 I
think it's safe to say one of the main reasons people buy and use CD burners
(and associated software such as, ahem, SureThing CD Labeler) is to make
their own personal audio CDs. Be it your favorite tracks from CDs you've
purchased, or MP3s you've downloaded from the Internet, burning personal
audio compilations is essentially an industry unto itself. And it's making
some pretty big ripples in the music industry in general. Ten years ago
we relied on cassette tapes to do the same thing (that is, to make our
own compilations), but this didn't have the same effect on the recording
industry because, well, you couldn't really post cassette tapes on the
Internet and share them with millions of others.
From the music industry's perspective, this is a very scary thing. Let's
face it, the Internet and digital audio technology have opened the door
to music piracy on a very large scale. This is probably the single largest
issue the music industry is dealing with today. Unfortunately, they're
several steps behind the technology, and rather than embracing it as an
opportunity to sell products and services in a new way, they're attempting
to control it through legislation.
First, let's take a brief look at what they're doing wrong, and then
take a look at some new Internet-based music services that offer hope
they can correct their mistakes...
Some History
In the pre-Internet, pre-digital audio format world, the record labels
had always maintained a lock on their market because they controlled how
their products were released and distributed, and all the various labels
went about it in exactly the same manner. If you really liked a song and
wanted to listen to it, you had two choices: 1) wait for it to be played
on the radio or TV; or 2) buy the album. For the record industry, an individual
song was never a product per se, because in order to get it, you had to
buy 8-12 other songs along with it. This dilemma has plagued record buyers
since records were invented. Compact Discs, which first appeared on the
market in the early 1980s, didn't change this, nor did they change the
economics involved – you still had to fork over $15 bucks or more,
even if you only wanted a single song. But in 1999, along comes a little
service named Napster, and suddenly the problem is solved: not only do
you not have to buy the other 8-12 songs on a CD that you don't like,
you don't have to buy anything at all. You could find and download just
about any song and pay absolutely nothing for it.
This solution to the problem was doomed from the start. Shortly after
Napster appeared on the Internet, lawyers for the Recording Industry Association
of America went to work. Napster was sued, found guilty of copyright infringement
(quite obviously) and forced into bankruptcy. It was inevitable.
So the music industry took care of Napster (although similar, less centralized
services continue to pop up), but it didn't solve the problem of what
to do when consumers want to buy a single song and not an entire album.
In many ways, it's as if the music industry is ignoring the problem altogether.
The technology for digital delivery is here and music listeners want it,
but the record labels are slow to adapt. It's as if they're more content
to pursue legislation, such as a current bill in Congress – the
Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act – which,
if passed, would require all manufacturers of digital audio and video
players to install piracy detection systems in their units. Such units
could make it impossible to copy CDs or similar media, and the end result
would be to punish people who bought music CDs legally, which, in turn,
would probably promote more piracy.
Where Are We Headed?
What's needed is a fair system that allows consumers to buy individual
songs, delivered digitally over the Internet. If a CD sells for $16, and
you only like one song among eight, would you be willing to pay $2 to
download it immediately? I think most people probably would. Unfortunately,
no such online services exist, but a few services have recently emerged,
and they're headed in the right direction.
MusicNet (www.musicnet.com), for
instance, is a subscription service. For $9.95 a month, you can receive
up to 100 streams (songs you can listen to whenever you want, but can
not save to disk) and download 100 songs. But there's a catch: you must
remain a subscriber to keep your music. In other words, if your subscription
expires, so do your downloads. The current service also does not allow
you to burn CDs of songs you've downloaded (although MusicNet plans to
change this in the near future).
PressPlay (www.pressplay.com)
has two service levels. The basic package (what they call "Unlimited")
is similar to MusicNet's – for $9.95 a month you can listen to as
many streams and downloads as you like, but you can't burn a CD from those
downloads. Also, when your subscription expires, so do your songs. For
$17.95 a month, however, you can subscribe to their Unlimited Plus plan:
unlimited streams and downloads, and the ability to burn 10 songs. This
costs about the same as buying a music CD once a month from a music store
or Amazon, but it does give you the freedom to pick whatever songs you
like. If you choose their Annual Plus program for $179 per year, you can
download and burn 120 songs right off the bat. It still averages out to
10 songs per month, but you have the option of getting them immediately
instead of monthly.
emusic (www.emusic.com) lets you
download (and burn) an unlimited number of songs for $9.99 a month if
you commit to a one year membership (or $14.95 per month for a three-month
commitment). It appears to be the most flexible service because it does
not limit the number of songs you can download and burn, and if there's
a downside to the service, it would be its limited selection. In fact,
it's comprised almost entirely of independent record labels. If your music
tastes are a bit more mainstream or top-40, emusic might not be your best
bet. I recommend checking out their website, however. I was impressed
with what they did have.
What We Should Do
From a consumer's point of view, there is nothing good about the Consumer
Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act (really, nothing), and
I think we should let our duly elected legislators know that. But I also
think we should vote with our dollars and begin to patronize some of the
emerging music services on the web. If the record labels see that there
is money to be made through the sale of music downloads – rather
than just a carte blanche for piracy – they'll pursue it rather
than resist it. We'll do our best to provide you with news about such
services, but if any of you are currently using the services listed above
(or other services), we'd love to hear about your experiences and opinions.
Please drop us a line at editor@surething.com.
| Online
Music in brief... |
MusicNet |
$9.95 per month for 100 streams and 100 downloads.
Currently does not allow you to burn songs you download to CD. |
 |
PressPlay |
$9.95 per month for unlimited streams and downloads
(no burning, however). $17.95 per month for unlimited streams and
downloads and the ability to burn 10 songs (per month). |
|
emusic |
$9.99 per month for unlimited downloads and unlimited
burns if you commit to a one-year membership. Independent record
labels only. |
|
