Spiral Frog

[Njugle]

Another key point in musical history is looming on the horizon

 

Free licensed audio files are on their way, paid for through voluminous quantities of advertising, Universal are warming to it already.

However, apparently you will not be able to play the music on your iPod, will this rule out "80% of the MP3 Market?"

[peeriebryan]

This is a VERY big development in music delivery. Record companies are now starting to see the actual music product as a loss leader for advertising revenue. There will be big changes on the horizon. This business model has been discussed for some time, but I didn't think it would actually happen for another decade or so

 

I feel dubious about the value of music being directly related to the potential advertising revenue

 

Lowest common denominator etc

[Hambone]

Google proved the business model.

 

But jeez I wouldn't want to be the SysAdmin looking after thoose servers as they will be hammered when the site goes live.

[JAStewart]

Can't iPod them? Thats just dumb.

[Twerto]

no its not Ipod is just a pure exploit for the lazy people..

 

as an istrument to listen to music on it's crap.. as a gimmik it's great.

[Matthias]

Twerto I don't quite understand your post. I've had various mp3 players since I got this 32MB one in 1998: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_PMP300 (I was 14 and saved and saved!)

 

I usually walk about an hour a day, and quite often spend that time listening to my ipod. As well as the music I load onto it, I really like the Trash podcasts and a few others that feature new music, and the Harvard lecture podcasts are amazing.

[Twerto]

Yes sorry the word lazy could of been a bit misleading.

 

I meant lazy as in go for the product that is the product ( gimik ) of the moment..

 

there are better MP3 players out there if you look for them, as far as sound quality goes etc etc, yes they are maybe not as user freindly for the non technical minded of us. bit like Unix and windows... but they are cheaper, better sound quility, have had recording functions which i belive the Ipod still doesn't support

 

and it has actually happened slightly sooner than i thought.. but any company that goes down the route of providing a product that limits it sources of music is bound to fail eventually ( or maybe this is just yet another way that Ipod wil make you part with your cash ) as you wil end up having to buy new version to cope with new media formats...

[Matthias]

Ah but Twerto you're forgetting that they have cornered the market with a product that is purposely very limited in scope. Now that the ipod is widespread and people 'get it', the market is calling out for more features (wireless, open formats, etc) and when they bring that out they can sell a brand new one (at an even higher price!) to all their existing customers (right at the exact time the irreplaceable battery in the old one suspiciously dies).

 

While it's horribly devious, it's the way corporate america works. For a similar example, look at McDonalds.. they spent a whole decade purposefully making their junk food progressively worse. Then when it reached critical point and they were getting all sorts of negative press, they bring out all sorts of "healthy" options like salads and sandwiches with lots of shiny vegetables (that are actually every bit as bad). Because they had already set the bar price-wise for the junk food, they are able to price these supposed healthy options in a much higher profit bracket, as people are willing to pay more to con themselves into believing they won't die fat and depressed. Now they are making more than ever, at the expense of the health service, but to the beneit of the pension fund. So never eat there.