Listen to your music anywhere in the world using a web browser

 

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Posted on 27 May 2010 at 10:51

Online music store 7digital is testing a new service, Digital Locker Plus, that will allow you to listen to your music library from any internet-connected computer through a web browser.

7digital powers the online music stores for services such as Spotify, as well as operating its own brand store. Digital Locker Plus requires a broadband connection and a modern web browser with the Flash Player plug-in installed. Any music purchased from 7digital is automatically available for listening online using the Digital Locker's web interface. The interface, especially the column-based artist/album browser, bears more than a passing resemblance to iTunes.

You can upload your own music to 7digital's servers, although the Digital Locker is currently limited to 5GB of space. Multiple files can be uploaded simultaneously using a standard Windows dialogue box, although a drag and drop interface and a dedicated iTunes/Windows Media Player browser would be even better. The company has yet to comment on the legality of this upload feature or whether the 5GB of storage is just for your own uploaded music or whether that limit also applies to music purchased from 7digital as well.

The service is currently in beta so there are some rough edges. Tracks can sometimes take 30 seconds or so to buffer before playback commences. You can't search for tracks by keyword, some tracks mysteriously refused to play and playlist creation currently doesn't work. Like iTunes, Digital Locker can suggest tracks available for purchase that you may like based on the currently playing track but there's no way to disable this if you want.

7digital is currently inviting select customers to test Digital Locker Plus and give feedback. The company has yet to comment on when the service will be open to everyone, how much it will cost and whether additional storage space will be available for purchase. Digital Locker Plus is a promising service and we hope the bugs are fixed soon. It could be a viable competitor to streaming services such as Spotify, especially if you have eclectic and uncommon musical tastes or are already a committed 7digital customer.

Author: Alan Lu