UPDATE: Love… you know how it goes. Everything is beautiful and then… bang… one day a blinged out consumer electronics company buys the object of your affections and transforms it into a tawdry and shallow shadow of itself… See our recent post: MOG is (almost) dead… Long live MOG!
This is not an unbiased consumer review — I’m hopelessly, shamelessly in love.
Read the veritable novella-length article this post is drawn from here:
http://tkmajor.com/mbo/my-online-music-love-affair/
Let me first say that I’ve been a subscriber to a series of streaming music subscription services since mid-2004. I’ve used Music Match On Demand and its successor, Yahoo Music Unlimited (both now out of businesses), Rhapsody, Spotify Free, and now MOG.
I have a lot of thoughts on why on-demand subscription streaming is not just a great deal for consumers — but one of the more promising ways forward for musicians who would like to once again be paid for their work and for an industry that has found itself afloat in troubled and unfamiliar waters.
And I’m far from some consumer-johnny-come-lately lured in by the whirlwind of press-flackery over the once European-only Spotify, although, after initially being nonplussed by its US free tier’s lo fi offerings and a catalog with some significant gaps, I’ve come to realize that it’s a great resource. While its $5/mo. ad-free tier is blown away by MOG, it appears that their $10/mo. premium tier will some day be a good service and a good bargain.
But MOG is there now. For the most part…
MOG features…
unlimited on-demand streaming from an 11 million track library for $5/monthadd unlimited mobile streaming or downloading to iPhone or Android for $5 more/mo (check your mobile carrier for data limits/charges)all tracks are super high quality 320 kbps — best of any current servicelog in from anywhere (Chrome recommended; Firefox, Safari and most other modern browsers should work well; IE requires Google Chrome Frame plug-in)advanced, flexible ‘radio’ (variable between artist-only and similar artistmix)completely legit with full industry support (major labels are investors; Rick Rubin sits on the board of directors)easy to suggest catalog additions — in fact, there is a forum devoted just to thatresponsive staff — most of my questions and suggestions have been responded to within a few hours at mostpossible downside: because the player is browser-based, you can’t mix in tracks from your local hard drive
Now… speaking of shameless… you can sign up for a free 2 week trial of MOG here:http://mog.tellapal.com/a/clk/10FlCl [And not entirely coincidentally earn this writer a free month of MOG service — an opportunity that will be open to you, too, if you become a MOG member.]
Don’t like the idea of referral rewards? I understand. Find out more about MOG and/or sign up for the same free 2 week trial via MOG’s virtual front door, here:http://MOG.com — with no benefit to this writer. And that is perfectly cool with me. I just want to make sure MOG survives and thrives.
(PS… if you do sign up with MOG, either way, you’ll still have the opportunity to shill your own pals into a 2 week free trial and earn yourself a month of free service.)