Neil Young’s music service is apparently down, but not out. In a note posted to Pono’s front page, the hi-res music provider announced that it’ll be going offline for for “several weeks,” due to the recent acquisition of Omnifone, which has been the driving force behind the service’s infrastructure.
The company’s purchase has led Pono to seek a new partner for PonoMusic, striking a deal with 7 Digital, a London-based digital music platform that has worked with a number of high-profile partners, including Samsung and BlackBerry. In its letter, Pono insists that the move, while “well underway, [is] not yet complete,” hastening to add that the move won’t affect any of its dealings with big music labels.
What all of this means for the Pono faithful is no more music purchases for what’s likely to be several weeks from last Wednesday. The service is, naturally, looking to put a positive spin on the whole order, insisting that the new 7 Digital deal will bring “fresh opportunities to improve our overall service,” along with the addition of some new titles.
Talk about having a wheel in the ditch and a wheel on the track.