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Apple Likely Acquired Cloud-Based Music Provider Omnifone [Updated]

Wednesday July 20, 2016 1:24 pm PDT by Juli Clover
One of Apple's latest acquisitions appears to be cloud-based music provider and Omnifone, according to an inside source that shared knowledge of the purchase with MacRumors. Earlier this month, a Music Ally report suggested UK-based Omnifone's tech business and assets had been purchased by a mystery buyer for $10 million, and it seems that buyer is Apple.

According to documents covering the sale, Omnifone's alluring patent portfolio was not purchased by Apple, nor were debts or investments, but terms included a "royalty bearing license" that Omnifone says will help it determine the value of its full range of patents. Omnifone has a number of patents relating to downloading music, digital rights management, and generating recommendations that are potentially appealing to streaming music companies.

omnifone
Omnifone operated a cloud platform powering its own MusicStation service and serving as the backbone for music services launched through partnerships with mobile carriers like LG, Samsung, Vodafone, BlackBerry, Sony, and more.

Omnifone, for example, powered Samsung's Milk music service in certain locations and it was licensed by PonoMusic to power the PonoMusic Store, which is temporarily unavailable as of today following Apple's purchase of Omnifone. Following its acquisition, Omnifone has abruptly ended all of its partnerships.
One of our key infrastructure partners - Omnifone - has recently been acquired by a large company. An impact of this purchase is that all Omnifone's supply relationships are being terminated, effectively immediately. Omnifone has been the exclusive content provider for PonoMusic.
Omnifone was placed into administration in May after it became clear the company could no longer pay its debts following the loss of clients like Sony and BlackBerry when Music Unlimited and BBM Music were shuttered. A total of 71 staff members were laid off as it sought a buyer for its technology assets.

Apple was believed to be interested in Omnifone's assets early on, with sources in May telling Music Ally Apple would make the purchase.

Update: The Loop's Jim Dalrymple says that according to his sources, Apple did not purchase Omnifone.

Tags: Apple acquisition, Apple Music, Omnifone
[ 22 comments ]


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Dilster3k
34 months ago
That moment you can't make $^#t anymore and resort to buying junk like Beats, etc. & this, to keep the train wreck going.
Rating: 7 Votes
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djcerla
34 months ago

That moment you can't make $^#t anymore and resort to buying junk like Beats, etc. & this, to keep the train wreck going.


Beats was an excellent acquisition, at the right price.

The "train wreck" will be market leader by 2018.
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
hlfway2anywhere
34 months ago
All I want are collaborative playlists and browser-based access to my music.
Rating: 3 Votes
Avatar
Rogifan
34 months ago
Jim Dalrymple says no.

http://www.loopinsight.com/2016/07/20/apple-did-not-buy-cloud-based-music-provider-omnifone/
Rating: 3 Votes
Avatar
ArcaneDevice
34 months ago

That moment you can't make $^#t anymore and resort to buying junk like Beats, etc. & this, to keep the train wreck going.


Apple has always done this. The first iTunes was software from another company they purchased and rebranded.

Apple users tend to forget that a lot of Apple software since the return of Jobs has been the result of buying ideas from other companies.
Rating: 3 Votes
Avatar
Michael Scrip
34 months ago

Apple has always done this. The first iTunes was software from another company they purchased and rebranded.

Apple users tend to forget that a lot of Apple software since the return of Jobs has been the result of buying ideas from other companies.


Exactly. And it's not just Apple. Lots of companies do this.

Some of the biggest software/service products we use today came from somewhere else.

Google acquired at least 8 companies to make Google Maps, for instance.
Rating: 2 Votes
Avatar
surfingarbo
34 months ago
PonoMusic. Not PornoMusic. I guess I read that wrong.
Rating: 1 Votes

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