Baboom! Kim Dotcom Previews Music Service, Launches Debut Album

Kim Dotcom, the charismatic founder of Megaupload who is wanted by the US for copyright infringement and money laundering, has launched a preview of his long-rumoured music service, Baboom.

The first album to appear on the website is Dotcom’s own debut, a collection of decisively European electronic tracks entitled Good Times, which is meant to celebrate the entrepreneur’s 40^th birthday.

The service is available for preview, and is expected to be fully operational by late 2014. TechWeekEurope had problems with accessing Baboom on a Monday afternoon – a sure sign that the work is far from being finished.

Good times

Dotcom started developing a new music service long before a raid on his house and the subsequent closure of Megaupload by the New Zealand authorities on behalf of the US Department of Justice in January 2012.

He mentioned the venture previously known as ‘Megabox’ on numerous occasions, alongside other pet projects like the encrypted email service and advertising platform codenamed ‘Megakey’.

Baboom features sleek, modern user interface with a focus on artist pages that offer information, photo galleries, videos and other promotional material. It is expected to incorporate social elements, curated playlists and a radio mode.

Dotcom previously said that the service will reward artists, as well as give its users the opportunity to download content for free. At the moment it is not clear just how that will be achieved. But just like Mega and Megaupload before it, the website is likely to feature advertising to offset the hosting costs.

Today, Baboom still has technical issues and features just one album, by Dotcom himself. Good Times was recorded at New Zealand’s Roundhead Studios, with vocals by both US and New Zealand artists.

“The music celebrates Kim’s ever-present philosophy of inspiring people to feel good, have fun and live life to the fullest. Kim was inspired by the Trance and Dance tracks he listened to during his high-speed driving times on the German Autobahn,” explains a Baboom press release.

The album retails on iTunes for £7.99, and Dotcom told Channel 3 News that this is just the start of his music career.

Experts note that the digital music market is highly competitive, with the likes of Spotify, iTunes, Deezer, Grooveshark, and the upcoming service from Beats all vying for a slice of the market, pushing the prices down while improving the quality of content. In this climate, Baboom will need a unique selling point to succeed – other than the name of its founder.

Good night my friends. Thank you for the positive comments about #Baboom and for listening to my music. Best birthday ever. #GoodTimes

— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) January 20, 2014

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