Digital-music Buyers - Don't be Fools!

I had a good chuckle this morning over an excellent Anti-DRM rant over at CNN.com...(http://hellotxt.com/l/PU5M).
Blogger Chris Pirillo says it like it is - and very succinctly!

Internet Radio is not 'The Future'

http://www.shortlink.in/?39e6r

"We aren't really particularly interested in 'internet only' radios – radios which are only there for streaming – because we still see that as relatively niche the foreseeable future," Pure's marketing director, Colin Crawford told TechRadar.

I couldn't disagree more with the statement above, but obviously Colin is talking specifically about the UK market.... In the U.S., the sky is the limit for this nascent category and I think 2009 is the year Internet Radios (tethered and protable) get legs!

MIDEM Slides

Here are 7 great MIDEM slides from Robert Andrews over at PaidContent. (Viewing them full screen makes it easier to read!)

The survey of 1,300 US, UK and French music fans was conducted by The Leading Question and it found that "streaming music websites, and not paid-track downloads, are the most common means of music consumption for users - meaning more revenue for labels through licensing rather than purchases."

It's too bad though that the labels and the publishers haven't figured out an easier way to do this so that the industry can flourish again :-)

Better Than Free

Here’s a great article by Kevin Kelly (also from WIRED) on his Technium blog called “Better then Free.”  Definitely a must read and it really made me stop and think!

 

“A generative value is a quality or attribute that must be generated, grown, cultivated, and/or nurtured. A generative thing can not be copied, cloned, faked, replicated, counterfeited, or reproduced. It is generated uniquely, in place, over time. In the digital arena, generative qualities add value to free copies, and therefore are something that can be sold.”

 

Eight Generatives Better Than Free:

 

• Immediacy
• Personalization
• Interpretation
• Authenticity
• Accessibility
• Embodiment
• Patronage
• Findability

 

TargetSpot Adds Eight Radio Groups

TargetSpot has added eight more radio groups to its growing Internet radio advertising network. With these latest additions, TargetSpot represents websites of more than 1,000 radio stations, both terrestrial and online-only....

New Trade Organization Launches for Internet Radio!

Well, it’s now official. The Internet Media Device Alliance (IMDA) just announced its plans to hold their first General Assembly meeting at CES on Jan. 9 at the MGM. According to the website’s mission statement at www.IMDAlliance.org, “The IMDA has been formed with the aim of developing and promoting a set of open, interoperable standards and device profiles in order to maximize the growth of a global consumer market in Internet-connected media devices”. This can only be a good thing as the internet media and device market has been growing in many directions with no clear path or consensus. I'm overly optimistic that enough of the right people and companies will sign up so that it will be a successful venture, as 'Internet Radio' itself as a category seems to be gaining incredible momentum with consumers and will grow faster with some collective guidance.

DISCLAIMER: I’m honored to have been a member of the original Steering Committee and look forward to much progress with respect to interoperability and infinite choice for content. (It’s also worth mentioning that I’m on the Product Development team for the RCA and Acoustic Research Infinite Radios.)

How Much Is Online Radio Advertising Worth?

According to eMarketer, the size of the Internet radio ad market is approximately $500 million, but I guess that depends on who you talk to.  TargetSpot, the only independent company I know of exclusively specializing in online radio ads, seems to be in a great position as this new medium takes off!

Selling Songs Through Games

Apparently, Microsoft is currently selling ~3.8 million songs per month through X-Box Live, mostly from Rock Band & Guitar Hero.  So, if we round up a little and allow for a little growth, that's almost 50 million a year in new revenues - not too shabby!!  Now if you could only move them to your favorite device, they might be onto something :-)

AOL Video Uploads to Close on Dec. 18, 2008

Another one bites the dust!

Dear AOL Video Uploads User,

We’re writing to inform you that the AOL Video Uploads site is no longer accepting new video uploads and will close on Dec. 18, 2008. We hope that this does not cause you an inconvenience.

The good news is that we can help you move your existing videos to Motionbox in a few, simple clicks. Motionbox is a free service that makes it easy to upload, store and share personal videos, and supports all of the features you enjoy with AOL Video Uploads -- including fast and reliable uploads, secure sharing, high quality video playback and more. To transfer your videos to Motionbox, all you need to do is click on the “transfer” button next to each video on the My Uploads page and follow the instructions.

If you want to download, delete or transfer your files to Motionbox or another site, you must go to the My Uploads page to take action before December 18, 2008. After that date, you will no longer be able to access your videos through the AOL Video Uploads site (also know as uncutvideo.com).

For more details please see our FAQs.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make this transition.

Sincerely,

AOL Video Uploads Team

 

 

The Problem With Music

Here’s a great article [sad but very true] by Steve Albini called “The Problem With Music.”   While it’s a little dated, the process is pretty much the same or even worse – given all the new artist 360 deals….

Some Rare Good News...

At least there's some good news in tech. Twitter just hit 1 billion tweets. "If anyone ever needed a clear sign that Twitter has gone mainstream—however you define it—this milestone is it," says Mashable.  However, I don't know how this currently translates into tangible profits...?

Recent Findings from Nielsen’s TV/Internet Convergence Panel

"The Nielsen Company's new TV/Internet Convergence Panel, which electronically measures both television and Internet usage in the same homes, has found that television viewing and online video streaming are complementary activities. According to the convergence panel, the heaviest users of the Internet are also among the heaviest viewers of television: the top fifth of Internet users spend more than 250 minutes per day watching television, compared to 220 minutes of television viewing by people who do not use the Internet at all."

• Nearly 31% of in-home Internet activity takes place while the user is watching television, demonstrating that there is a significant amount of simultaneous Internet and television usage.
  
  
• Roughly 50% of the Convergence Panel panelists had viewed some streaming content online. The demos streaming the most included Female Teens (82%), Male Teens (64%), Men 18-34 (57%) and Men 35-54 (55%).
  
  
• Nearly 60% of panelists and more than 80% of people who watched TV and used the Internet that month had simultaneous sessions - watching TV and being online at the same minute. This group tends to be very heavy users of both TV and Internet.
  
  
• Teens are the most likely demographic to have simultaneous TV/Internet usage, but Adults 35-54 have the most simultaneous usage minutes.

Quote of the Day

“At the end of the day most people listen to a max of 4 radio stations for 95% of the time.”

  - John Ousby, BBC

Questionable Research

According to a recent online study from Paragon Research polling more than four hundred 14-24-year-olds about their music-consumption habits,  "The youth demo has increased its time spent listening to radio 11% this year, while its time spent listening to iPods has actually decreased 13%."....Sorry, but I just don't buy it!

NEW RESEARCH: Ipsos’ TEMPO Digital Music Brandscape

The 5th annual study shows emerging changes for the US music business...but why no mention of eMusic, which is the #2 download store in America?