French Music Store Starzik Broadens Independent Catalog
Starzik, a digital music download store headquartered in the French Alps, has just broadened its independent music catalog. The Orchard is powering a significant chunk of the expansion, which will complement a heavy roster of French independent labels. The content will be offered across a number of formats, including MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, AAC, and unprotected WMA. Following the catalog infusion, Starzik now boasts a catalog of 600,000 songs, which also includes protected content from three major labels. The open-format expansion coincides with the Fête de la Musique, which kicked off in Europe this week.
The move also follows some major developments in French Parliament. Currently, legislators are debating a finalized version of an interoperability initiative that could have major ramifications for Apple and its closed, FairPlay DRM architecture. And underlying the movement is a desire to allow consumers to enjoy music across any number of devices and digital jukeboxes, something that only unprotected formats like MP3 currently offer. "Technology has to provide a way to simplify access to music and then help consumers discover new music," said Jérôme Giachino, chief executive of Starzik. For independent artists, which have fared well in the digital arena, the use of open formats achieves just that.
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