Habbo Hotel Wants to Sell You Music
(* Source : Virtual World News *)
Habbo Hotel launched the Traxmaxhine back in June to bring music to the virtual world. Right now they act as basic jukeboxes for user-created tunes, but Habbo wants to use them as stores for existing artists as well. While record sales are falling and artists are looking for alternative distribution methods, labels are apparently dragging their feet over compensation and digital rights management issues before getting into the virtual world.
"Habbo users want the ability to support and identify themselves with their favorite bands or recording artists inside our virtual community,” Teemu Huuhtanen, President N. A. and EVP for Habbo business at Sulake told Digital Media Wire. “We are continuing to work with the major record labels on the issue of digital rights and compensation to provide our user base what they are asking for – a way to purchase in Habbo songs and digital goods licensed by label artists."
There.com has a partnership with Capital Music Group, which allows users to purchase CDs from interactive kiosks, but not digital tracks. Likewise, MTV has made big moves in virtual worlds, and Vside has always had a strong music theme with ties to both Interscope and Downtown Records. And plenty of people allow you to upload content, but it seems like nobody has made it easy to buy mainstream digital music and integrate it with your virtual world experience. Or are we missing someone?