Sound-tripping has really gone a long way.  There was a time we were content in tuning in our favorite radio station or buying the album on release day, which evolved into downloading music in mp3 format so we could listen to it on our mp3 player.

Now, we have smartphones and tablets that eliminate the need for a separate mp3 player, or even saving music files on our device.   Companies are now hard at work in making music-based cloud services.

RIM has just launched their BBM Music that allows one to swap and share music in the music library, or with their buddies, for $4.99 per month.  MetroPCS and Rhapsody also teamed up to launch a $60 unlimited plan for mobile music streaming, calls and text, while rival company Leap Wireless’ Cricket Communication’s Muve offers music streaming plus mobile web access, data backup and video for only $55 per month.

Others trying their luck in the music-cloud scene include Mecanto, which offers unlimited cloud-enabled music-player and storage that features a personal music locker, and DropTunes by John Mills boasts that it is the only app that lets you stream your Dropbox music from the cloud (other apps make you download a tune, then play it)
launched in iTunes.

And finally, MySpace is making a comeback later this year as a music hub under creative director Justin Timberlake and Al Dejewski, MySpace’s newly appointed senior VP-global marketing.  They plan on going head-to-head with iTunes, Spotify and other music service providers by tapping into mySpace’s social network roots.

“We have over 70 million active users globally on a monthly basis, and in the U.S. it’s in the 30 [million] to 40 million range right now,” Mr. Dejewski said. “It’s no small database by any means. While we may have lost some traction to people like Facebook, things like LinkedIn are a very different proposition in my mind. We have a very broad reach and footprint today and one we can capitalize upon, no question about it.”

Though the future of music may be in the cloud, service providers may soon be overshadowed as music companies are taking a closer look at what these services have to offer, and scrutinizing their music library, like in the case of MP3tunes and EMI.   The court found MP3tunes could be liable for contributory infringement of about 500 tracks that EMI identified as being traded without authorization.   Services better get their licensing agreements from music companies ironed out before venturing further into the cloud industry.