SiriTunes is a new service that basically capitalizes on the name Siri, and its core functionality of letting you send a text message and receive a download link for music you request. The process is tipped off via a text message to 424-888-7474 containing a phrase like “Play Easton.” The service scours the web for links to MP3 files and sends you valid links to download / listen on your phone. It rules out html links masquerading as music by checking the file headers, but there doesn’t seem to be a way to exclude your occasional Rickroll.
It’s not really clear how any of this can be thought of as legal, or how long it’ll be around. The creator is quick to point out that he doesn’t host any of the music and simply forwards publicly available URLs to the requesting users, only downloading the headers to ensure the file is of an appropriate type.
No matter the legality issues behind the service itself, the publicity gained by throwing the word Siri in to your new product’s name will likely get you noticed fairly quickly by Apple and a cease and desist is likely being drafted as we speak. The use of the name Siri becomes extremely relevent to the process when you account for the fact that users can simply add a contact named “SiriTunes” to their iPhones and dictate to Siri:
Ask SiriTunes to Play Easton
The creator of SiriTunes also points out that there is money to be made from this concept. Licensed content could be a direction to steer the SiriTunes venture in the future, providing links to purchasable content from the iTunes library or Spotify for example.
Source: SiriTunes
Via: TUAW
