SoundJam MP
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| Original author(s) | Bill Kincaid, Jeff Robbin and Dave Heller |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Casady & Greene |
| Initial release | July 13, 1998 |
| Last release |
2.5.3 / April 11, 2001
|
| Development status | Discontinued |
| Operating system | Mac OS 8, Mac OS 9 |
| Type | Media player, handheld device synchronizer |
| License | Proprietary commercial software |
| Website | www.soundjam.com (archived) |
SoundJam MP was an early classic Mac OS-compatible MP3 player and Rio-compatible hardware synchronization manager that was released in July 1998 and was available until June 2001. Jeff Robbin and Bill Kincaid developed SoundJam MP with assistance from Dave Heller. Robbin and Kincaid chose Casady & Greene to publish SoundJam MP. Apple, Inc. purchased SoundJam MP in 2000 and further developed the code to create iTunes version 1.0. Casady and Greene ceased publication of SoundJam MP in June 2001 at the request of the developers.
Prior 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.
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 wrote SoundJam MP's documentation.
SoundJam MP became a successful product in the Mac music player market, competing with Panic's Audion.
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.
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