SoundJam MP

History

Kincaid created Mac-compatible hardware and device driver support for the Diamond Rio line of digital audio players. He then enlisted Robbin to develop the front-end for the MP3-player software they named SoundJam MP. Dave Heller later joined them, completing the core team. The development team chose Casady & Greene to publish SoundJam MP because the company had previously published Robbin's Conflict Catcher. David Pogue, who later became a New York Times columnist, wrote SoundJam MP's documentation.

SoundJam was released a few weeks before a competing Mac MP3 player, Audion, made by Panic Inc. According to Cabel Sasser, Panic's co-founder, the competition between SoundJam and Audion was friendly and "inspiring."

Reception

SoundJam received positive reviews, and won the Best of Macworld award in 1999; it eventually secured 90% of the Mac MP3 software market. SoundJam competed with the Audion app, made by Panic. Apple hired Robbin, Kincaid and Heller, and used SoundJam's code as the foundation for iTunes.

Both companies were vying to be acquired by Apple, but since Panic was already discussing a buyout with AOL, and since Robbin and Kincaid were ex-Apple employees, Apple chose to buy SoundJam in 2000.

Acquisition

In early 2000, Apple wanted to purchase MP3 player software for use with Apple's desktop computers. Apple sought meetings with both Panic and Casady & Greene. Caught up in negotiations with AOL, Panic was not able to set up a meeting with Apple. Turning instead to Casady & Greene, Apple purchased the rights to the SoundJam MP software in a deal covered by a two-year secrecy clause.

Working as employees of Apple, Robbin, Kincaid and Heller continued to develop the software which would become iTunes.

On January 9, 2001, Apple debuted iTunes 1.0 to the public. Curious Macintosh users immediately began poking through iTunes' resource fork, where they discovered numerous strings and other resources that indicated iTunes was a re-engineered SoundJam MP.

After a request from Robbin and Kincaid, Casady & Greene ceased distribution of SoundJam MP on June 1, 2001.

References

Bibliography

References

1. Kincaid, Bill. "The True Story of SoundJam". [[Panic Inc.]].
2. Pogue, David. (2002-09-19). "Survival of Software's Fittest". The New York Times.
3. Sasser, Cabel. "The True Story of Audion". [[Panic Inc.]].
4. Heid, Jim. (October 31, 1999). "SoundJam MP".
5. (September 30, 1999). "Best of Show".
6. Seff, Jonathan. (April 30, 2001). "The Song Is Over for SoundJam".
7. (2003-07-03). "Casady & Greene Closes, Heralding End of an Era". Wall Street Journal.
8. Sasser, Cabel. "The True Story of Audion".
9. Sasser, Cabel. (2007). "The True Story of Audion". Panic Inc.
10. dePlume, Nick. (2003-07-03). "WSJ: Casady & Greene "forbidden" from discussing iTunes deal". The dePlume Organization LLC.
11. Kahney, Leander. (2006-10-17). "Straight Dope on the IPod's Birth". Condé Nast.
12. Schlender, Brent. (2005-02-21). "How Big Can Apple Get?". Cable News Network.
13. Chaffin, Bryan. (2001-05-06). "Casady & Greene Discontinues SoundJam MP At Developer's Request". The Mac Observer, Inc.