Musicmatch Jukebox
Encyclopedia
Y!Music Musicmatch Jukebox, a remake of the original Musicmatch Jukebox made by Musicmatch, Inc., is an audio player
that manages a digital audio library. It contains an online music store
, Internet radio
, CD playback and ripping software, and other features commonly found in jukebox software.
On September 14, 2004 Yahoo!
announced that it was going to acquire Musicmatch. The acquisition was completed on October 19, 2004 for a reported price of US $160 million.
In September 2008, Yahoo! Music Jukebox went out of business.
Yahoo has disabled the Super tagging function that automatically analyzes songs and assigns tag elements (Artist, Album, Track Name and Number). However, Musicmatch 10.1 can still be used to modify tags for a single song or groups of songs and then rename files based on those tag elements. The software remains highly functional for tagging and organizing music.
In an attempt to get Musicmatch Jukebox users and owners to upgrade to Yahoo Music Jukebox, Yahoo used the Musicmatch Update software to add a nagware screen to the existing Musicmatch install. This screen was installed for Musicmatch 9 and 10 users whether or not they checked the "Check for upgrades" box in programs setting. When Yahoo modified the Musicmatch installation, it would nag to upgrade by September 2007 every time the program ran. On installs with this nagware activated, this screen continued to appear, even though September 2007 is well past and Yahoo has dropped the entire product line.
Musicmatch Jukebox was also provided to Earthlink
customers as Earthlink Jukebox by Musicmatch. It is similar to the Dell
product, except that it is still based on the older Musicmatch Jukebox 9.0 product. The effect of the Musicmatch/Yahoo! merger on this co-branding agreement is unknown at this time.
for Windows, which included the Musicmatch Jukebox to manage the user's music library and transfer music to the iPod. With the introduction of iTunes
for Windows on October 16, 2003 they stopped bundling the Musicmatch software.
Musicmatch 7 added the ability to record from "Mixer In" if a full duplex sound card is installed. Musicmatch (versions 9 and earlier) is well equipped to transfer LP records and streaming audio to MP3 as it has the ability to listen for silences of customizable level (percentage of original volume) and duration (in seconds). This allows Musicmatch to split a ripped LP into tracks automatically and to stop recording after playback of a stream was complete. A delayed recording start was also of benefit when recording streams.
Many long-time Musicmatch users never updated to Yahoo Musicmatch preferring to stay with Musicmatch 9 or 10. Starting with Musicmatch 10, several key features began to be removed. While 10 added several features related to listing online radio through Musicmatch services, a bug eliminated the ability to split tracks when recording from Mixer-in. The Yahoo Musicmatch version dropped the much favored 'super-tagging' feature. Registration keys for Musicmatch Jukebox Plus still function. However no new versions of Musicmatch (or Yahoo! Jukebox) are available for download. Yahoo! now offers Rhapsody
in partnership with RealNetworks
.
(as well as Line in track and Mixer in track) to user recordings. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mic in track files began appearing on file-sharing networks such as Napster
, usually without the knowledge of their creators. Because of the unique name, voyeurs could easily search for the files and listen to audio of unknowing individuals performing karaoke
or joking around with friends. Several websites are devoted to cataloging and featuring their favorite Mic in track files.
Audio player (software)
An audio player is a kind of media player for playing back digital audio, including optical discs such as CDs, SACDs, DVD-Audio, HDCD, audio files and streaming audio....
that manages a digital audio library. It contains an online music store
Online music store
An online music store is an online business which sells audio files, usually music, on a per-song and/or subscription basis. It may be differentiated from music streaming services in that the music store offers the actual music file, while streaming services offer partial or full listening without...
, Internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
, CD playback and ripping software, and other features commonly found in jukebox software.
Musicmatch
Musicmatch is the former company (founded in 1992) that developed the Musicmatch Jukebox software. Jukebox was added to the software name when the dynamic playlist feature-set was added to the software. Subsequent products included Musicmatch Radio, Musicmatch Music Store, and Musicmatch On Demand. The original Musicmatch name and brand were developed by Creative Multimedia and were part of a series of media-oriented online resources, including Moviematch.On September 14, 2004 Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
announced that it was going to acquire Musicmatch. The acquisition was completed on October 19, 2004 for a reported price of US $160 million.
In September 2008, Yahoo! Music Jukebox went out of business.
Yahoo!
