Musicmatch, the first software that offered free MP3 ripping legally, including several other features that its loyal core of users clung to as others migrated to iTunes and elsewhere.
That ended recently, as Yahoo has withdrawn its Musicmatch Jukebox software, and the associated services will dance off into the sunset on August 31.
Yahoo has been notifying users that they should convert their Musicmatch software, account registration, and music purchases to the Yahoo Music Jukebox and Yahoo Music Unlimited platform.
Users on the Yahoo Music support forum seem to need a lot of help with the move, with most of them lamenting the loss of Musicmatch jukebox software, and in one case, calling for a class action suit:
There are a lot of other people upset about this. The migration is without doubt a complete downgrade. Many of the features from Musicmatch that we paid for years are now gone… from ‘Jeff G’.
A common objection is the removal of Musicmatch Jukebox’s super tagging feature, which added cover art to tracks as they were ripped from CDs.
I have emailed my contact at Yahoo asking for a response. Yahoo responded with a statement:
“There is a vocal minority on the message boards you refer to that have voiced concern about the migration. However, our internal data shows that 92 percent of Musicmatch users who have used the Migration Assistant have migrated successfully to Yahoo Music without customer care issues.”
In addition, the spokesperson pointed out that Yahoo Music Unlimited has two million songs (twice as many as Musicmatch on Demand), and addressed the “missing features” issue:
“To your point about feature parity between Musicmatch and Yahoo Music Jukebox, we recognize that there are certain Musicmatch features that do not currently exist in Yahoo Music Jukebox. However, our present focus is on the next generation of music discovery, playback and management. We are developing various forms of music consumption (whether mobile, web-based or client app), that we believe will make the Yahoo Music experience the most forward-thinking, compelling and flexible music service available.”
Yahoo has attempted to make the transition painless, with the automated transfer of the Musicmatch Jukebox Plus key, any time remaining on a Musicmatch music subscription, on demand playlists, account information, local Library settings, and any remaining Musicmatch Store credit.
Musicmatch on Demand accounts are automatically closed on migration to Yahoo Music Unlimited, so there is no going back. “If you are not satisfied with Yahoo! Music Unlimited you can cancel at anytime, however you will not receive a refund for the current subscription term. You will continue to have access to your account through the end of the agreed-upon term and your subscription will simply not renew,” explains Yahoo.
One advantage of the change is that where a Musicmatch Jukebox Plus license was tied to a key stored on a single computer, the Yahoo Music Jukebox Plus license is linked to the customer’s Yahoo ID and is therefore usable on any computer.
Yahoo Music’s open letter to users concluded “Thanks for your support over the years. We look forward to delighting you for many more” – but it seems they are far from delighted.