More Music News From CES

There has been a lot of music and media news coming from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.  Ever since the introduction of iTunes and the iPod other manufacturers have been struggling to catch up.  While no one seems to have created the same kind of totally "wow!" product; many are getting closer. 

HP confirmed the end of their partnership with Apple and moved quickly into the Real/Rhapsody music fold promising to pre-load the service onto future computers and leaving the door open for portable devices that may finally make the subscription service more  user-friendly. 

HP was only one of Real’s new partners as they also announced alliances with Cox Cable who will offer Rhapsody to it’s broadband subscribers with billing integrated alongside cable charges.  Easy of subscription and use are essential for growth; and Real seems to be finding the right formula. Real will also be part of a just announced "Google Pack" that bundles software from Google with Firefox, Norton and others.  Meanwhile the mighty Google announced a video on demand service as did cable channel Starz.  Perhaps if consumers get used to downloading films, music download rates will grow as well.

Intel is taking a page from the Apple playbook and is trying to re-make itself into a multi-media company.  They’re releasing a new chip designed to enhance the digital media experience called "Viiv" (rhymes with "five") and have formed partnerships with AOL, ClickStar, DirecTV, ESPN, Televisa, NBC Universal and others.  Each will offer customized content for use on new Viiv Intel-powered multimedia computers including special events like the upcoming Olympics. Strangely no major music players were part of the announcement although the AOL component will apparently include a nifty music and film search feature. Embattled Sony is doing much the same as Intel and dipping into it’s own library of songs and film to drive traffic to their nifty new devices. (Get more of that story from Red Herring here).