Sony Corp.

In December 2010, Sony began rolling out Qricoity Music Unlimited, a music streaming service that would enable Sony devices like the PlayStation 3, Bravia televisions, and Blu-ray players to have access to a library of over 6 million songs. The service first launched in the UK and Ireland and expanded quickly to France, Germany, Italy, and Spain in January with the US receiving it in February. The service comes at two price points, with $3.99 a month getting you the basic offerings and $9.99 a month landing you at the premium end of the service. What you think of the price point is an altogether different conversation, but the fact that Sony has been able to offer this service in so many different countries so quickly is something that should not be overlooked.

People often complain that they might not have Netflix in Europe or lack of Qriocity in Canada but the truth of the matter is, most of the time, the blame is placed on the wrong provider. Netflix would love to be in every country and Apple would love to give every iTunes user the same music/movie/TV show access, no matter your residence, but the fact of the matter is that they cannot. This is in part due to complicated copyright laws and country laws. While Universal Records might have have the rights to Lady Gaga in the US, the same might not be true in Europe and while Sony Pictures made Zombie Land, don’t be surprised if in the country you live, somebody else like Warner Brothers or Paramount actually distributed it. Add on top of that different legal requirements of the given country and you can quickly see why it’s not as simple as flipping a switch at Sony HQ and offering a service like Qriocity to other countries.

This brings us back to Qriocity and why it has 7 months to live. First, I have to say that I’m currently using Qriocity and although it’s not a service for me—and it’s not because I use other streaming services—I get it and like it. Many people don’t feel the need to own their music. Instead, they want a radio that is catered to them, and that’s what Qriocity basically is. It is a radio station that gives you access to millions of songs while allowing you to be the DJ. I realize that the future is in the cloud, so services like Qriocity and Pandora will eventually be the way, and Sony knows this too. But there is another slumbering giant that knows this as well. Apple singlehandedly changed the music industry with the iPod and iTunes, and while I won’t be getting into a history lesson about it, it’s an understatement to say that Apple has leverage and experience when it comes to negotiating deals and offering them in a consumer-friendly way.

In late 2009, Apple quietly purchased a small music streaming service called Lala and soon after began building the world’s largest data center. Apple not only knows that the future is in the cloud, but is also building a robust infrastructure to support their future plans. It’s no secret that when Apple releases a product, it’s a big deal, and it’s also no secret that every September, the iPod and iTunes family gets refreshed. With the data center now nearly complete and with two silent years come this September, you can bet that Apple will be announcing an iTunes music streaming service on top of their current standalone iTunes offering.

The minute this happens, Apple will have dwarfed any offerings from the likes of Sony because of sheer scale. Now every Mac, PC and iOS device like the iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad, and AppleTV will have access to their streaming service. Mix this with Apple’s relentless advertising campaign and you can see how a service like this will be if not an instant hit, far ahead of Sony’s Qriocity Music Unlimited. But despite these last two paragraphs, this is not a doom and gloom article for Qriocity. Instead, it’s recognizing what Sony is capable of doing if they use their might.