Maybe if broadband companies promoted a special "WalMart" package that featured a home page made up of fake tits, car customization sites, monster truck rally reporting and links to country-kitchen thrift store auctions on eBay, that might spur some additional adoption in rural America...
Another reason for the lack of mass broadband acceptance in America is frankly, a lack of a market. There's a lot of average-joe-computer-users who don't see an every-day benefit of broadband. They don't do anything on the web other than IM, Email, check a few websites. These are the people for whom the concept of uploading a digital photo to a web site is mind blowing. Forget about Warcraft III or video on demand. I don't see any of these people interested in broadband, and frankly, I can't blame them. Why spend money on something you *think* you won't use?
People in this boat might be technophobes, maybe they got burned on Yahoo! stock and are pissed off, maybe they're afraid of viruses, maybe they are just cheap bastards. But ultimately it all comes down to a classic chicken and egg problem. People aren't going to sign up in droves until there's the content, and because of the.com implosion there aren't any companies doing wild and crazy stuff on the web that's attracting people. It's probably going to take a massive investment by the tech / telecom companies to decide this is worth it, to subsidize the cost of broadband for a while and bring it down to the 10-25 bucks a month making it competitive or cheaper than dial up. And unfortunately in today's shitty tech economy, it's going to be a few years before this happens...
The best project I did in the past year was rip my whole CD collection as you did, into mp3 and it's on the computer. I then turned around and sold a whole bunch of CDs used (all the ones with only 1-2 good songs on 'em) and pocketed a bunch of extra cash. I really don't care if I don't have the physical cds for those albums anymore. The rest are all in storage.
I think at this point, I really don't see any reason to buy anymore cds. Right now I've got the equivalent of a radio station with a playlist that will take a week to churn through if I left it on shuffle for days straight.
At this point, I'm through with record stores and CDs. I won't be buying any more music until I can download 'em for a reasonable price.
"If you can't find CDs with more than one good song on them, then you're probably either shopping in the wrong section, or not looking hard enough."
Or, you don't have very high standards.
I don't listen to a cd on repeat... I rip the cd into mp3s and play the songs I like. So I would just not rip the "trailer" track.
If you're a movie buff a lot of the extra content is really interesting... director comments, outtakes, etc. I would argue it adds a great deal of value if you're a real fan of the music / movie. For example, Radiohead makes some cool videos and multimedia content that I'd love to see on their cds.
I'm not saying they are similar media, what I'm trying to address is the fact that I don't think the content that's on CDs now is worth 14 bucks. And since it's doubtful the musical content is going to get any better, or the music industry is serious about lowering prices to 7 bucks a CD, I just think they oughta put more value on the CD, or try a combination of tactics. Because as it is now, CDs are seen by many as overpriced if not a rip off.
My comfort level for a cd price (as I've mentioned on/. before) is about 7 bucks a cd. At that price,(less than a movie ticket) the convenience of getting a cd is easier than finding the download, and if there are 8 crappy songs on the cd, I don't care. 14 bucks to me is overpriced.
I don't think this is extortion because I don't literally make demands on buying a cd. I don't pirate over the web either. I just do without. Just like I do without a BMW. I think I've bought maybe 2 cds in the past 4 years.
I've noticed a similar situation happening with print media. I used to subscribe to several news magazines and the newspaper. Until I realized, a lot of magazine websites offer the same content for free online. In addition, I also realized I didn't read any magazine cover to cover. I would usually only read a handful of articles anyways. So I've cancelled all my magazine subscriptions, and the newspaper, and now I read everything online if at all. I hear print magazines / newspaper subscriptions are going down. Gee, I wonder why.
Prices will have to fall eventually because as it stands, I'd rather go see a movie in the theater or buy a DVD than a new cd. Eventually I trust the free market will sort it out. And that is not extortion. That's technology undermining an established business that refuses to change with the times.
out of all the CDs you mention I would not pay full price for any of them. And I have heard many of them. I borrowed several from friends and ripped the tracks.
For many artists the way I feel is simple: If you have their best album, frankly, there isn't much point in getting the others. Beck's best IMHO is Odelay, Radiohead, OK Comptuer, I'm sorry, but artists just don't "change" enough to warrant me buying a whole new album when half of those songs frankly, sound like songs I already own.
I think many artists only have one or two great albums in them, if they are any good to begin with. Radiohead and Beck may have already jumped the shark. And I don't know why I'd buy an Elliot Smith if I already have a Badly Drawn Boy.
