Apple has bought music streaming site LaLa. Could its decision to snaffle up the much smaller music site be the first step towards iTunes streaming from the cloud? The evidence seems strong.
After a flurry of online speculation, Apple confirmed it had bought LaLa with a characteristically terse statement: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not comment on our purpose or our plans.” Apple refuses to give details of how much it paid for LaLa or what it plans to do with it.
In October, LaLa co-founder Bill Nguyen demonstrated an iPhone app that will allow songs to be streamed to your iPhone and keep them playable even when you have no WiFi or network coverage. Spotify’s iPhone app offers similar functionality. Could LaLa’s app be reborn as a platform for iTunes streaming?
Unlike iTunes, LaLa uses a bundle-payment setup which requires users to buy credits to stream songs. That model could be appealing to Apple which currently forks out huge amounts in credit card charges.
However, if you think enabling iTunes Streaming would be a simple case of re-branding LaLa under the Apple mothership, think again. LaLa’s current streaming agreements with labels are non-transferable and wouldn’t cover a new iTunes service. Apple will need to sign its own, and that will take time.
Instead, the deal to aquire LaLa has seen Apple take on its staff and technologies. Seemingly, this was a talent grab, rather than an attempt to extend iTunes wholesale.
LaLa currently scans your hard drive for songs you already own, letting you stream them at no further charge. If Apple brought this concept to iTunes, you could find yourself able to stream your iTunes library to any computer. iTunes streaming of your home library on a work PC? Sounds pretty compelling to us, and it would allow Apple to battle new services such as Spotify, Sky Songs and Myspace Music.
TBA | £TBA | Apple/LaLa (via TUAW)
