In a rash of service providers unhappy with the 30% cut Apple is taking from all monthly subscriptions, Kazaa has moved to the browser. Kazaa is still in the App Store, and they say it’s “just one of many marketing and distribution channels” they use. That’s probably not the kind of thinking Apple wants their developers to have, but between taking a cut of subscriptions and in-app purchases, it’s not unreasonable for devs to be seeking alternatives.
Using the mobile site on either iPhone, iPad, or Android devices, you can stream tunes on demand, so long as you’re one of the $10/month subscribers. Those of you who have been in the peer-to-peer downloading business for awhile will fondly remember Kazaa as one of the great post-Napster file sharing clients, though they eventually succumbed to a similar fate of cleaning up and turning into a more legitimate business.
The problem with Kazaa’s situation is that alternative sales channels are much easier to find on platforms other than iOS, but iPhone users are still the most active app downloaders bar none. Whatever they might save by not paying up to Apple would likely be lost in sheer volume.
The shift to browser-based streaming could very well leave the app neglected in an effort to push people to the browser, and I’m not sure that’s entirely a bad thing. I’m continually impressed with how much Untappd has been able to do with an honest-to-goodness web app, and I welcome others to give the format a shot.
If you want to see what’s up with Kazaa, just go to their home page on your mobile browser, or check out their mobile app below if you’d rather something a little more full-bodied.
[via BusinessWire]