Skype, long the darling of VOIP newbies like me, is nothing if not a bandwagon-jumper. The company, acquired by eBay last September, has never stayed
true to its phone calling roots, dabbling in everything from instant messaging to voicemail to videocasting. And we
know it: everybody's doing ring tones.
The latest bandwagon, straight from the playbooks of the rest of the
phone calling world: music downloads. Today Skype signed agreements with a number of the music biggies, including
Warner / Chappell Music, EMI Music Publishing, and Sony / ATV Music Publishing. These agreements will allow Skype to
distribute many of its ringtones "lawfully" (was it unlawful before, I wonder?) from artists like Madonna,
Depeche Mode, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
So I've got to know: how long before Skype launches a campaign
where they play some hip-shaking song from the most commercially over-exposed group on television, the Black-eyed Peas?
I predict it won't be long.
Skype jumps on the music download bandwagon
Posted Apr 25th 2006 2:47PM by Sarah Gilbert
Filed under: Products and services, Launches, Competitive strategy
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