SoundJam MP

Image:Soundjammp.jpgPrior to working together on SoundJam MP, Jeff Robbin and Bill Kincaid had worked for Apple in the 1990s as system software engineers assigned to the Copland operating system, a project that was abandoned before completion. After the Copland project's cancellation, Robbin and Kincaid left Apple. Robbin went on to create Conflict Catcher, a Mac OS utility, and Kincaid worked at a startup.{{Sfn|Levy|2006|pp=48-49}}

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.{{Sfn|Levy|2006|pp=48-49}}{{Sfn|Isaacson|2011|p=383}}{{cite web |last=Kincaid |first=Bill |title=The True Story of SoundJam |url=https://panic.com/extras/audionstory/popup-sjstory.html |publisher=Panic Inc.}} David Pogue, who later became a New York Times columnist, wrote SoundJam MP's documentation.{{Cite news |last=Pogue |first=David |date=2002-09-19 |title=Survival of Software's Fittest |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/19/technology/circuits/survival-of-softwares-fittest.html |access-date=2022-10-29 |issn=0362-4331}}

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."{{Cite web |last=Sasser |first=Cabel |title=The True Story of Audion |url=https://panic.com/extras/audionstory/ |access-date=2022-10-29 |website= |publisher=Panic Inc.}}

SoundJam received positive reviews,{{Cite web |last=Heid |first=Jim |date=October 31, 1999 |title=SoundJam MP |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/159570/soundjam.html |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=Macworld |language=en}} and won the Best of Macworld award in 1999;{{Cite web |date=September 30, 1999 |title=Best of Show |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/159392/bestproducts-3.html |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=Macworld |language=en}} it eventually secured 90% of the Mac MP3 software market.{{Sfn|Dormehl|2012|p=423}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Seff |first=Jonathan |date=April 30, 2001 |title=The Song Is Over for SoundJam |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/151570/11soundjam.html |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=Macworld |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=2003-07-03 |title=Casady & Greene Closes, Heralding End of an Era |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10571888256224500 |access-date=2022-10-29 |issn=0099-9660}}

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.{{Sfn|Levy|2006|pp=51-52}}{{Cite web |last=Sasser |first=Cabel |title=The True Story of Audion |url=https://panic.com/extras/audionstory/ |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=Panic}}

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.{{cite web |last=Sasser |first=Cabel |url=https://panic.com/extras/audionstory/ |title=The True Story of Audion |year=2007 |work=panic.com |publisher=Panic Inc}}{{Sfn|Levy|2006|pp=51-52}} Turning instead to Casady & Greene, Apple purchased the rights to the SoundJam MP software in a deal covered by a two-year secrecy clause.{{cite web |title=WSJ: Casady & Greene "forbidden" from discussing iTunes deal |last=dePlume |first=Nick |work=Think Secret |publisher=The dePlume Organization LLC |date=2003-07-03 |url=http://www.thinksecret.com/news/wsjcasadygreene.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080116094212/http://www.thinksecret.com/news/wsjcasadygreene.html |archive-date=2008-01-16 }}

Working as employees of Apple, Robbin, Kincaid and Heller continued to develop the software which would become iTunes. All three continue to work at Apple; Robbin is the lead developer of iTunes.{{cite web |last=Kahney |first=Leander |date=2006-10-17 |url=https://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/2006/10/71956 |work=wired.com |publisher=Condé Nast |title=Straight Dope on the IPod's Birth}}{{cite web |last=Schlender |first=Brent |date=2005-02-21 |work=Fortune Magazine |publisher=Cable News Network |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/02/21/8251769/index.htm |title=How Big Can Apple Get?}}

On January 9, 2001, Apple debuted iTunes 1.0 to the public.{{Sfn|Kahney|2013|loc=chapter 8}} 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.

{{cite web |last=Chaffin |first=Bryan |work=The Mac Observer |date=2001-05-06 |url=http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/Casady_Greene_Discontinues_SoundJam_MP_At_Developers_Request |publisher=The Mac Observer, Inc |title=Casady & Greene Discontinues SoundJam MP At Developer's Request}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite book |last=Dormehl |first=Luke |url= |title=The Apple Revolution: Steve Jobs, the Counterculture and How the Crazy Ones Took over the World |date=2012 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-1-4481-3136-5 |language=en}}
• {{Cite book |last=Isaacson |first=Walter |url= |title=Steve Jobs |date=2011 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-4516-4854-6 |language=en}}
• {{Cite book |last=Kahney |first=Leander |url= |title=Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products |date=2013 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-59184-706-9 |language=en}}
• {{Cite book |last=Levy |first=Steven |url= |title=The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness |date=2006 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-0-7432-9391-4 |language=en}}

• {{web archive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010302023954/http://www.soundjam.com/|title=Official website}}

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Category:Classic Mac OS media players

Category:Macintosh-only software

Category:ITunes

Category:Apple Inc. acquisitions