GBox
Encyclopedia
gBox was an online music store
run by a Cupertino, California
-based startup called gBox, Inc. As of 2009, it web site was no longer in service.
announced that gBox, among other stores, will sell music in MP3
format free of Digital Rights Management
(DRM) from a selection of Universal's artists. gBox sold songs in DRM-free MP3
format or a Windows Media DRM
format for 99 cents per track.
The store, which started selling its Universal catalog August 21, 2007, promotes its catalog using Google's AdWords
program.
According to gBox Chief Executive Tammy Artim, gBox initially worked only with Internet Explorer
users on Microsoft Windows
, but Firefox for Windows support was added prior to the August 21 launch. Due to incompatibility with the optional Windows Media DRM software, gBox did not work on Mac OS X
.
The company announced a first version of their Facebook integration in October 2007. This makes it easier for users to gift friends directly, to follow up on what friends are wishing, as well as to use various features within Facebook.
According to company managers, there is a general preference towards offering the more user friendly MP3 format. There is also a long-term strategy to support other content beyond music.
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...
run by a Cupertino, California
Cupertino, California
Cupertino is an affluent suburban city in Santa Clara County, California in the U.S., directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 58,302 at the time of the 2010 census. Forbes...
-based startup called gBox, Inc. As of 2009, it web site was no longer in service.
History
gBox gained fame in August 2007 when Universal Music GroupUniversal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
announced that gBox, among other stores, will sell music 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 free of 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...
(DRM) from a selection of Universal's artists. gBox sold songs in DRM-free 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 or a Windows Media DRM
Windows Media DRM
Windows Media DRM is a Digital Rights Management service for the Windows Media platform. It is designed to provide delivery of audio and/or video content over an IP network to a PC or other playback device in such a way that the distributor can control how that content is used.WMDRM includes the...
format for 99 cents per track.
The store, which started selling its Universal catalog August 21, 2007, promotes its catalog using Google's AdWords
AdWords
Google AdWords is Google's main advertising product and main source of revenue. Google's total advertising revenues were USD$28 billion in 2010. AdWords offers pay-per-click advertising, cost-per-thousand advertising, and site-targeted advertising for text, banner, and rich-media ads. The AdWords...
program.
According to gBox Chief Executive Tammy Artim, gBox initially worked only with Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer
Windows Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year...
users on Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, but Firefox for Windows support was added prior to the August 21 launch. Due to incompatibility with the optional Windows Media DRM software, gBox did not work on Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
.
Widget and Social Network integration
The gBox widget allows users to gift other users, add songs to their own wishlist, and listen to sample clips of music they already have. The widget was developed together with the gBox portal, and can be added on any 3rd party site, e.g. social networks such as MySpace and Friendster, or personal blogs.The company announced a first version of their Facebook integration in October 2007. This makes it easier for users to gift friends directly, to follow up on what friends are wishing, as well as to use various features within Facebook.
Content
A total of more than 2 million albums and tracks are offered for gifting and/or sale as of April 2008. The catalog contains music from both major labels, such as UMG and Sony, as well as large independent aggregators, such as The Orchard. Content is updated on-going, with new releases made available on all venues.According to company managers, there is a general preference towards offering the more user friendly MP3 format. There is also a long-term strategy to support other content beyond music.