Could it be mp3 bloggers have found a safe way to sharing their files ? I'm not suggesting others should follow suit, but some bloggers seem to have found a way to promote their favorite music that seems to be catching on. By storing the actual mp3 file on storage sites, like megashare and posting the url in their blog, they appear to be getting around some of the illegal implications of P2P sharing. After all it seems to be a similar business model used by some mega music download sites like klite-pro. By subscribing you'll have access to unlimited music downloads, the pretty girl says in the demo, when in actuality you're using their service to tap into the music collection of fellow subscribers to the service. As I understand it, the mp3 files are not on the klite-pro servers. This strategy seems to be working for individual music bloggers now with a slight twist.
When mp3 bloggers talk about a new release or their favorite artist's work, it has the potential to create a buzz about the music and for the artist. The assumption is this could lead to greater exposure. Recently this music chatter has been studied to figure out the impact of music blogging and social network on buying decisions. Music lovers are constantly in search of new music and rightfully so they want to hear what all the buzz is all about. As the technology gives us greater access, it also has a downside. A shorter attention span and instant gratification can be the by product of too many choices. So being able to audition the music can have a positive affect on a products lifecycle. This concept hasn't gone unnoticed by the RIAA. Music bloggers are offering a service not just to their readers but also providing free product promotion to the record labels, promo agencies, and an assorted list of stakeholders. I doubt this happy medium will last for long. But it does appear to signal a possible shift in the RIAA response.
Showing posts with label RIAA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RIAA. Show all posts
Monday, February 25, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Free Music Download Sites May Be on the Rise
We've all read about the struggles of the music industry for sometime now, each year there’s a steady decline in CD sales. Many believe that the technology has created the demand for instant access, increasing P2P pirating and threatening future profits for the record labels as a whole. But sympathy for the Industry wanes each year as we hear about RIAA litigation settlements targeted towards teens who either don’t know better and/or aren’t properly supervised. The need to protect creative copyrights is important but is litigation an effective deterrent ?
Today the industry consists of four international conglomerate holding companies. These music groups control 70% of the world music market and 80% of the U.S. music market. Small and specialty record labels have either been absorbed or just withered away due to staggering competition. There’s no wonder the industry remains in a slump when the landscape is in a chokehold. Consumers feel the loss too, when access to diverse artists and musical styles, that don’t necessarily fit into the mega sales model, become so far and few in between, purchasing naturally slows up.
Fortunately some artists and entrepreneurs are testing new business and distribution models. Many artists have begun selling their music directly to consumers on the internet and bypassing record labels for their own survival. It’s an attempt to align themselves with the way consumers are searching for music to download.
Apple's iTunes has sold over four billion songs since 2001, but many companies with online music models have not been as successful. It seems as one new player emerges another folds, just recently Yahoo announced it would close its subscription service and migrate its customers to Rhapsody subscription service.
With the enormous appeal of MySpace and Facebook, music lovers have gravitated to sites like Last.fm or iLike, to create communities to discuss and share their music tastes. I like the idea of discovering new music based on my collection. But it can be hit or miss. But if you enjoy the social aspect, it does have it's appeal.
Imeem and Last.fm are riding a new trend of ad-supported, online music streaming. With agreements from the record labels, users create playlists, from music already tied to the site, and share them in a community. But these site agreement may not contain the complete catalog of an artist’s work. There may only be access to certain tracks. Further investigation of some ad-sponsored sites reveals there are limits to how many times you can listen to a free track. Well I can't say I didn't see that one coming. But for a monthly fee you can avoid advertisements (which usually play at the beginning of the track), and download the track at a higher bitrate. Is it me or have we just gone 360 with this "new" business model ? This sounds like your everyday mp3 music download service.
There’s little argument that the labels have been slow to embrace the rapidly changing landscape. The technology is forcing this shift and I expect we’ll see more business models introduced and fail before someone else gets it right, like Apple does.
I don’t think I’m asking for much, just give me intuitive and elegant software (or web interface), an extensive music catalog and a good user experience. That’s what I call value and good branding. That’s what keeps this music lover in a purchase mode.
Today the industry consists of four international conglomerate holding companies. These music groups control 70% of the world music market and 80% of the U.S. music market. Small and specialty record labels have either been absorbed or just withered away due to staggering competition. There’s no wonder the industry remains in a slump when the landscape is in a chokehold. Consumers feel the loss too, when access to diverse artists and musical styles, that don’t necessarily fit into the mega sales model, become so far and few in between, purchasing naturally slows up.
Fortunately some artists and entrepreneurs are testing new business and distribution models. Many artists have begun selling their music directly to consumers on the internet and bypassing record labels for their own survival. It’s an attempt to align themselves with the way consumers are searching for music to download.
Apple's iTunes has sold over four billion songs since 2001, but many companies with online music models have not been as successful. It seems as one new player emerges another folds, just recently Yahoo announced it would close its subscription service and migrate its customers to Rhapsody subscription service.
With the enormous appeal of MySpace and Facebook, music lovers have gravitated to sites like Last.fm or iLike, to create communities to discuss and share their music tastes. I like the idea of discovering new music based on my collection. But it can be hit or miss. But if you enjoy the social aspect, it does have it's appeal.
Imeem and Last.fm are riding a new trend of ad-supported, online music streaming. With agreements from the record labels, users create playlists, from music already tied to the site, and share them in a community. But these site agreement may not contain the complete catalog of an artist’s work. There may only be access to certain tracks. Further investigation of some ad-sponsored sites reveals there are limits to how many times you can listen to a free track. Well I can't say I didn't see that one coming. But for a monthly fee you can avoid advertisements (which usually play at the beginning of the track), and download the track at a higher bitrate. Is it me or have we just gone 360 with this "new" business model ? This sounds like your everyday mp3 music download service.
There’s little argument that the labels have been slow to embrace the rapidly changing landscape. The technology is forcing this shift and I expect we’ll see more business models introduced and fail before someone else gets it right, like Apple does.
I don’t think I’m asking for much, just give me intuitive and elegant software (or web interface), an extensive music catalog and a good user experience. That’s what I call value and good branding. That’s what keeps this music lover in a purchase mode.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)