Uplister Inc., an Oakland, Calif.-based music-playlist sharing service, is developing a download subscription offering and has entered into content-distribution deals with indie labels Beggars Group, Matador, and TVT. The Web-based service will offer unlimited music downloads on a rental basis for $10 per month. Rented content will not be transferable to portable devices or blank CDs; however, users will also have the opportunity to buy tracks for an estimated 99 cents, allowing for transfer ability. Playback and security for the service will be powered by Windows Media. Uplister is in the process of eliminating its existing proprietary playback technology.
Among acts whose material will be offered are Badly Drawn Boy, Cat Power, Cocteau Twins, Gravity Kills, Guided By Voices, Kristin Hersh, Modern English, Mogwai, Naughty By Nature, Nashville Pussy, Sevendust, Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz, the Cult, the Prodigy, and Yo La Tengo.
The Uplister site, uplister.com, currently offers more than 10,000 consumer playlists of favorite tracks, as well as lists from celebrity contributors such as Radiohead, the late Joey Ramone, and Green Day. The service offers streamed samples and links to e-commerce partners. Subscribers to the new service will be able to download a playlist’s tracks; there will also be promotional downloads from the labels Alternative Tentacles, Knitting Factory/Shimmy Disc, K Records, Lookout! Records, Moonshine Music, Roadrunner Records, and Soleilmoon Recordings. Uplister has secured performance licensing agreements with BMI and is in the process of securing publishing rights for the service.
A beta test of the new service is expected to launch later this summer. An on-demand streaming feature is expected to be added at a later date.
In addition to selling the service on its site, Uplister says it plans to offer subscriptions through third parties, including online retailers.
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