Friday, May 04, 2007

Microhoo?!

While music is probably the last of their considerations in this rumored deal, it would certainly change the landscape.


BILL'S HARD DRIVE By PETER LAURIA and ZACHERY KOUWE - Business - New York Post Online Edition:
May 4, 2007 -- "Stung by the loss of Internet advertising firm DoubleClick to Google last month, Microsoft has intensified its pursuit of a deal with Yahoo!, asking the company to re-enter formal negotiations, The Post has learned.

While Microsoft and Yahoo! have held informal deal talks over the years, sources say the latest approach signals an urgency on Microsoft's part that has up until now been lacking.

The new approach follows an offer Microsoft made to acquire Yahoo! a few months ago, sources said. But Yahoo! spurned the advances of the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant. Wall Street sources put a roughly $50 billion price tag on Yahoo!. "



If this ever happened think of the mess of trying to reconcile all of the various music groups and products. Just off the top of my head, here is what I can think of that each would bring into a merger/acquistion:

  • Yahoo Music Jukebox(media player)
  • MusicMatch (whatever is left of it)
  • Yahoo Music Unlimited (subscription service)
  • Webjay (playlisting)
  • Yahoo Launhcast (streaming radio)
  • MSN Radio (powered by Pandora)
  • MSN Music
  • Zune Player (media player)
  • Zune Hardware
  • Xbox360 (as media center extender)
  • Windows Media Player (Windows and Mobile)
  • Windows Media DRM
  • PlaysforSure Partners (both subscription service providers like Napster and device manufacturers)

There are probablly virutally dozens of other groups and products that I'm overlooking right now, but what a shakeout that would be. If that happens, then Rhapsody and Napster need to give each other a call and start making wedding plans. Rhapster? Napsody?

1 comment:

Steve Spalding said...

Yahoo was disinterested and killed the deal...TechCrunch is reporting on it now.

Cheers,

Steve S
howtosplitanatom.com