It's quite possible a very large and dramatic culling of the music biz would do the industry wonders. We need more people who are serious about music to the point where they don't care about album sales and are willing to come up with a large body of work that MATURES over time. Radiohead or Beck are the closest I can think of to artists that have longevity that are worth paying attention to. And as I've already stated, I don't think they're even that interesting.
I can name several films in the past two or three years alone that I consider classic films, that I would watch over and over and are well worth the 20 bucks tops to get on DVD: Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Pixar movies, etc.
Out of all the music released in the past three years, I honestly cannot name a single CD I can say the same for. Seriously. The music these days is pure chewing gum. Single songs, maybe. A big maybe. But whole albums? None.
I don't think I'm alone in recognizing this total pure crap ola level of quality in the music biz.
Now I'm paranoid. Any research being done on WiFi lap tops... ? Them being "lap tops" I'm wondering if any particular "manly" parts of my body have been microwaved beyond functionality.
Seems like Sun is quite similar to Apple. I believe they almost merged at one time. Having used Solaris it sure would be sweet if Sun slapped OSX on their machines... ah I guess that's just a fantasy. Seems like the ego of Mr. McNealy wouldn't allow it...
one problem I see with micropayments is crowd psychology. if someone's car breaks down on a deserted road, it's quite likely someone will stop to help them. If the same car is on a busy highway, it's actually less likely... because all the driver's by figure someone else will be stopping any time now. The end result is, sadly, it takes longer for someone to pull over and help said person, or said person has to fend for themselves.
How does this apply to micropayments... well since something is on the net, people assume "someone else" is going to pay for it, so why the heck should I? If I can't get it for free at the source, heck, sooner or later someone will copy / paste it on/. or summarize it in their blog and I'll get access to it. So I think the end result is, stuff gets pilfered and nobody pays for it because of this crowd mentality.
Lastly I think it boggles the minds of some, but a lot of free content I find to be more interesting and entertaining than the paid stuff. And people do produce lots of neat stuff FOR NO MONEY. Don't ask me why, they just do.
I got more cheap entertainment from the Star Wars Kid than Scott McCloud's latest comic, that's for darned sure.
Yeah social security # is used as an id # at a lot of colleges and financial institutions. That's just asking for trouble. But the most ridiculous use is states (which will go unmentioned) that use your SS as the driver's license #. I think a lot of states stopped doing this, but it's really ridiculous because most people have their driver's license with them at all times. So you leave your SS card at home, but hey, your SS# is on your driver's liscence. All it takes is one pick pocket or even a bartender, check recipient, retail store asking to see your ID and you've just shown them your SS#...
Apple probably figured the cost was worth it
on
Beatles Bite Apple
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· Score: 1
I don't think Apple is so dumb they didn't know this was going to happen. They probably figured the success of the iPod and iTunes would make them enough money so they could pay off Apple Corps for whatever lawsuit incurred and then some. Seeings how the fines in the past were in the tens of millions I would guestimate Apple Computer stands to make several times that amount and then some in the future.
The problem would be if Apple Corps is not willing to settle for a flat fee. Like if they wanted a royalty % from every Apple music related sale from here until the end of time.
I've met people that don't buy things over the web. Because they are scared of their credit cards being hi-jacked. Or they don't have a credit card. Or they say something about wanting to "touch it and look at it" before they buy whatever "it" is. I know, you don't believe it. But there are many of these people out there.
My ideal price for a cd is 7 bucks. That's as high as I'll go. A CD is 20 year old technology. Why haven't lower prices kicked in? The cost of a movie ticket is between 7 - 10 bucks. Have to make the price of a CD competitive with that if you want me to buy more CDs.
Most people I know have broadband but some don't. Here's some observations as to why and some suggestions as to what needs to happen for broadband to become more widely accepted:
Needs to have a clear value. Content is part of this. There simply isn't any broadband equivalent of "Sex in the City" for many people to think it's worth paying more than what they already pay for a modem. So either the price needs to come way down, where it's no big deal, or there has to be more compelling content. Yeah, I know, there's lots of music and video out there, but for the average joe user who is not into pirating there's too much of a learning curve to get into piracy compared to just switching on a TV. Also related to this are the people who don't use the internet much in any case. All they do is email and look at a few websites, maybe once or twice a week if that. These people have no use for broadband and need to get into something the web has to offer before they'd consider it.
