Mix & Burn Kiosk Adds Sony and WMG

Release: Mix & Burn, which has recently launched its music kiosk "Digital Music Filling Station" as a beta, has launched a new version with music from Sony BMG and Warner Music Group.
Upgraded kiosks allow retail customers to purchase, download and play major label content directly on portable devices compliant with WMP10.
The Mix & Burn listening and CD burning system is currently being tested by a number of major retailers.

Burn-A-Song Selects SyncCast to Power New CD Burning Service

Press Release: Burn a Song has entered into an agreement with SyncCast to develop and integrate an end-to-end solution for CD-burning kiosks that will finally allow consumers to create and purchase personalized CDs with popular tracks from indie labels (and hopefully the majors soon too, but I haven't seen any such announcements yet.) Under the deal, SyncCast will offer Burn a Song a turnkey solution by providing DRM (based on Windows Media Rights Manager 10), managed hosting and content delivery services...

Burn a Song's newest touch screen kiosk will create a music on demand environment in a retail setting for consumers in need of instant gratification, providing the buyer a way to hear and download his or her favorite songs and walk away with their own customized CD including custom cover art. The units can also provide ring tones, games, music videos, and most importantly - downloads to MP3 devices - with DVD support expected soon...

"Each content company has its own set of rules which are completely justified, but when you put them all together, it's quite complicated," says Burn a Song's President, Shervin Rashti. "Music labels are recognizing the changing market conditions and opportunity for revenue in this untapped market segment.

Folks, this could be really big if the process is seamless and delivers current hits...I've been wondering what the hold up is/was for this business model to take off since all the pieces have been available for at least a year or two...Moving millions of files around to each kiosk is obviously no small feat, but the majors haven't been comfortable licensing their full catalogues for digital distribution, hoping and praying for a DRM that works reasonably well. The painful reality is that the ongoing battle between file formats still makes MP3 the better and most compatible choice sans protection - which obviously makes rights holders nervous. However, Burn A Song will no doubt lose some marketshare if it doesn't offer iPod compatible files, which currently hold 80% of the market captive.  (Besides, who has time to rip purchased kiosk CD's into MP3's to get then to play on their iPod?) So, while offering the .wma format makes the labels comfortable, what about the consumer?  Simultaneously offering both formats doubles the work and storage space, but could be a home run ...