Beats By Dre to Overhaul MOG

[Condorsat]

Head up for those who are interested.

Beats By Dre to Overhaul Streaming Music Service
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/01/10/beats-by-dre-to-overhaul-streaming-music-service/

Beats By Dre, the headphone company run by superstar hip hop producer Dr. Dre and music executive Jimmy Iovine, said Thursday that it is overhauling MOG, the streaming music service it bought last summer.

The company hired Ian Rogers, an energetic music industry veteran who most recently ran a marketing company called Topspin Media, to oversee MOG, which is to be renamed Daisy and, apparently, significantly overhauled.

Beats Music to launch 21 Jan 2014

 

[zebra03]

Can this really be a good thing ?

 

[Cadillac Kid]

Old news. It will be interesting to hear AK users impressions of the new MOG as they implement the changes.

 

[Condorsat]

With a launch date of 21 Jan ... more information is starting to appear in the press. No more $5 a month plan & no free add supported service.

This is how Beats Music looks and here’s what it will cost
http://gigaom.com/2014/01/11/beats-music-ui-pricing-revealed/

The Times story also gave us some details around the price of Beats, saying that it will cost $10 per month. Here’s what else I have learned: As previously reported by the New York Post, Beats won’t offer a free, ad-supported tier. Instead, it will give users a seven day free trial. After that, Beats will cost $10 per month or $100 for a whole year. Unlike some of its competition, Beats also isn’t offering any kind of desktop-only $5 per month plan. I have heard that this is because Beats Music’s mobile apps are being considered such an integral part of the service.

 

[seekingsound]

In a statement, Rogers highlighted the need for online services to find ways to differentiate themselves from each other—and to make the services valuable to artists, who typically don’t make much money from them.

This is interesting to me. I like streaming and use MOG, but the issue of how artists are compensated is thorny to say the least. Not interested in dredging up that debate again; I just find it interesting that they addressed the issue in their press release. If they're successful and making artists happier at the same time, that could be a strong positive.

 

[rnorton]

A fun ride while it lasted.

 

[RichPA]

I've been a MOG subscriber for some time. As long as the new interface lets me find things I want to hear, the look doesn't matter much to me.

 

[cubdog]

Aside from the price increase I don't see anything that bothers me. The price increase is substantial however and will force me to reexamine where I spend my money. At $5.00 a month MOG was a no brainer. I am surprised we have not gotten any emails from Beats outlining the changes and in particular the new price structure. That seems like a misstep to me.

cubdog

 

[uofmtiger]

I've been a MOG subscriber for some time. As long as the new interface lets me find things I want to hear, the look doesn't matter much to me.

I don't see that changing. I do think they will make it easier to find artists and albums you might like based on your past choices. This is an important feature to keep people around. MOG already has something similar, but it is pretty weak, in my opinion.

MOG was being eaten alive by their competitors due to the lack of marketing and this is their only chance of not going under. The USA Today (digital version) said that Beats would not have a free version and the price would be $10 a month or $15 for their family plan. It sounds like their $5 version is going away, too. I have the $10 plan, so I doesn't sound like it is changing.

With Spotify and Google both having 320k (thanks to MOG setting the standard), I can move on if this new service is horrible.

 

[BadassBob]

My primary concern with this, will the music be EQed for boom and sizzle like Beats software EQs found on other Beats-sponsored devices? Such as some HP computers and HTC phones.

 

[njcanuck]

More than anything, I hope they maintain support for the Squeezebox plugin. No Squeezebox could be a deal breaker for me.

 

[tybrad]

I'll move on. Regardless of how good it might be (and I do mirror B-bob's notes), I can't get past the company. It's just part of my character to dislike whatever becomes 'popular'. There are other viable alternatives.

 

[ictwoody]

I'll move on. Regardless of how good it might be (and I do mirror B-bob's notes), I can't get past the company. It's just part of my character to dislike whatever becomes 'popular'. There are other viable alternatives.

That's a uhhh... Interesting mindset. I don't know how old you are, but that is kinda the joke surrounding the "hipster" mentality. "I liked it when it wasn't cool, now that it's cool — I'm out."

Good luck on your new journey.

- Woody

 

[chicks]

More than anything, I hope they maintain support for the Squeezebox plugin. No Squeezebox could be a deal breaker for me.

Confirmation via Twitter that they will work on Sonos. Great news.

 

[bythbook]

FWIW I sent support.MOG the question re "what will happen to MOG subscribers post-1/21/2014."

Ron at MOG support responded:

Thanks for the email. I'm hoping to get the full run down this week. MOG will still be supported.

In my humble opinion, the Beats app is way better than the MOG app. It's easier to use and presents more options.

I would check back in a week or towards the end of the week to see what developments are ready to be released.​

I am hopeful Beats Music/MOG will still be great, but I do expect a price increase.

 

[ramzilla]

Yea, MOG was a no-brainer for $5.00 a month, no doubt.
Now I will be looking at other sources, considering that there
will be a level field in the $10 a month price structure. None of them
may get my money when it comes right down to it.

 

[reggaenaut]

I'll move on. Regardless of how good it might be (and I do mirror B-bob's notes), I can't get past the company. It's just part of my character to dislike whatever becomes 'popular'. There are other viable alternatives.

Damn! "Regardless of how good it might be".

 

[John James]

I'll move on. Regardless of how good it might be (and I do mirror B-bob's notes), I can't get past the company. It's just part of my character to dislike whatever becomes 'popular'. There are other viable alternatives.

That's a uhhh... Interesting mindset. I don't know how old you are, but that is kinda the joke surrounding the "hipster" mentality. "I liked it when it wasn't cool, now that it's cool — I'm out."

Good luck on your new journey.

- Woody

Damn! "Regardless of how good it might be".

Crazy isn't it?:screwy: I'm somewhat the same way. It took me years to accept The Beatles music for what it was/is.

I've been a MOG subscriber for a while now and like it. I am going to resent a price hike, but I haven't made up my mind whether or not I will switch to another service. I have been reading some good things about XBOX Music.:scratch2:

 

[BayouTiger]

I would hope that if they do any EQ it would be optional and that there are skins to adapt the interface to us oldsters. I am hopeful, as if the Beats guys are anything it's good marketers and I doubt they would want to alienate a huge segment of their subs over what are pretty simple tweaks.

 

[tomlinmgt]

I tried xbox music last night and though I like MOG's user interface better, all the music and freedom/ease of use is there and differences in fidelity are not so easy to detect....if there are any at all. I think I hear some but too early to tell. MOG may be a touch more dynamic, but I think I detect an improvement in clarity with xbox.

And as far as MOG increasing the price $5/mo.....you sure won't hear me bitchin'. I'll lose ten times that buying used cd's for $6/each that I listen to once or twice and then never again. Sell 'em back for $2 and I lose $4. Prior to MOG I was probably doing that a dozen times a month. No brainer, $5 is chump change.