Ease of set up. You buy a computer and they all have a modem bundled with and an AOL plan for software. There are a lot of people out there who simply won't consider broadband until it's bundled with the computer. I know you do not believe me, but there are people who's eyes glaze over with the thought of installing a cable / DSL modem. Don't even scare them with the network idea. Wireless would blow their minds and curdle their spinal fluid.
Availability. There are parts of the country that still don't get cellphone service. Fat chance getting any reasonable broadband dial up.
I can think of some possibly evil solutions to these problems. First off, if web designers could band together and be assholes, they could just design sites with broadband in mind. Eventually people with modems will get sick of the long download times and be forced to upgrade. I mean, hey, software developers do that all the time, right? When a program runs slow, people just have to upgrade their computers. Maybe this upgrade cycle needs to be forced on web bandwidth.
Next, compelling content: one of the most compelling I've seen recently is iChat AV. Open this up to AOL IM users, and let the jealousy factor kick in. How fast do you think some of these stick in the mud users would upgrade if they realize, they aren't being included in the videophone conferences with toddler cousin junior because their web connection is too slow?
I am on the net far too much for my own good. If I tied up the phone via modem, nobody would be able to reach me.
Work. Sending 50 - 100mb graphics files on a weekly basis pays for itself after the first couple uploads / downloads. That would take hours via modem, and a day if shipped even UPS. Also, updating web sites, uploading files, backing up entire websites, would take forever.
Music files. Sending mp3s is great for low quality. Try doing a mutitrack session with AIFF files to a collaborator... yep, 100mb +. Broadband essential.
Always on connection: priceless. More and more stuff installed on my desktop is taking advantage of the always on broadband... little weather checkers, time servers, mp3 album covers being pulled down on the fly, none of this stuff would be half as cool if one had to wait 30 seconds for the modem to dial up each time info was needed.
Games. Battle Net sucks on modem.
Software updates. Takes too long to download via modem.
Slashdot Mirror
Maybe if broadband companies promoted a special "WalMart" package that featured a home page made up of fake tits, car customization sites, monster truck rally reporting and links to country-kitchen thrift store auctions on eBay, that might spur some additional adoption in rural America...
Another reason for the lack of mass broadband acceptance in America is frankly, a lack of a market. There's a lot of average-joe-computer-users who don't see an every-day benefit of broadband. They don't do anything on the web other than IM, Email, check a few websites. These are the people for whom the concept of uploading a digital photo to a web site is mind blowing. Forget about Warcraft III or video on demand. I don't see any of these people interested in broadband, and frankly, I can't blame them. Why spend money on something you *think* you won't use?
People in this boat might be technophobes, maybe they got burned on Yahoo! stock and are pissed off, maybe they're afraid of viruses, maybe they are just cheap bastards. But ultimately it all comes down to a classic chicken and egg problem. People aren't going to sign up in droves until there's the content, and because of the .com implosion there aren't any companies doing wild and crazy stuff on the web that's attracting people. It's probably going to take a massive investment by the tech / telecom companies to decide this is worth it, to subsidize the cost of broadband for a while and bring it down to the 10-25 bucks a month making it competitive or cheaper than dial up. And unfortunately in today's shitty tech economy, it's going to be a few years before this happens...
The best project I did in the past year was rip my whole CD collection as you did, into mp3 and it's on the computer. I then turned around and sold a whole bunch of CDs used (all the ones with only 1-2 good songs on 'em) and pocketed a bunch of extra cash. I really don't care if I don't have the physical cds for those albums anymore. The rest are all in storage.
I think at this point, I really don't see any reason to buy anymore cds. Right now I've got the equivalent of a radio station with a playlist that will take a week to churn through if I left it on shuffle for days straight.
At this point, I'm through with record stores and CDs. I won't be buying any more music until I can download 'em for a reasonable price.
"If you can't find CDs with more than one good song on them, then you're probably either shopping in the wrong section, or not looking hard enough." Or, you don't have very high standards.
Sometimes I wonder: if there's music out there that is "great" why do I have to work so hard in order to find it?
I don't listen to a cd on repeat ... I rip the cd into mp3s and play the songs I like. So I would just not rip the "trailer" track.
If you're a movie buff a lot of the extra content is really interesting ... director comments, outtakes, etc. I would argue it adds a great deal of value if you're a real fan of the music / movie. For example, Radiohead makes some cool videos and multimedia content that I'd love to see on their cds.
I'm not saying they are similar media, what I'm trying to address is the fact that I don't think the content that's on CDs now is worth 14 bucks. And since it's doubtful the musical content is going to get any better, or the music industry is serious about lowering prices to 7 bucks a CD, I just think they oughta put more value on the CD, or try a combination of tactics. Because as it is now, CDs are seen by many as overpriced if not a rip off.
