Microsoft and MTV to launch URGE digital music service

Apple gained huge success with their iTunes online music store and today many computer and Internet firms have rolled out their own online music services. Today we can add another one to the list, as Microsoft and MTV unveiled Windows Media Player 11 along with a look at their URGE digital music service at CES 2006 in Las Vegas.

This new URGE music service will be seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Windows Media Player 11:

Gates and Toffler highlighted the fresh, streamlined design for Windows Media Player 11 with optimized device support and incredibly fast search capabilities that provide consumers with instant access to the entire URGE catalog of more than 2 million songs. Set to debut this year, URGE will offer a deep well of programming and editorial to guide the consumer’s digital music experience, including exclusive content from MTV Networks’ MTV, VH1 and CMT brands.

As their digital music collections continue to grow, consumers increasingly need software to help them find and organize their music. Windows Media Player 11 addresses this head-on with core advancements that include a simplified user experience and unprecedented performance. Windows Media Player 11 makes it easy to manage all media through innovative design improvements from Windows Vista, including visual navigation of entire media libraries, and simplified, high-performance device synchronization.

Additional performance enhancements let consumers easily scroll through and access music faster than any other media player, whether the library contains 50 or 50,000 tracks. The powerful Windows Media Player 11 wordwheel search brings an entire catalog of music to consumers’ fingertips, providing lightning-fast search results that instantly narrow with each keystroke. Windows Media Player 11 with URGE will be available in Windows Vista, and is also scheduled to be available for Windows XP in the first half of 2006.

MTV Networks’ URGE will be the first and only digital music service designed by music veterans for music fans. Whether consumers want to take a few minutes to purchase a specific song or spend hours immersed in the service’s extensive music programming, URGE will provide an experience equally enjoyable for all audiences, from intense fans to aficionados. With robust search capabilities, extensive music charts, and countless programmed playlists, URGE will offer constantly updated music feature stories, exclusive interviews, music videos, and other multimedia editorial across all music genres and styles that provide context and direction for music lovers. URGE will be a one-stop digital music experience for consumers to hear, discover, purchase and enjoy music.

With URGE, music fans will get a choice in how they want to consume digital music to best fit their lifestyle, whether through permanent a la carte download purchases, music subscriptions or fully portable subscriptions. URGE also will feature one of the most robust radio offerings available on the Internet, with more than 100 free and premium stations, all programmed by passionate music professionals. URGE will incorporate MusicNet’s library of more than 2 million tracks, the largest available music library in the industry today. The library includes licensed content from all of the major record labels and thousands of independents. MusicNet is the world’s leading business-to-business digital music service provider.

URGE will be promoted across a broad range of MTV Networks platforms, including the MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV Hits, MTV Jams, VH1, VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul and CMT channels, as well as being fully integrated throughout MTV Networks Web sites MTV.com, VH1.com, CMT.com and the new URGE.com. Promotion for URGE will be woven throughout MTV Networks’ on-air and online programming, communicating the consumer benefits and explaining the how-to’s of digital music, while providing an easy and intuitive way for audiences to extend their MTV, VH1 and CMT music experiences.

Microsoft and MTV Networks have collaborated to enhance the URGE experience with innovations that make using a digital music service as straightforward as accessing a user’s local library. Consumers will enjoy exceptionally fast access to URGE content with enhanced wordwheel search capabilities. With integrated hard-drive and music service browsing, consumers will see all tracks related to their searches, including those from the massive URGE catalog but not stored on their PC. In addition, with drag-and-drop playlist creation, consumers can simply move individual songs or entire stacks of albums into the URGE playlist pane for syncing to a device or burning to a CD. More than 100 portable devices and home network media devices compatible with Windows Media, including the Xbox 360™ video game system, will work with URGE.

Additional URGE features, functionality, and related partnerships will be announced in coming months as URGE is introduced with Windows Media Player 11.