Apple to shutter Lala on May 31st, migrate service to iTunes?

By on Apr 30, 2010 at 11:13 AM
General April 30, 2010

lala-closing

Users visiting Lala’s website from today forward will be greeted with a landing page that announces the online music service will be shut down as of May 31st. Although it’s no longer accepting new users, current users will be able to access the service for these few remaining weeks. Lala’s next move is open to speculation, but popular belief suggests the service will be wrapped up into iTunes as Apple acquired the online music service earlier this year. Could it be that Apple is on the verge of releasing a cloud-based version of iTunes? With WWDC kicking off a mere week after Lala closes its virtual doors, that theory may be closer to fact than fiction.

[via MacRumors]

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  • QuesoGrande

    “Could it be that Apple is on the verge of releasing a cloud-based version of iTunes?”
    Probably. In their email to users they state that existing lala credit will be transferred to iTunes credit. So either they bought it to kill it just to keep competition from getting it (unlikely)… or… they finally see that the cloud is the future instead of their stupid USB/iTunes/Desktop crap and have rolled it into cloud-based iTunes option (more likely).

    • http://www.google.com/profiles/Strodtbeck.C Charles

      I’m sure Apple will have a “cloud based iTunes” for a FEE ;)

      Someone has to pay for all that bandwidth.

  • Kesey

    If you can’t beat them, buy them and shut them down.

    • Danny2k

      Yea seriously, I’m upset. I bet Apple is going to use their “cloud” technology to make service in which you never truly own any of the songs you listen to….plus whatever you do own off Apple’s service is not going to be DRM free or 256 kbps….no…Apple would never to do….instead lets shut down our competitor and use their technology. I never liked iTunes, and I never will, unless they use this opportunity as a turnaround for the company.

  • ldudiaz

    So what would happen with the money i’ve spent on lala would i be reimburse

    • QuesoGrande

      It’ll be transferred to iTunes credit. I went to lala specifically to get AWAY from Apple and iTunes. I need to find another replacement.

      • QuesoGrande

        But I’m going to use up my lala credit before that happens. They’ll probably add the DRM crap when it goes iTunes.

      • Android 2003

        As much as I personally hate Apple (no reason really, just want to hate a successful company) I have to correct you. iTunes is DRM free for well over a year now……… Still, suck on that MAC losers.

      • QuesoGrande

        hmm… interesting. I did not know that. I guess I’ve been that far removed from iTunes! That’s a good thing ;-)

      • JAGAK

        iTunes DRM free for over a year my eye. They still lock your purchases down to 5 devices until they get rid of that crap your purchases will never truly be yours. I like iTunes as a player but as a vendor of entertainment, hell no. Other vendors have been selling higher quality DRM free music for a long time from more of the major labels. Apple needs to step it up and get on the same page.

      • ldudiaz

        try mog.com its only $5 a month and plus you can listen to song from a particular artist, an album, or radio based on artist, album, etc., you can also create playlist. Plus i read they are coming out with a mobile app as well has a library integration where you would be able to upload your music

  • Android 2003

    Who cares??? This is Apple we are talking about. Even if they move iTunes to the cloud does that really mean anything??? You people act like Apple is the reason for everything. Just because Apple brought the GUI to market in 1984 doesn’t mean they created the market. Just because Apple made the portable music player an impossilbe to match success doesn’t mean they did anything that someone else couldn’t have done. Just because Apple now sells 25% of all music means nothing. Next you are going to say that Apple saw the mobile explosion before everyone else did. Android is where it is at. We have 4 different versions of our operating system shipping on 34+ devices. We have 50,000 Applications in our marketplace, sure not all 50,000 work on every version of the OS but who cares, fragmentation is the spice of life. Suck on that MAC losers.

    • Anti-Android 2003

      Why did you even take the time to open this article to bash Apple. Get a life!! All your points just make you look even more dumb. Stick to Android news and stop reading about Apple. No one asked you to read it. The title has the word “iTunes” in it. So you knew that it had to do with Apple. What a idiot.

      • Android 2003

        “What a idiot.”

        Actually, that should read ” What ‘an’ idiot.

  • Giorgio

    Seems you didn’t pick up the sarcasm….

  • MacMan

    So what’s wrong with itunes ?

    • l’bourbon

      I know! How can anyone not love that bloated, DRM-ridden piece of tripe?

