Subscription iTunes Coming?

A report in the Financial Times and picked up in places like CNet has Apple working on a subscription music plan similar to Universal's Total Music where consumers would pay a premium when purchasing a device for unlimited access to the iTunes catalog. If this is true, it can't come soon enough for the labels and it would breath new life into online music sales. Lots of questions to answer and details to be worked out, but we may finally be at the point where subscription music is embraced by the mass market. Hopefully Apple will recognize the incredible potential that combining subscription music with social media, Web 2.0, widgets, etc will create for their business and do this right.

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Pioneers and Arrows - Someone Has To Lead

In an interview with CNET, Trent Reznor talks about the web release of his collaboration with musician Saul Williams on the album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust.

He is clearly disappointed with the overall sales figures, having thought more consumers would choose to purchase the release instead of downloading it for free. But he shouldn't be so hard on himself. In taking this innovative approach, he is one of the more notable among a growing group willing to challenge the music distribution establishment. Ever heard the saying "You can tell the pioneers. They're the ones with the arrows in their backs"?

Radiohead, much more widely known and popular than Saul Williams, who released In Rainbows online last fall, viewed the release as an experiment rather than a complete change in philosophy. Ultimate sales success did not depend on the online distribution channel alone. Radiohead planned a limited-time online release followed by a traditional CD release. With In Rainbows topping the charts last week and direct download sales being viewed as "successful" (whatever that means since Radiohead have not released figures), Radiohead have paved the way for other artists to take similar approaches.

Given Radiohead's popularity and reach, it's no wonder the release of In Rainbows gained so much attention. Each new album release by the band is highly anticipated, with word of mouth and viral marketing doing much of the heavy promotional lifting. This undoubtedly contributed to Radiohead's online sales success. Saul Williams, on the other hand, would likely need much more traditional marketing to get the word out.

Perhaps, as Reznor suggests, an "ISP tax" (and please CNET, get the quote right. He did not say 'tax on music' as your headline suggests. That's an entirely different thing.) could help to dissuade some from using file sharing services. But this won't solve the problem. It would, however, be another option for consumers who are interested in paying for music.

True, the genie is out of the bottle with consumers looking to get their music for free, but at this point that has to be viewed as a cost of doing business. We need innovators like Trent Reznor, Saul Williams and Radiohead to take some risks, experiment, and see what works. These challenges to the status quo may be difficult for the individual artist and, viewed in isolation, some may not succeed. But for the music industry as a whole to move forward, someone has to start. Let's applaud these guys for having the guts to lead the way.

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The DRM-Free Music Ground Swell

First the "File Sharers", then Steve Jobs, Universal, EMI, Rhapsody, Amazon and even Wal Mart, and of course Radiohead. Now, PaidContent has a story about UK retailers demanding the labels drop DRM by Christmas.

Let's stop the madness. A la carte music stores have become a confusing mess of DRM and DRM-free tracks, and I suspect that most consumers do not understand the options, differences and consequences of their digital music purchases.

2007 has become the year of the DRM-free music ground swell. However, all this attention has yet to translate into clear DRM-free purchase options for the majority of music at major online retail stores.

Enough of this half-in, half-out tip toeing already. Consumers, retailers, device manufacturers and (most) labels have expressed the desire for, and even taken steps toward, restriction-free music. Now it's time for the labels to fish or cut bait.

Let's hope that 2008 is the year they finally decide to fish.

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Everything Old is New Again

I recently brought out of exile a couple gadgets that I had sent to the island of unused and broken toys and nearly forgotten about. Along the way, I realized that there is a useful time and place for everything, it just may not be when you expect.

Back in the '90s, a friend showed me this cool indoor/outdoor speaker. It was made by a company called Recoton, had a wireless transmitter that connected to his stereo, and beamed music out to his deck where the white dome-like speaker was located. I was impressed by the quality of sound this single speaker produced and intrigued by the possibilities of listening to my CD collection anywhere inside or outside my house. So I bought one too.

The only problem - my wife hated the way it looked and dubbed it "the mushroom". We used it a few times but it never really caught on, so into the closet it went. For 10 years.

Fast forward. Our family has grown and we have outdoor gatherings frequently in the summer. I have needed music on several occasions for birthday parties or just background music. The mushroom has always been in the back of my mind so I decided the time was finally right to put it to good use. It still works great after so many years in exile, the only difference now is that instead of hooking it up to my CD player, which I no longer need nor own, I use my portable media player. It's the ultimate in ultraportable music.

My other recent rediscovery is my Creative Zen Micro. I got this when it was first introduced (2004, I believe) and used it quite a bit. After a while, though, the sound began to cut out due to a loose audio connection and it became unusable. So into the closet it went. And I moved on to other devices.

I recently began running and have been looking for a good quality, small device that would work with my subscription music service to give me a nice variety of tunes while I am out. After trying a few devices, I realized I had the perfect thing under my nose all along. The only question was how to fix the audio problem.

Surprisingly, I found that the loose audio jack has plagued this device and many people have complained about it online. Though Creative has not addressed it, several individuals have. So I contacted a guy called "Zen Master", sent him my device, some money, and of course my trust, and a week later I received a fully restored Zen Micro.

I'm now using this great device more than ever.

The right gadgets in an unexpected place and time. Everything old is new again.