As of Musicmatch 10.1, Yahoo! branding was incorporated. The former logo has been replaced by a pure Yahoo! purple logo, and the Y! Music logo replaces the location of the Musicmatch logo elsewhere in the product. The Music Store now uses Yahoo! IDs for authentication. Version 10.1 of the Jukebox is no longer available on the Musicmatch website; however, older versions can be downloaded. In its place, the website now offers the Yahoo! Music Jukebox. In mid 2007 Yahoo! began migrating Musicmatch users to the Yahoo! Music Jukebox with plans to discontinue the Musicmatch service on August 31, 2007. A group of Musicmatch users has been disappointed with the changes that Yahoo! has made as a result of this migration.Yahoo has disabled the Super tagging function that automatically analyzes songs and assigns tag elements (Artist, Album, Track Name and Number). However, Musicmatch 10.1 can still be used to modify tags for a single song or groups of songs and then rename files based on those tag elements. The software remains highly functional for tagging and organizing music.
In an attempt to get Musicmatch Jukebox users and owners to upgrade to Yahoo Music Jukebox, Yahoo used the Musicmatch Update software to add a nagware screen to the existing Musicmatch install. This screen was installed for Musicmatch 9 and 10 users whether or not they checked the "Check for upgrades" box in programs setting. When Yahoo modified the Musicmatch installation, it would nag to upgrade by September 2007 every time the program ran. On installs with this nagware activated, this screen continued to appear, even though September 2007 is well past and Yahoo has dropped the entire product line.
Partnerships
Musicmatch Jukebox was provided on most Dell consumer computers as Dell Jukebox by Musicmatch. As such, the branded version contains Dell logos, integration with Dell Digital DJ, and integration with Dell's Media Experience product, and a co-branded music store (Dell Music Store).Musicmatch Jukebox was also provided to Earthlink
EarthLink
EarthLink , is an Internet service provider headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It claims 1.94 million subscribers.- Business :EarthLink provides a variety of Internet connection types, including dial-up, DSL, satellite, and cable. Both dial-up and high speed Internet access are available...
customers as Earthlink Jukebox by Musicmatch. It is similar to the Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
product, except that it is still based on the older Musicmatch Jukebox 9.0 product. The effect of the Musicmatch/Yahoo! merger on this co-branding agreement is unknown at this time.
Apple iPod and Musicmatch
On July 17, 2002 Apple introduced the first iPodIPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
for Windows, which included the Musicmatch Jukebox to manage the user's music library and transfer music to the iPod. With the introduction of iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
for Windows on October 16, 2003 they stopped bundling the Musicmatch software.
Software
The Jukebox has a skinnable, graphical interface and allows users to manage a catalogue of digital music, as well as CD and stream-based audio. It has a fairly advanced AutoDJ but has been noted as having a longer boot-up time than other players. The Plus version includes faster rip and burn times, exportable tables and tech support, as well as a "Super-Tagging" function that fetches for tags and album art and attaches them to the song file, allows you to customize the art and tags for any files in a directory, or rename files based upon the tags already stored in the files. These features, and others, were meant to be incentives to upgrade from the free version, which lacks them. The upgrade is done by entering a serial number which must pass a local validity test.Musicmatch 7 added the ability to record from "Mixer In" if a full duplex sound card is installed. Musicmatch (versions 9 and earlier) is well equipped to transfer LP records and streaming audio to MP3 as it has the ability to listen for silences of customizable level (percentage of original volume) and duration (in seconds). This allows Musicmatch to split a ripped LP into tracks automatically and to stop recording after playback of a stream was complete. A delayed recording start was also of benefit when recording streams.
Many long-time Musicmatch users never updated to Yahoo Musicmatch preferring to stay with Musicmatch 9 or 10. Starting with Musicmatch 10, several key features began to be removed. While 10 added several features related to listing online radio through Musicmatch services, a bug eliminated the ability to split tracks when recording from Mixer-in. The Yahoo Musicmatch version dropped the much favored 'super-tagging' feature. Registration keys for Musicmatch Jukebox Plus still function. However no new versions of Musicmatch (or Yahoo! Jukebox) are available for download. Yahoo! now offers Rhapsody
Rhapsody (online music service)
Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
in partnership with RealNetworks
RealNetworks
RealNetworks, Inc. is a provider of Internet media delivery software and services based in Downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. The company is the creator of RealAudio, a compressed audio format; RealVideo, a compressed video format; RealPlayer, a media player; RealDownloader, a download...
.
"Mic in track"
Earlier versions of MusicMatch Jukebox would give a default filename of Mic in trackMic in track
Mic in track was the default name of a file created after recording with the program MusicMatch Jukebox. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mic in track files began appearing on file-sharing networks such as Napster, usually without the knowledge of their creators...
(as well as Line in track and Mixer in track) to user recordings. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mic in track files began appearing on file-sharing networks such as Napster
Napster
Napster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...
, usually without the knowledge of their creators. Because of the unique name, voyeurs could easily search for the files and listen to audio of unknowing individuals performing karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
or joking around with friends. Several websites are devoted to cataloging and featuring their favorite Mic in track files.