MP3tunes Storage Service Now Free

MP3tunes, the company started in 2005 by MP3.com founder Michael Robertson, is dropping the yearly fee for its Oboe digital music locker service that offers unlimited storage and high-quality streaming over the Web.

The service is designed to rid users of having to carry around their music around wherever they go. "It makes more sense to safely store your music online and sync it or stream it to all the places you listen to music, which is exactly what Oboe makes possible," Robertson said when Oboe launched in November 2005.

However, with the ubiquity of portable music players like Apple's iPod, many users already carry their music around with them and most balked at the $39.95 yearly fee for Oboe. A free version of the service did exist, but it limited song storage and streaming quality to 56kbps - far below CD quality.

Now, Oboe users will receive unlimited storage and Oboe Sync software to automatically upload music to the service free of charge. Customers can then log into the Oboe Locker Web site, which features an AJAX enabled application-like interface, to stream music at 192kbps.

Robertson credited the lessening cost of storage as one of the reasons behind the move. Google, for example, offers over 2.8GB of storage for its Gmail webmail users.

"Oboe gives people access to their own music everywhere -- not just a closed device or PC," stated Robertson. "And we're moving to a world where storage is as cheap as water so we can offer Oboe with unlimited storage for free."

Oboe will now be supported through advertising on the Web site, although a premium service will be offered for the $39.95 yearly fee that raises the individual file size limit from 10MB to 50MB and removes the ads.The Oboe Premium Locker also enables users to access their account through a number of wireless and home entertainment devices, MP3tunes says.

Back when he was the CEO of MP3.com, Robertson launched an online music service that enabled users to stream music from the Web after confirming they owned the CD. The RIAA sued MP3.com shortly thereafter, alleging it was "in reckless disregard of the law" and had no license for the music it was storing.

This time around, Robertson has made a few changes thanks to the ubiquity of broadband. Because users do all the uploading, he says MP3tunes is not responsible for making sure the content is legal. In addition, customers can only listen to their own songs, meaning Oboe is simply serving as a storage provider just like Google's Gmail service or AOL's Xdrive.