The Future of Recorded Music

Between compression and the focus on singles, this is aimed at the tunes market. I can't quite make the mental jump to this business model for classical, jazz, & concerts. Would you want to have to download a whole disc's worth, plus burn time, instead of simply buying the disc? Also the download price will rise for longer material to the point that it will defeat the advantage in downloading.

There is a small but growing chorus from the computer industry to the effect that commercially made discs should disappear. Instead, models like Apple's might divide the pop market from the dvd-type disc market, with dvd's (video or music) packaging a lot of extras at a fixed disc price, while music services cater for quick access.

If Microsoft steals the idea, it will be coded with WMA, not AAC, and that will end the interchangeability. Better let Apple do the Windows app to insure compatability.

There are two issues. The first is the music industry battle against p2p downloads. On that, I agree with Aganon that this and other floating ideas (like 'weed', which is a paid version of a p2p) will have a difficult future. It's hard to defeat "free, unlimited access, and grass roots".

The second issue is the question of fusion. This is the idea supported by the computer and multimedia industries that music distribution becomes networked and electronically distributed, and your pc or nettop receiver stores data to disc, and pipes music all over the house via your home Lan (ethernet, 1394, whatever). If this idea succeeds, Apple's music service might be one of the early successes, platform specificity aside.

Interesting philosophical point Agonanon, but what example in the history of recorded music can you cite that both emerged and survived on a purely public, non-commercial basis?

DVD-Audio is the format I can think of that attempted to be as universal as the thing permitted, and out of it came an overly complex, confusing, somewhat poorly engineered, and poorly marketed design. What works in the marketplace is something with a singular vision and monetary support, which generally implies a profit motive.

I agree with you about control and freedom, by the way. This is one of the underlying reasons why p2p has so much appeal.

"Rather it is about the conditions of access, use, and distribution, what kinds of conditions -- restrictive or free ("free" as in "free speech" and not as in "free beer") -- apply to these. Imagine if vinyl (or: CD's) could only be played on TT's (or: CDP's) made by XYZ (and associates) but not on any other kind: the horror, the horror"

- Ahha. One week after the vinyl or cd format appears that can only be played on one player, there will appear something called 'licensing', which ensures that everyone for a small fee can produce a similar player which will play that format.

Is it the best format? Not necessarily, but there is a basic point here. There is always a need for standards in order that everyone can make equipment or software or OS's that communicate. Jumping in with your own format is an attempt to preempt the standards process and cash in. Sometimes, not always, it is a good thing. As in my dvd-a example, standards by committee can be problematic. Sony/Philips after all cashed in with the redbook format and did quite well.

I do believe that commercial recording is out of hand in having too much control over artists and music. However the choice of format and OS are insignificant unless they kill the quality of what can be done with music.