Ubuntu One Music Store now in public beta

Hello Lucid Testers!

Many in the Ubuntu community are excited about the Ubuntu One Music Store. The ability to search and buy popular music from within Rhythmbox is right around the corner. Today is the day that we are expanding testing by inviting all Ubuntu Lucid users to take part in the public beta of this new feature.

Testing goal

Our primary goal for this phase of testing is to ensure that the purchase and download experience is flawless. Integrating a cloud service like Ubuntu One with buying music is new for digital music stores. While it brings many benefits to users, it also adds technical complexity that increases the opportunity for problems to occur.

Testers must keep in mind that this is a beta test. We are excited to open this feature up for wider testing, but testers must understand that things will break. If something happens preventing a tester from receiving songs, there may be a delay in fulfilling their purchase. The best thing to do is to tell us about the problem using the channels below so we can resolve it quickly.

How to provide feedback

For those of you who want to test the Ubuntu One Music Store, there are a few ways for you to search for and report issues.

  • Search Launchpad [1] for your issue
  • Report new bugs against the Rhythmbox Ubuntu One Music Store project [2]
  • Chat with all beta testers on IRC: #u1msbeta on freenode

These are the primary places that the store developers will be monitoring so directing questions and issues here will ensure that they will be addressed.

The music selection

During the first few days of this expanded testing, some users may notice gaps in the songs available in the store. We are aware of it and are addressing the issue. It should be resolved very soon.

Our catalog will continue to improve and we will also look for efficient ways that users can provide more feedback about improving the selection of songs available.

How to test the store

All Lucid users around the world are invited to participate in this beta test of the Ubuntu One Music Store. If something unexpected happens, you need to tell us about it. The only way that the store will get better for everyone is if you do your part and speak up.

Some areas to test include…

  • MP3 codec detection
  • Search
  • Browse
  • Preview song samples
  • Add items to your basket
  • Checkout and buy process
  • Download to Ubuntu One
  • Sync to your computer
  • Songs added to your Rhythmbox library
  • Review purchase history in My Downloads

MP3 support

Many have had questions about MP3 support for the store and how their computer would play purchased songs. You do not have to purchase any software or codecs to play the songs on your computer. Additional details on this issue are available on the Ubuntu One Music Store FAQ page [3].

How to install the store

If Rhythmbox on your Lucid installation doesn’t already have the Ubuntu One Music Store option, use Software Center to search for and install the plugin. Enable the plugin by going to Edit > Plugins in Rhythmbox.

FAQ

We already provide a lot of great information about the store on the Ubuntu wiki [3]. This area and the FAQ content will be updated with more information as we get additional feedback from your testing.

Thank you for your help in improving the Ubuntu One Music Store for everyone!

The Ubuntu One Team

[1] https://bugs.launchpad.net/rhythmbox-ubuntuone-music-store

[2] In order for the team to capture the most information about your issue, please file a bug by opening a terminal and typing: ubuntu-bug rhythmbox-ubuntuone-music-store

[3] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOne/MusicStore ?

[Discuss the Ubuntu One Music Store Public Beta on the Forum]

Originally posted by Matt Griffin here on MONDAY, MARCH 22ND, 2010 AT 6:50 PM

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