launches in UK, France and Germany, offers 100GB storage, unlimited streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 04:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung snaps up mSpot, teases a boost to media cloud efforts

Posted on 09/05/2012 by Jon Fingas

Talk of a Samsung cloud service might not have panned out at the Galaxy S III event, but that doesn't mean the Korean electronics giant isn't interested in the space. Samsung has just acquired mSpot, best known for its cloud music storage and its earlier movie streaming tie-ins with carriers. The exact intentions aren't exactly clear -- Samsung is only promising that mSpot's technology will represent a "key integrated offering" on new mobile hardware. Still, the deal suggests that the Music Hub and Media Hub may get that much more cloud-savvy in the future. When asked for comment, Dropbox coyly stated: "It's cool. Being single is the new black."

Continue reading Samsung snaps up mSpot, teases a boost to media cloud efforts

Samsung snaps up mSpot, teases a boost to media cloud efforts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung launches new services for the Galaxy S III: Music Hub, S Health and more

Posted on 03/05/2012 by Richard Lawler

Samsung has just taken the wraps off of its highly anticipated Galaxy S III and, in a move similar to Nokia's efforts with the Lumia line, decided to package extra services and features to further differentiate itself from the competition. Mentioned onstage were the S Health "personal wellness app" and an enhanced Music Hub cloud service with access to over 17 million tracks and an iTunes Match-sounding "Scan and Match" feature. Music Hub will launch in seven countries, while the matching feature is supported in six of those. There's also a hub for Games that promises quick tie ins to social gaming and a Video Hub with TV and movies. One other new feature is support for MirrorLink enabled headunits that should bring access to all of these things even while you're driving your car. Finally, there's NFC-based mobile payment support that should get some use among visitors to the Olympic games this summer.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy S III Services and features