      • Android 2003

        As I mentioned earlier, as much as I hate Apple they did finally achieve getting the labels to remove the DRM. Still, Android 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1 and soon 2.2 on 34+ different devices, so, suck on that MAC losers.

    • QuesoGrande

      I just can’t stand it. It’s bloated, clunky and slow. I also took issue with the song being tied to a specific device (which apparently is no longer an issue?). Having different people’s ipods connecting to different computers just to buy a song or whatever, was just a nightmare because it wanted to sync everything, etc. etc.
      When using a service like lala (HTML -AND- Flash based), you see what it should it be like. Easy, simple, fast, accessible from any browser, and non-intrusive.

  • StevenGlansburg

    The itunes sync with the iphone is too simple and integrated. I prefer opening a ton of music folders and various system folders like on android now.

    • Android 2003

      Thank you Steven, finally someone with some since. Who cares that Apple has made things easy and integrated. Computer stuff is supposed to be complex and mind numbing. What, like hanging out in Mom’s basement on Friday night trying to Flash a new ROM isn’t your idea of a good time? Apple, quit trying to make difficult time consuming things easy and fun. People don’t like easy and fun. Next thing you know Apple will be shipping computers without Floppy drives and no serial support. Suck on that MAC losers.

      • crescentdave

        I’ll tell you the problem with simplicity:
        1. Lack of choice/competition
        2. Lack of customization

        Whether it’s iTunes or Zune, it sucks.

        Lala was bought out of existence.

      • es

        Lala was sold (for a product/service to be purchased, it first needs to be for sale…) because it was a commercial failure. Had it been successful, it would’ve cost Apple way more than the 80mm they paid for it (which basically was engineering talent, not revenue stream). It’s was either gonna Apple or someone else, but the Lala business model was unsustainable.
        I do wonder if a “cloud tunes” service will allow any interaction with existing portable devices like the regular ipods, maybe through the browser…

  • ds

    Actually, that should read “finally someone with some sense.”

    • Android 2003

      Thank you, sir/ma’am, you help is much appreciated.

      • l’bourbon

        English grammar: 2
        Android 2003: 0

  • tl

    OHH!!!!! Android was pwned!!!!

  • patrick

    Yeah they will probably merge your credits into your apple account. But you will somehow have to pay extra to use music you have already paid for. Its the apple way.

  • jimmy jammer

    steve jobs can LICK MY TAINT.

  • Mofo

    What is this cloud u speak of? Puffin on the motherfuckin 420 is the only cloud I want in my life.

    Puff it mofos

  • JAGAK

    Noooooo not mah lala, you will be missed…. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot bro iTunes DRM free for reals!?!? On a side note hello to all the monstertards posting big and hating on anything and everything your blog creds must be through the roof…. can you buy common sense with blog creds these days? To the grammar police you keep doin your thing, someones gotta learn’em.

    • l’bourbon

      …
      That was pitiful.

      • JAGAK

        Oh man l’bourbon and to think, I was on your side of things. Your comment saddens me. You apparently did not see that my post was not an image of my true self but a sarcastic insight to what blog posts have become. Seeing as my comment is +1 and your reply to it is -1, I can safely conclude that at least one, if not two people either got it or agree with me.

  • Jayme Wiseman

    Dear Apple:
    I demand FULL REFUND of all the money i spent on LALA! OR, at least a FULL TRANSFER of all music purchased….

    Why wouldn’t you offer that? I spent my money on purchases that I thought were a currency that would last, and now you offer me a refund that is worth, what?? 99 cents a song!? Screw you for hijacking a worthy company–a service that had a value–and offered an alternative to ITUNES… Congratulations on pissing a lot of people off….

    I formally request all my money back.

    please contact me at jaydubstar@hotmail.com to reimburse…

    • JAGAK

      Wow, thats ridiculous. Let me get this straight, you spent money on songs and thought you were buying currency? Thats moronic. Not only do you still have the songs you purchased but lala & Apple have worked out a deal in which you will receive iTunes store credits for your loyalty to lala.com. That said, I too hate the fact that Apple is buying out lala and think this iTunes store credit is just short of worthless, I’ll take it since technically its something for nothing but when I do it will be with a sour taste in my mouth knowing those purchases are locked down to 5 devices etc etc.

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