MP3tunes today announced the availability of Oboe, a music locker that stores an entire personal music library online, making it accessible anywhere.
With an entire song collection safe online, music fans have ability to stream their music from any machine with an Internet connection as well as sync their songs to each computer and device they own.
Oboe accounts are $39.95 per year and include unlimited storage with no extra bandwidth charges, plus Macintosh, Microsoft Windows and Linux software for one-button syncing. Oboe also offers an iTunes plug-in for syncing and streaming inside the popular music application. The service is available immediately at www.mp3tunes.com.
“Five years from now, lugging around your entire music collection and plugging it in everywhere will seem as outdated as carrying around a pocketful of nickels,” said Michael Robertson, CEO of MP3tunes. “It makes more sense to safely store your music online and sync it or stream it to all the places you listen to music, which is exactly what Oboe makes possible.”
Oboe is a sophisticated online music service offering individual user accounts that can store an entire music library of files in .mp3, .wma (Windows Media), .aac (iTunes), and .ogg format. Registered users are provided with a personal account and the Oboe Software Suite, which installs software tools to easily load online music lockers using Macintosh OS X, Microsoft Windows or Linux computers.
Oboe Sync:
The Oboe Sync software will search an entire computer for music files and then load all located music files into the designated online locker. This creates a backup of an entire music collection securely online, safeguarded from hardware malfunctions, viruses, or theft.
Once a music locker is loaded with music, the same Oboe Sync software can be used to move the music to multiple locations. With a single click, Oboe Sync will analyze the PC and online locker, making sure each location has the same music. Each time Oboe Sync runs, any new music files detected on the PC will be moved to the locker and any new files loaded to the locker will be moved to the PC. This ensures a music listener will have access to their entire song library wherever they listen to music.
Oboe Locker:
Each Oboe account also comes with a Web page where users can access their entire music collection from any device with an Internet connection. A user-friendly interface displays artists, albums, tracks and playlists, which can be streamed for online listening at 192kbps — practically CD quality. A sophisticated music manager built using Ajax technologies makes it possible to pause, skip, repeat tracks, create playlists, label music, and control volume all directly within the Web page without requiring any additional software to be installed.
Oboe for iTunes:
An innovative iTunes plug-in makes it possible to access Oboe directly from within iTunes software on either Macintosh or Microsoft Windows computers. An “Oboe” entry is added to the shared music area. Once clicked, users enter their account information and their iTunes music and playlists are synced to their online locker. Using the same plug-in, an iTunes user can view the entire contents of their online library from within iTunes as well as stream it.
Oboe for Firefox:
A Mozilla Firefox plug-in is included with the Oboe Software Suite so music available on the Internet with its own link can be copied directly into the Oboe Locker. Once installed, any Web site with music links ending in .mp3, .wma, .ogg or .acc trigger a small musical icon to appear after that link. Clicking on the link will sideload the track from the viewing Web site directly to the configured locker.
Both paid and free accounts are available with Oboe. Paid accounts are $39.95 per year with unlimited size music lockers, 192kbps streaming, no bandwidth charges and limitless usage of the entire beta release of the Oboe Software Suite. Free accounts are also available, which allow loading of music from the Web including the Oboe for Firefox plug-in, but are limited to 56kbps streaming in both the Oboe Locker and Oboe for iTunes plug-in. No syncing is permitted with free accounts. Users can sign up at www.mp3tunes.com. Screenshots are available for viewing at www.mp3tunes.com/screenshots.
