Idle Media Inc (IDLM)

[megazoo]

Could Google be looking into datpiff?

That is not as far-fetched an idea as you may think. You have to follow Google's acquisitions in the travel sector to see what plans it has in the music business. The Big G first bought IATA several years ago, at a price of almost a billion dollars. Then it moved to niche travel/pleasure business by acquiring Zagat, and more recently, Frommer's.

The fact that Google Play negotiated the free download of Busta Rhymes' latest tracks says a lot about what its goals in the music business is. Unlike Apple, G does not have iTunes, and it desperately needs to refurbish its Play music store. Google has competed well against Apple in the smart-phone business, and it's just recently getting its feet wet in the hardware business. But iTunes is vast and Play is limited.

Google could be looking at two-pronged approach to build its Play music store. First, it could swallow a mega-label, such as EMI, or buy Columbia from Sony. Second, it could target, like it did with its travel business, niche music sites/companies such as Rostrum and datpiff.com. Since hip-hop marketing has really started to come on its own, G could easily bring hiphop to its Play store.

We have all been living in Apple's world of music for the last ten years. Big G wants to change that, and it will be interesting to see what it does.

8-23-2012