Hypptunes is down. It is a sad scene isn't it? TM Net, our no.1 ISP with all their will and power can only sell 40 songs per month? Selling music online LEGALLY in Malaysia is still a big, big question mark.
Let's check out who are the local major players...
Shopping cart and check out:
- HyppTunes by TM Net: oops, suspended since 1st July 2008.
- Gua Muzik: Just being launched this year, mainly on Malay and English market. Looks promising, at least according to Sandy Monteiro. They claim to be reaching 1.6m hits per week. RM3 per track.
- MyMix Station: Tracks being compiled into mail-order-CD (Catch: You have to select a minimum 4 tracks from each album). Work closely with several physical outlets with their "CD Burning System". RM2.95 per track.
- Bimbit.com: Launched and marketed aggressively but are them doing well? Perhaps they are the first major local music player toying with point based shopping (subscription and top-up). RM3 per track.
- Music Unlimited by Maxis: Recently revamped site with much improvement in terms of design and updated content. Serve the whole market well with their balanced Malay, Chinese and Indian content. RM4 per track.
- Didadee: Mobile content provider targeting Malaysia and Singapore Chinese market. Massive and latest Chinese tracks (from China, HK, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore). RM5 per track.
- And many more other mobile content providers...
Personally, I am not super confident on our local online music industry until a pricing level of RM1-2 per track. Meanwhile, I guess Malaysia's netizens will still stick to Jiwang, VeryCD, Baidu etc for the time being.
