Interesting, and a potential game changer for the struggling industry. It would be nice to know how the deals w/the big 4 are structured and if this model will ever take hold in the states.
From Engadget.com:
Now, we’re sure that everything’s on the up and up here, but the lack of information about the TouchDiva from any source other than the makers of the TouchDiva gives us pause, especially as the product’s apparently launching on December 1st. Regardless, here’s what we’ve gathered: the device is a 15.4-inch touchscreen unit you install in your home, and, via the magical wonders of the internet, you get all the music your heart could ever desire, free of charge — besides the $75 $13 monthly subscription fee, of course. The Danish manufacturers claim to have “agreements with the four major music companies in the world (Warner, EMI, Sony-BMG and Universal),” giving them access to over 2 million songs. Housed inside the unit are two 125W ICEpower (Bang & Olufsen-manufactured) amps, and the Diva itself has just two buttons — an on / off, and a reset, giving it a pretty stark exterior. As you can probably imagine, it’s um, not cheap — in fact, you’re going to have to cough up $6,000 $1,100 if you want one, and you’ll have to live in Europe, where the device is (supposedly) about to go on sale.
Update: As a few commenters have pointed out, the prices are in Danish Kroner, and we’ve updated to reflect that.
Source – Laura June
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
