|
At last,
the contents of Aardvark's "million-dollar ideas" notebook
are revealed for all to see!
|
|
Just about all of the big-name recording labels have now forged agreements with
digital media companies to (eventually) deliver their content over the Net.
Obviously the success of Napster was a mighty wake-up-call for the recording
companies and now they're looking to sue copyright infringers out of existence
while simultaneously capitalising on the demand it created.
But how realistic are the expectations of the recording industry?
Will internet users really flock to the pay-per-listen and subscription-based
online music services that they're getting ready to launch?
Certainly the music is all reved up and ready to go.
The critical digital rights management software is in place, with Microsoft
and RealNetworks both claiming to have bullet-proof systems that will ensure
the recording companies retain absolute control of their material.
But -- and this is the big unknown -- are the Internet browsing audience
prepared to open their wallets?
Personally I think it all boils down to three factors:
- Quality
- Cost
- Rights
Most people have been prepared to put up with the less than CD-quality of
MP3 to date mainly because they've been getting their music for free (never
look a gift horse... etc). Whether they'll be prepared to accept less than
perfect quality after forking out their hard-earned money remains to be seen.
Of course Microsoft and Real both claim that their new formats offer true
CD (or even better than CD) quality -- so this may not be an issue.
Price could be a crunch-issue. The public aren't stupid -- they know that
music purchased over the Net should be a whole lot cheaper than buying a
CD or cassette tape. There are no transport costs, no retail-store overheads,
no need to clear surplus/old titles at below cost, etc. In fact, two whole
elements of the supply chain can be totally dispensed with -- so prices should
be markedly lower -- if not then people won't buy.
Finally, the issue of rights is also likely to be a thorny one.
Both Microsoft and Real have promoted their copy-protection and time-limited
rights-control systems which hint that the preference might be for people to
rent their music or subscribe to a "service" rather than buy it.
So what's wrong with renting or subscribing to a service -- after all most people
would rather subscribe to Sky TV or rent a video than buy a copy of everything
they're likely to watch right?
Unfortunately music is not like video. How many times can you watch your favourite
movie before it becomes boring? And how many times have you listened to your
favourite piece of music?
No, people like the right to "own" the music they listen to. They love creating
their own personal music collections that allow them to take a trip back in
time by simply reaching into the back of the CD-rack. They also like to
be able to make a backup copy of their favourite album to play in the harsh,
media-unfriendly environment of the car.
Then of course there's the point that seems to have been so widely overlooked
by Real, Microsoft and others:
Who, except a geek, wants to listen to music on a computer???
Am I going to subscribe to a service that only offers me a temporary right
to listen to the music on my computer only?
Hell No! Most people have a nice stereo system in the living room which provides
vastly superior reproduction to their desktop or laptop PC. These people will
want to be able to simply burn a CD that works in that stereo. How do any
of the proposed highly copy-protected systems provide for that when the music
is delivered in a format that prohibits conversion to regular CD formats?
No, I'm sorry, but Microsoft, Real and the recording industries seem to have
been so blinded by the potential that they've forgotten the practicalities.
What they're planning to offer won't fly -- and even now that Napster is
shut down, others such as
AudioGalaxy
will keep popping up to take its place.
But what do you think? Have I gone mad or missed anything?
Submit your comments (marked for publication if
that's your choice).
Aardvark also makes a summary of this daily column available via XML using
the RSS format. More details can be found
here.
= open in new window