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Infrequent But Delicious - The Mike Blog

I have the URGE to Cry - or why Apple is winning the online music wars

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To have a look at what competition is in store for Apple, I decided just now that I should check out URGE, the new Music service MTV launched today in partnership with Microsoft.

First, I went to the URGE site and downloaded the application. After running it, it told me that it required Windows Media Player 11, with an OK button that just closed the application.

On my own, I had to figure out how to go to the Microsoft site and download Windows Media Player 11, which by the way is a beta program! (asking for trouble from less advanced end users here?)

After that, I had to download and install URGE again as part of the WMP 11 setup... after selecting URGE in the install process.

Then, I opened the program, and clicked on Free Trial (14 day free trial - no credit card required!). After setting up a brand new account, it tells me 'Our records show that this account has already used its free trial.'

Really? Even though the service just launched today, I used a 14-day free trial? I tried setting up a different account with a different e-mail address with the same problem. This is the kind of user experience (and I'm a bit more savvy than the 'average' computer user) that URGEs people to keep using iTunes -- and MTV is putting their name on this? Ouch.

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Comments

ubershibs Luke Walker
May 18, 2006 | 5:19 AM MTV is horrible
Just for fun, I wanted to check out the MTV Canada schedule the other day.... Try going to MTV.ca with Safari, and you'll have even less luck than you did setting up URGE. All you get is a screenshot of there site with a message saying that you need Windows DRM. I was completely blocked from doing ANYTHING, whereas on MTV.com, I can do everything but watch videos. Sketchy sketchy sketchy. Yaz Yaz
May 18, 2006 | 3:30 PM iTunes = Music || YouTube = Videos
Same thing with videos actually. Its beyond frustrating when you go to a site to watch a video, because it seems that every single site but YouTube has a problem or other with the browser or the media player or my version of it. And lately, I've been finding a lot of messages that say "Only people in X contry can watch this". ABC is offering to watch full length episodes of shows (ie: Lost you can watch the day after it aired for free) but only people in the states can watch it. MTV.uk gave me the same message the other day when I was trying to watch a video of a band. cherrie Cherrie
May 21, 2006 | 2:48 AM
Wow, I thought it was only me! I can't watch anything that requires WMP either!! Youtube is fine, like you said, but I can't even watch anything on Yahoo!LAUNCH (which uses WMP as well).
catzpaw :: Monica ::
October 24, 2006 | 1:37 PM go apple! rawk it on.
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