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eBay Running Trial for Downloadable Music

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the bidding-for-bands dept.

supersandra writes "Looks like eBay has been inspired by all those millions of iTunes song sales. They're running a six-month test offering downloadable music through authorized sellers, who would have to 'ensure copyright protection for the content and meet service-level agreements.' Also of note, 'music buyers won't be allowed to resell the files on eBay.'"

3 of 165 comments (clear)

  1. Yay! more DRM'ed goodness. Yay! by RLiegh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Seriously, I would never pay for DRM-encrusted windows-only music files; and I don't get why it has taken off as much as it has.

    If you want my money, either give me unemcumbered files; or (if you're an online station) give me a large selection of music that I can pick and choose what individual songs are being streamed to me. Launchcast has a great selection; but if there's a way to pick and choose what you want to hear (instead of "well, you like the ramones, have some greenday") I'll be damned if I can figure out what it is.

  2. What they should do by mfh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Here's what Ebay should do: take mp3.com's formula for indy music and tweak it; auction off download rates for each artist by the number of songs sold, and start with $0 per song, then start slowly charging more and more until the song reaches a cap of say $1.50 USD that goes directly to the artist. Calculate the popularity of the song by the number of purchases, and raise/lower the cost for the audience. This would be a really good model to make money. I would likely forget about selling RIAA titles because they all sound the same to me, per genre. Indy music is the way to go for me.

    --
    The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
  3. This is Crap by teamhasnoi · · Score: 5, Insightful
    First of all - if it is a digital download, shouldn't it be a Dutch Auction (with infinite 'items'). 2nd - Why is there 6+ days to go? A download sale depends on impulse, not the best deal. I can go to iTunes and preview, buy, and listen in the space of a couple of minutes for the same price as this one 6+days from now.

    3rd - "sellers chosen for the pilot have to ensure copyright protection for the content and meet service-level agreements." If I wrote it, it's got copyright protection. That's what copyright does - protects my work when I create it. Or are they talking about some DRM scheme? It's not clear.

    4th- If DRM is required, how does it get put on? Will someone send me a Windows-Only exe to screw with my track? Do I have to send a wav somewhere? Again not clear.

    Ebay. Stick with what you do. Leave the failing at a Digital Music Store to everyone else.