Popular “music discovery,” download and sharing service iLike hits the entertainment headlines today with a double whammy that delivers self-congratulatory trumpeting after amassing more than 30 million users, and also announces the unveiling of a new ad platform and full-song playback.
iLike offers limited access full-length song streaming through Rhapsody Unlimited tease. Image: iLike.
Beyond the fanfare of its audience milestone, iLike’s main announcements involve the introduction of an ad platform designed for use by concert promoters, and also a deal with Rhapsody that will allow iLike users to enjoy full-length song playback through the official iLike site.
The full-length streaming service will also soon be rolled out on social network giant Facebook, where iLike already has a significant presence as a downloadable page application. And, seemingly not content with the traction it draws from Facebook, iLike has also revealed a new initiative to enable music syndication via third-party developers.
“Historically, iLike has focused on serving fans, artists and labels. Today, we’re pleased to expand the iLike community by empowering two new groups: concert promoters and third-party [application/website] developers,” enthused iLike CEO Ali Partovi. “We’re also delighted that the first phase of our Rhapsody relationship has been implemented within just weeks, delivering full-song playback to our users.”
Details related to the new ad platform will see concert promoters, venue owners, booking agents and indie bands able to use iLike’s social, self-service advertising tools to help reach out to music lovers across leading social networking destinations.
The platform will enable its users to: specifically target fans based on their location and musical tastes, as opposed to searching via key word input; create multimedia ads -- including music playback and social links -- with just a few clicks of the mouse; use social hooks to tap into potential viral audience spread; and also transcend “the flawed mediums of print and radio advertising” by reaching music fans where they dedicate most of their spare time -- online. The ads will run across iLike’s entire network.
The embracement of third-party developers will mean that users will be able to incorporate iLike in order to add music to their individual Web sites. The service, which is due to launch before the end of September, will introduce iLike song/playlist playback to Web sites and also via iLike applications on Facebook, Orkut and hi5. iLike is presently accepting registration requests from site developers both large and small looking to be included in the program.
Designed to provide users with a taste of the Rhapsody Unlimited music subscription service, iLike is also offering its main service users access to free, full-length song playback (for up to 25 tracks per month) in conjunction with Rhapsody. After reaching their monthly ceiling, users then have the option to either sign up for Rhapsody (whereupon full streaming will magically reopen) or revert back to brief 30-second track sample until the end of the month rolls around.
Having pretty much covered everyone in the music community, but not wanting to leave out the recording artists and distribution labels, iLike is also moving to fully monetise its music service by seeing to it that artists and labels receive a royalty every time their music is played via Rhapsody’s usage agreements. Again, the service is already available through the official iLike site and will soon be introduced to Facebook alongside iLike’s social networking application.
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