The founder and former CEO of MP3Tunes, Michael Robertson, has created a new digital music business – a free ‘personal’ jukebox that’s out to rival Pandora.
6 Seconds, which is available for free on Android and iOS in the US, is billed as ‘a free music experience which gives music fans greater control and flexibility to hear more of the music they want on their smartphone than ever before’.
Users can apparently search 100,000 existing online radio stations across the world for a song or artist – begging the question of whether 6 Seconds is really a personalised radio platform, or a radio search engine.
Which in turn, of course, begs the question of how comprehensively it needs to be licensed…
Universal Music recently won a judgement that ordered Robertson (pictured) to pay US $12.2m over MP3Tunes’ mass copyright infringement – although the major’s legal costs have reportedly spiralled to a similar figure.
MP3Tunes, which launched in 2005, was a cloud locker which harboured millions of infringing tracks. It filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
Robertson is also the founder of MP3.com as well as VOIP company Gizmo5, which was sold to Google.
“6 Seconds is the first free mobile music experience with unlimited Skips.”
Michael Robertson
The marketing for 6 Seconds addresses its new rival head on: “Those familiar with Pandora will recognise a familiar artist or genre-based radio experience with the added benefit of unlimited skips,” it reads.
Users can select stations by genre and skip songs by swiping their phone’s screen – and 6 Seconds offers unlimited swipes.
And that name is explained: ‘A huge library of stations and smart algorithms connects to most popular songs within 6 seconds of the beginning.’
“6 Seconds is the first free mobile music experience with unlimited skips and search so music listeners can hear the songs they desire, more often,” says Robertson.
“Listeners can favorite any song and at anytime, quickly search for their faves playing anywhere in the world. This “song hunting” makes the listening experience fun and personal.”Music Business Worldwide
