Apple-Owned Lala Media Shuts Down on Schedule

Following the schedule announced in late April, music streaming service Lala Media permanently shut down as of late yesterday, bringing an end to the popular service that was acquired by Apple late last year.

Apple has been rumored to be tapping the Lala team for assistance in rolling out a cloud-based version of iTunes that would allow users to upload their media collections to Apple's servers and stream the content to their computers and portable devices, reducing local storage requirements and eliminating the need to specifically sync content between devices. Such a move would require, however, that Apple strike new deals with content providers, and music industry sources indicate that there has not been much activity on this front, suggesting that an announcement of a cloud-based iTunes is likely some time off.

As noted on Lala's site, customers who held purchase credit through the site's service will receive new iTunes Store credits by June 14th.

If you purchased web songs on Lala or had an outstanding wallet balance as of May 31st, 2010, an iTunes Store credit code will automatically be sent to your member email address no later than June 14th, 2010.

Credit amounts will be based on your account activity as of May 31, 2010. iTunes Store credit amounts will be rounded up to the nearest $1 for refunds under $10, or to the nearest $5 for refunds greater than $10.

Members can also request refund checks to be sent to their shipping address on file with the company.