Slashdot Mirror
MTV Getting into Music Download Business
Pranjal writes "According to this article at Economic Times, MTV is getting into the music download business. MTV chief Tom Freston announced on Monday, the service would debut within the first half of next year. Looks like the online music download business is heating up."
I really do feel bad for the RIAA members (not the RIAA itself). They are stuck having to eventually face the fact that they are 80% of the way to extinction. Can anyone realy imagine a future 50 years down the road where anyone is interested in buying a piece of plastic with music on it?
Yes, storing it in a way that does not rot too fast or get deleted for video game space is valuable, but I see the future retailers of music being the clubs that host musicians. They should strike a deal with the performers that they host to sell the music via a Web site and via a kiosk at the show.
Here's one business model for that:
Club makes USB-fobs that contain the customer's name, credit info (or a key that they look up the credit info in their database with) and email address. The customer goes to a show and likes it, so they walk over to the kiosk and plug in their fob to order the "album" on the way out. The kiosk notes the purchase in the database and sends email to the customer with a link to download the music from the Web site.
Quick, easy, and here's the best part: you don't care about file-swappers because you get the customer at the exact point where they decide they like the music. You don't care if the 5 billion people who never come to your club swap this music around. What you care about is that your club (and the artist who gets a cut) made some extra money from a customer. You win, they win and the band wins.
But, I still feel bad for the labels who are doomed because they can't make a "star" anymore out of some semi-talented performer who they can stick on MTV. Or more to the point, they can make the star, but there's soon going to be no point in terms of selling CDs.
All errors in this comment are mine. Corrections are considered a derivative work, and punishable under copyright law.
I always thought that MTV would get involved more with Launch.com - or in a buyout. Granted, Yahoo bought them out (Launch), but there was plenty of time beforehand.
Between the videos and the radio that they have, it seems like a good spot to them say "want to buy this song/album? click here"
There are some odd things afoot now, in the Villa Straylight.
Music download is all well and good, but I wish this new stack of legit music download services would offer me the video of these songs (if available).
Some bands, Beasti Boys, Super Furries and Moloko jump to mind, really put some effort into their videos. MTV would be well placed to offer this as a USP for a while, probably having better deals and leverage than anyone in that area.
Charge me more or throw it in as an incentive I dont mind - just give me the option!
Of course it's heating up, Apple did it, so now every lame no-vision copycat has to do it also. Same as always, except now it isn't just Microsoft doing it, it is MP3 makers, computer-case designers, and now internet music retailers.
Well I thought they might've been slacking since they are only starting up a magazine (print) and selling mp3 players (electronics) after already cornering the market on useless musical merchandise. Even an ex-Road Rules contestant and ex-FOX News reporter is lead on that new morning show, Cold Pizza, on ESPN2. They are seriously becoming an omni-brand intent on a flat-entertainment experience.
Not like most people would notice any difference...
What is music when you despise all sound?
Oh, great - so now instead of worrying about how my MP3s will sound I have to worry about how they look too??
It'll be interesting to see how long it is before music download services become completely commoditized. They're already dangerously close to that now. The 'goods' they sell are roughly equivalent between services, the breadth of selection, and the restrictiveness of the DRM being the two areas of differentiation I can see.
Don't know how much the RIAA will let these guys loosen up the DRM, and the catalogs look pretty equivalent and will become increasingly so IMO, so all that's left is price.
I'm guessing Amazon will jump in soon as well. They've got the traffic to drive sales, all other things being equal.
It'll be interesting to see where the cost per song/album comes out. iTunes is promoting an upcoming promotion (don't think about that too much) with Pepsi, where some of the prizes are iTunes downloads. I don't know the specifics, but that certainly looks like it holds promise -- advertising subsidized downloads.
No man is an island, but Gary is a city in Indiana.
Like I want to download rap crap. MTV Blows.
I don't know why everyone thinks this is a victory against the RIAA. Really this is a victory for them as well. They are there to support the recording industry, so that they have the ability to charge for the property they so rightfully own. It really doesn't matter how.
RIAA has supported this idea from the start, but as so many of you selectively note the RIAA is not a company. They can not start there own venture, only attempt to stop illegal ones; which is why they should and will continue to shutdown illegal P2P activity.
Due to the lower price of distribution, imports, exports, tariffs etc. this method of providing music should stop the whiners, because now they have access to music at an affordable price, and should have no need for illegal P2P.
So everyone wins. Well everyone who isn't solely driven by greed at least, and will continue to use the substandard illegal P2P programs.
VENI, VIDI, VICI, DIXI
My inlaw's computer is a cesspool of Ad/Spy ware caused by the various crap their 16 year old daughter's downloaded over the past two years. I routinely have to uninstall garbage that she installs just to get past annoying popups.
With all due respect to your family, as well as your personal preferences, this is exactly why I insist on keeping a Mac in my house for my family to use. Multiple accounts under OS X, practically virus-free, they can't install applications outside their own home folder, and I can control exactly what apps they can and can't launch.
Can't play the latest games? Save your allowance and buy a PS2, kids. I bought my first Nintendo with birthday cash; you can, too. Can't use the latest software? Probably just as well; 95% of the stuff that has no Mac equivalent isn't worth using, anyway.
Spyware, IMO, is the second-best argument (after VB viruses) for dumping Windows from the family computer entirely.
There are a zillion places to download music in MP3 (or whatever) form, iTunes being legal to boot.
That niche is being served.
MTV didn't get to where it got by playing music, they got to where they are by playing MUSIC VIDEOS. So put all the videos (particularly the old school stuff) up for purchase as downloads and use a decent codec that doesn't require a spyware laced install on the client.
Damn, I should patent that.
We already have MP3s. Sell us MPGs of the music videos.
This clue brought to you by the number 4 and the letter V.
Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer
--
I sold my iPod on eBay to get a dellPod! The best choice I ever made.
Best Buy can have you arrested
Paying for a candy bar covers:
a) the recipe
b) ingredients
c) packaging
d) shipping and handling
e) display
f) cashier's salary
Paying for an mp3 covers:
a) the recipe
b) bandwidth (a cent at most)
Yes, ninety-nine cents for a copy of a work of art is a total ripoff that's not justified by anything. Also, the fact that the recent Canadian music service used $.99 CAD (about $.75 USD) for the same imaginary product should be a dead give away that the price has nothing to do with their actual costs.
Is this a sigs-optional kind of place? 'Cause I am totally down with that if you know what I mean.