MXP4 – Engaging Gimmick Or Pointless New Format?
The music industry is in a desperate search for new ways to re-engage fans to the point where they are willing to hit the buy button. Most recently we learned that Apple is exploring a new interactive album format code named "Cocktail" and WMG's Rhino is releasing a series of digital 45's with bonus content.
Another attempt comes from MXP4 whose interactive music technology, the album files (first in widget
form) incorporates multiple tracks, liner notes, video, images, news, tour dates and interactivity. Fans can even remix different elements of the songs on the fly. Here's the MXP4 widget for the new Michael Jackson "The Stripped Mixes" release.
MXP4 widgets for Dave Stewart and Sliimy follow after the jump.
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Did they really have to use the phrase “Play with it” to mean remix?
^^Yes, because it’s not a remix platform. You just get to play with it.
Widgets arrived with Mac OS in 1999..pushing shit at people is, well, so 1999..
Definitely feels like a gimmick format. My first impression of these widgets is not good.
So what the idea is that I would actually pay a higher price for these widgets and have all of them saved somewhere on my hard drive? No thanks.
I’ll admit they’re fun to play with, though I would like to push faders around on the mix tab. I can see these types of widgets as cool promotional tools, to at least get the song stuck in someone’s head. I’m not inclined to click “buy it” though.
Interesting enough as it stands, but I can’t see this living very long.
@daily grind
I’ve seen an iPhone app that does just what you say, play with the faders. Not much content though, about 10 songs or so, called iklax
Boring. Music is not a game.
Say that to the millions of people addicted to Rock Band or Guitar Hero 😉
Music is an entertainment, therefore close to the meaning of “game”.
Don’t you “play” an instrument?