Wal-Mart to offer Custom Music CDs

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.betanews.com/article/WalMart_Offers_Custom_Music_CDs/1114533120' target='_blank'>http://www.betanews.com/article/WalMart_Offers_Custom_Music_CDs/1114533120</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Wal-Mart on Tuesday launched a new service exclusively through its Web site that will allow users to create their own custom CDs from the company's 500,000 song library. Customers will also be able to select their own packaging options to personalize the purchase. The base price is $4.62 and includes the CD, packaging and three free songs. Each additional song will cost 88 cents, which is what Wal-Mart currently charges its music downloads. A maximum of 20 songs is allowed on one CD, meaning the most a custom CD from the service would cost is $19.58."</i><br /><br />This isn't a new service - I remember hearing about similar concepts in the late '90s, but things have changed with online music since then. The question is, will something like this fly? I have my doubts - if it were offered as a kiosk in the local stores, it might be successful with those who aren't tech savvy enough to use an online music store. But if someone is comfortable logging into a Web site to create and buy a custom CD, aren't they likely to be the same type of person who owns a digital audio player and would simply download the tracks themselves? I think this is about 10 years too late to be really successful. I can see people using it to create CDs for other people (the old "give the girl a mix tape to show her how sensitive you are" play, evolved) and creating CDs for playback in a car audio system. That's a limited audience though. Has anyone tried the service yet?

[rlobrecht]

My big question is what source is used to burn the CDs. If the music is the same quality as an original CD, I can see myself using it. You'd have to tag the songs yourself, but you could get the songs you want for about the same price, but at a higher quality than all the legal online stores.

[MyquiH]

My big question is what source is used to burn the CDs. If the music is the same quality as an original CD, I can see myself using it. You'd have to tag the songs yourself, but you could get the songs you want for about the same price, but at a higher quality than all the legal online stores.

There are services (Rhapsody, Beatport) that offer lossless downloads, and Beatport even will send you a burned audio CD (at a premium price, though) from a lossless source. It does seem like an odd combo -- requiring someone with Internet access to have a CD of music mailed to them -- but I can say for some demographics (I hope my mom isn't reading this) that they know of online music, have Internet access, but haven't a clue how you get from an online music file to your hifi system.

That said, I still think the service will flop... :wink:

Mike

[BugDude10]

I won't avail myself of any music service that doesn't have lossless downloads (even .WAV files -- over a high-speed connection, who cares?!). So, for the right price (and $20 may be too much), I'd probably be interested in something like this: I can get the tracks I want, in a lossless (and permanent-storage) format, then rip them myself to my PC &amp; portable player.