My comfort level for a cd price (as I've mentioned on /. before) is about 7 bucks a cd. At that price,(less than a movie ticket) the convenience of getting a cd is easier than finding the download, and if there are 8 crappy songs on the cd, I don't care. 14 bucks to me is overpriced.
I don't think this is extortion because I don't literally make demands on buying a cd. I don't pirate over the web either. I just do without. Just like I do without a BMW. I think I've bought maybe 2 cds in the past 4 years.
I've noticed a similar situation happening with print media. I used to subscribe to several news magazines and the newspaper. Until I realized, a lot of magazine websites offer the same content for free online. In addition, I also realized I didn't read any magazine cover to cover. I would usually only read a handful of articles anyways. So I've cancelled all my magazine subscriptions, and the newspaper, and now I read everything online if at all. I hear print magazines / newspaper subscriptions are going down. Gee, I wonder why.
Prices will have to fall eventually because as it stands, I'd rather go see a movie in the theater or buy a DVD than a new cd. Eventually I trust the free market will sort it out. And that is not extortion. That's technology undermining an established business that refuses to change with the times.
If I could buy an artist's entire output on one CD in mp3 format for 15 I'd do the same.
Maybe if CDs were more like DVDs more people would buy them. For example:
Slap some extra tracks, out-takes, alternate versions, remixes on the cd.
Stick some multimedia content on 'em: music videos, band interviews, behind the scenes making of, tour videos, live video.
Stick some "trailers" as the first track of every cd: some sample songs from other artists on the same label with releases coming out soon.
I don't think any of this content would jack up the price to make a cd in the least.
I've heard many of the artists on that list, the others I might go check out. Thanks.
out of all the CDs you mention I would not pay full price for any of them. And I have heard many of them. I borrowed several from friends and ripped the tracks.
For many artists the way I feel is simple: If you have their best album, frankly, there isn't much point in getting the others. Beck's best IMHO is Odelay, Radiohead, OK Comptuer, I'm sorry, but artists just don't "change" enough to warrant me buying a whole new album when half of those songs frankly, sound like songs I already own.
I think many artists only have one or two great albums in them, if they are any good to begin with. Radiohead and Beck may have already jumped the shark. And I don't know why I'd buy an Elliot Smith if I already have a Badly Drawn Boy.
It's quite possible a very large and dramatic culling of the music biz would do the industry wonders. We need more people who are serious about music to the point where they don't care about album sales and are willing to come up with a large body of work that MATURES over time. Radiohead or Beck are the closest I can think of to artists that have longevity that are worth paying attention to. And as I've already stated, I don't think they're even that interesting.
Name some of these brilliant albums and I'll tell you if I'd buy em. I'll even listen to them.
I can name several films in the past two or three years alone that I consider classic films, that I would watch over and over and are well worth the 20 bucks tops to get on DVD: Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Pixar movies, etc.
Out of all the music released in the past three years, I honestly cannot name a single CD I can say the same for. Seriously. The music these days is pure chewing gum. Single songs, maybe. A big maybe. But whole albums? None.
I don't think I'm alone in recognizing this total pure crap ola level of quality in the music biz.
Now I'm paranoid. Any research being done on WiFi lap tops ... ? Them being "lap tops" I'm wondering if any particular "manly" parts of my body have been microwaved beyond functionality.
Seems like Sun is quite similar to Apple. I believe they almost merged at one time. Having used Solaris it sure would be sweet if Sun slapped OSX on their machines ... ah I guess that's just a fantasy. Seems like the ego of Mr. McNealy wouldn't allow it ...
one problem I see with micropayments is crowd psychology. if someone's car breaks down on a deserted road, it's quite likely someone will stop to help them. If the same car is on a busy highway, it's actually less likely ... because all the driver's by figure someone else will be stopping any time now. The end result is, sadly, it takes longer for someone to pull over and help said person, or said person has to fend for themselves.
How does this apply to micropayments ... well since something is on the net, people assume "someone else" is going to pay for it, so why the heck should I? If I can't get it for free at the source, heck, sooner or later someone will copy / paste it on /. or summarize it in their blog and I'll get access to it. So I think the end result is, stuff gets pilfered and nobody pays for it because of this crowd mentality.
Lastly I think it boggles the minds of some, but a lot of free content I find to be more interesting and entertaining than the paid stuff. And people do produce lots of neat stuff FOR NO MONEY. Don't ask me why, they just do.
