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Business News Digital
Cür Music launches bid for the streaming middle market
By Chris Cooke | Published on Wednesday 27 January 2016
We need a better range of streaming services, that’s what I said in the midst of my customary “digital year ahead” gubbins last month, so let’s see if this one works out.
Long-time-in-development digital service Cür Music went live in the US this week, aiming to sit between the personalised radio platforms of the Pandora kind and the fully on-demand streaming set ups like Spotify.
It’s mainly about playlists and radio-style channels, but with the option to store eight tracks in a snug little corner of the platform that are available at anytime on demand. That bit’s called your ‘Cür8’ profile (yeah, they really went there). Users can change their eight tracks daily, and there’s some sharing and messaging widgets thrown in too.
Pricing wise, there is a $2.99 and a $6.99 option, so very much trying to fill the gap between freemium and the current $10 premium.
Though, just like past efforts to do just that, the new service may find it hard to sign up subscribers when Spotify and YouTube are still pumping out the hits on demand for free, even with the promise of messaging, curation and offline listening tools. True, Spotify freemium has a handful of ads and slightly limited mobile functionality, but its free service is still pretty close to what Cür Music is offering.
Still, anything playing with the format is good. And, as Music Ally notes, the majors are all on board, with filings in the US confirming licensing deals with Universal, Sony and Warner, with all the usual advances, guarantees and equity flim flam.
