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Will Legal P2P Music Distribution Succeed?

Posted by timothy on from the for-long-term-values-of-yes dept.

SnowWolf2003 writes "It looks like a couple of people are trying to find a way to distribute music legally over P2P networks. The latest is Mercora (with more information here). Also Napster 2.0 is due for release sometime next week. Can any of these Windows alternatives to Apple's iTunes compete though with the inherent restrictions built into the wma format? Note MusicMatch has just launched a windows based service with fewer restrictions equivalent to the iTunes policy. More importantly, can these P2P services lure enough people away from restriction free Kazaa to make themselves successful, where P2P networks rely on a large user base?"

3 of 260 comments (clear)

  1. Re:It's simple... by ajensen · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The reason why they would pay is pretty simple, too.

    When you pay for something, you're paying for both the product and the benefits it provides. For example, when you buy software, you get the peace of mind that nobody can haul you off to jail for having it, along with customer support to help you out when it doesn't work.

    If all you're interested in is the product itself, then those benefits might not sound enticing enough. But for the rest of us -- we have enough to worry about. I sure sleep better at night knowing that I don't need a license for my software (except maybe from SCO). I also know that all of my music is paid for.

    -a

  2. Yes, it's simple by theefer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    - Reliance : if you can have reliable services (constant file disponibility, etc)
    - Quality : high bitrate, good encoding
    - Extra services : Album covers, lyrics, bonuses, videos; "If you liked X, why don't you check Y" links between different types of music and bands
    - Wide range of music : propose almost all the existing music, from indie bands to classical music, including live shows, etc
    - Artist friendly : show you are not Evil, people will like it and support you
    - No DRM or alike: hard, but I certainly won't ever buy music if the format is closed or "DRM-controlled"
    etc.

    The Internet has the technical potential to be The Ultimate Media network distribution. People could promote their bands with it, etc.

    We just need people to work on a clean, honest distribution schema and create such a company. This is not gonna be the easy part.

    --
    theefer
  3. There will always be cheaters by Ars-Fartsica · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Even if songs were practically free, there will always be people who can and will skirt the normal distribution methods. Look at cable TV and/or satellite. At some point the industry will concede a margin of loss and move forward - the cost of chasing the cheaters will be greater than the lost revenue.

    But of course we are nowhere near this point yet. The music industry probably needs to spend another three years with it head stuck in the sand and a near death experience on CD sales to see that it needs to change. It will at some point take the obvious route people had been recommending for years, but only when they are the brink of extinction.

    Our economy is filled with cartel-like behavior (OPEC, cable TV, media) that will be very painful to break, the record industry is no different.