Bandit.fm
Encyclopedia
Bandit.fm is an online music store owned by the Sony
corporation. As of August 2011, Bandit.fm is only available to customers in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Singapore.
launched a new online music store to replace their failed CONNECT Music Store
called "bandit.fm" on a trial basis in Australia
and New Zealand
. bandit.fm was conceived and designed by Gavin Parry, GM Digital at Sony Music Australia and Craig Simmons, Director of Online at Sony Music Australia. The store is unique in that it does not require specific software (such as CONNECT Player
/SonicStage CP
) or hardware to be used (though Sony's
Media Go
software, Walkman
and Sony Ericsson
products are recommended), offers its downloads without Digital Rights Management
copyright protection and in MP3
format at a high bitrate; its downloads are also compatible with virtually all MP3 Players including the iPod
, iPhone
and iPad
range of products. bandit.fm also provides the users with the ability to pay for content via a number of flexible methods including PayPal
, giftcards/vouchers and credit cards. Although unconfirmed, it is widely expected that Sony
will launch bandit.fm globally in the medium-term future, pending the results of the Australian
/New Zealand
trial.
bandit.fm recently introduced a number of new, highly-competitive pricing models, alongside a music streaming service and in addition to a new "My Channel" function that allows for a personalized page on the Web site, based on a user's music tastes.
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
corporation. As of August 2011, Bandit.fm is only available to customers in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Singapore.
History
In late 2008, SonySony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
launched a new online music store to replace their failed CONNECT Music Store
Sony Connect
The CONNECT Music Store was Sony's music store built within the SonicStage music management application for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers. It was one of the world’s largest online music download stores with over 2.5 million tracks to preview and purchase, with over 10,000 new songs...
called "bandit.fm" on a trial basis in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. bandit.fm was conceived and designed by Gavin Parry, GM Digital at Sony Music Australia and Craig Simmons, Director of Online at Sony Music Australia. The store is unique in that it does not require specific software (such as CONNECT Player
Connect Player
CONNECT Player is a media player application, developed by Sony Connect, a division of Sony Corporation of America in 2005. It was released for European and Japanese market in November 2005 to be used with Sony's new HDD digital music players - the NW-A Walkman Series.In January 2006, Sony Europe...
/SonicStage CP
SonicStage
SonicStage is the name for Sony software that is used for managing portable devices when they are plugged into a computer running Microsoft Windows. It comprises a music player and library manager, similar to iTunes, Windows Media Player and RealPlayer. It is used to manage the library of ATRAC...
) or hardware to be used (though Sony's
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
Media Go
Media Go
Media Go is a video and audio player developed by Sony Creative Software, announced at E3 2009 for Microsoft Windows. Media Go manages content on Sony family products such as Sony Ericsson cellular telephones and the PlayStation Portable; it can also playback multimedia content, serving a function...
software, Walkman
Walkman
Walkman is a Sony brand tradename originally used for portable audio cassette, and now used to market Sony's portable audio and video players as well as a line of Sony Ericsson mobile phones...
and Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB is a joint venture established on October 1, 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones....
products are recommended), offers its downloads without Digital Rights Management
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
copyright protection and in MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
format at a high bitrate; its downloads are also compatible with virtually all MP3 Players including the iPod
IPod
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...
, iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
and iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
range of products. bandit.fm also provides the users with the ability to pay for content via a number of flexible methods including PayPal
PayPal
PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
, giftcards/vouchers and credit cards. Although unconfirmed, it is widely expected that Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
will launch bandit.fm globally in the medium-term future, pending the results of the Australian
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
/New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
trial.
bandit.fm recently introduced a number of new, highly-competitive pricing models, alongside a music streaming service and in addition to a new "My Channel" function that allows for a personalized page on the Web site, based on a user's music tastes.