I got more cheap entertainment from the Star Wars Kid than Scott McCloud's latest comic, that's for darned sure.
The eighties book : american psycho, the author was Bret Easton Ellis The gal singing is Janis Joplin
Rene Magritte did the pipe painting.
Yeah social security # is used as an id # at a lot of colleges and financial institutions. That's just asking for trouble. But the most ridiculous use is states (which will go unmentioned) that use your SS as the driver's license #. I think a lot of states stopped doing this, but it's really ridiculous because most people have their driver's license with them at all times. So you leave your SS card at home, but hey, your SS# is on your driver's liscence. All it takes is one pick pocket or even a bartender, check recipient, retail store asking to see your ID and you've just shown them your SS# ...
I don't think Apple is so dumb they didn't know this was going to happen. They probably figured the success of the iPod and iTunes would make them enough money so they could pay off Apple Corps for whatever lawsuit incurred and then some. Seeings how the fines in the past were in the tens of millions I would guestimate Apple Computer stands to make several times that amount and then some in the future.
The problem would be if Apple Corps is not willing to settle for a flat fee. Like if they wanted a royalty % from every Apple music related sale from here until the end of time.
I've met people that don't buy things over the web. Because they are scared of their credit cards being hi-jacked. Or they don't have a credit card. Or they say something about wanting to "touch it and look at it" before they buy whatever "it" is. I know, you don't believe it. But there are many of these people out there.
My ideal price for a cd is 7 bucks. That's as high as I'll go. A CD is 20 year old technology. Why haven't lower prices kicked in? The cost of a movie ticket is between 7 - 10 bucks. Have to make the price of a CD competitive with that if you want me to buy more CDs.
Most people I know have broadband but some don't. Here's some observations as to why and some suggestions as to what needs to happen for broadband to become more widely accepted:
Needs to have a clear value. Content is part of this. There simply isn't any broadband equivalent of "Sex in the City" for many people to think it's worth paying more than what they already pay for a modem. So either the price needs to come way down, where it's no big deal, or there has to be more compelling content. Yeah, I know, there's lots of music and video out there, but for the average joe user who is not into pirating there's too much of a learning curve to get into piracy compared to just switching on a TV. Also related to this are the people who don't use the internet much in any case. All they do is email and look at a few websites, maybe once or twice a week if that. These people have no use for broadband and need to get into something the web has to offer before they'd consider it.
Ease of set up. You buy a computer and they all have a modem bundled with and an AOL plan for software. There are a lot of people out there who simply won't consider broadband until it's bundled with the computer. I know you do not believe me, but there are people who's eyes glaze over with the thought of installing a cable / DSL modem. Don't even scare them with the network idea. Wireless would blow their minds and curdle their spinal fluid.
Availability. There are parts of the country that still don't get cellphone service. Fat chance getting any reasonable broadband dial up.
I can think of some possibly evil solutions to these problems. First off, if web designers could band together and be assholes, they could just design sites with broadband in mind. Eventually people with modems will get sick of the long download times and be forced to upgrade. I mean, hey, software developers do that all the time, right? When a program runs slow, people just have to upgrade their computers. Maybe this upgrade cycle needs to be forced on web bandwidth.
Next, compelling content: one of the most compelling I've seen recently is iChat AV. Open this up to AOL IM users, and let the jealousy factor kick in. How fast do you think some of these stick in the mud users would upgrade if they realize, they aren't being included in the videophone conferences with toddler cousin junior because their web connection is too slow?
Here's my list:
I am on the net far too much for my own good. If I tied up the phone via modem, nobody would be able to reach me.
Work. Sending 50 - 100mb graphics files on a weekly basis pays for itself after the first couple uploads / downloads. That would take hours via modem, and a day if shipped even UPS. Also, updating web sites, uploading files, backing up entire websites, would take forever.
Music files. Sending mp3s is great for low quality. Try doing a mutitrack session with AIFF files to a collaborator ... yep, 100mb +. Broadband essential.
Always on connection: priceless. More and more stuff installed on my desktop is taking advantage of the always on broadband ... little weather checkers, time servers, mp3 album covers being pulled down on the fly, none of this stuff would be half as cool if one had to wait 30 seconds for the modem to dial up each time info was needed.
Games. Battle Net sucks on modem.
Software updates. Takes too long to download via modem.
I just don't have time for a modem.
I agree, if all you do on the web is check email, look at a few websites, maybe IM a bit then hey, you don't need broadband.