Interesting question, and one that I have thought about quite a bit before.
With online digital access now being so fast and easy, with the distribution costs being low, and the possibility of customizing your music purchases, I think that an online model is the way of the future.
However, I am not sure that the online model will entirely supplant purchases of physical media anytime soon - there are many, including me, who like the sensation of buying an album/cd as it can function as a coherent musical experience as well as offering satisfying design elements, liner notes and heft and 'smell'.
I think the music companies will continue restricting your rights, striking deals with electronics companies to ensure that you cannot play (possibly not even store) music on web-enabled devices like computers or PDAs. Copy protection schemes are already completely out of hand, making it impossible to fairly use your music that you overpaid for. But I think they'll only get worse. Meanwhile, illegal music downloading will reach an all-time high as music prices increase, fair use fades into memory, and broadband internet becomes more and more widespread. At some point, the music industry will realize (long after everyone else realizes) that they have to start treating consumers as "innocent until proven guilty" rather than the other way around in order to sell CDs, and maybe they'll lower prices and try other ways of preventing people from illegally sharing music. One thing they must do is realize that no matter what they do, some people will still download music without paying a cent. And they'll just have to do their best to entice people to buy their music instead of downloading it.
I think there is very little money to be made (in the long run) on audio distribution. Within 20 years, it will be possible for home users to serve up an entire iTMS from their home computers. Bandwidth is the limitting factor. However, I do think there is money to be made in promotion.
Once everyone has the ability to host online stores from their home computers, the challenge will be in distinguishing your product from the competition. Musicians will be able to distribute their music for less than the cost of a single guitar. However, they may have to pay a portal site to get the word out.
dfiler, your thoughts are close to mine. I think distribution is so cheap trying to make money on it is ridiculous. In the future it will all be in the promotion and performance.
And what about the physical medium? I envision science taking audio somewhere beyond compact discs --- perhaps optical solid-state chips or something else like that offers great fidelity, durability and minimal cost.
It's real cheap to press them, and if you keep them well they last indefinitely.
Of course, there's that bit about the way they degrade every time they're played, but as a physical storage medium they're not really all that bad...
They can not be cheaper than ripping to hard drive. Think of the man hours it takes to make vinle and then the storage space needed.
Their justification was hard drives crash. For gods sake the missle codes, credit card numbers, bank accounts are all kept on hard drive and backed to tape or what have you. Those are less crucial than Eminem!
Comments
With online digital access now being so fast and easy, with the distribution costs being low, and the possibility of customizing your music purchases, I think that an online model is the way of the future.
However, I am not sure that the online model will entirely supplant purchases of physical media anytime soon - there are many, including me, who like the sensation of buying an album/cd as it can function as a coherent musical experience as well as offering satisfying design elements, liner notes and heft and 'smell'.
Once everyone has the ability to host online stores from their home computers, the challenge will be in distinguishing your product from the competition. Musicians will be able to distribute their music for less than the cost of a single guitar. However, they may have to pay a portal site to get the word out.
Idiots!
Originally posted by salmonstk
Did you hear the library of congress is archiving all recored music this far on Vinle!! LPS!
Idiots!
It's real cheap to press them, and if you keep them well they last indefinitely.
Of course, there's that bit about the way they degrade every time they're played, but as a physical storage medium they're not really all that bad...
Originally posted by Amorph
It's real cheap to press them, and if you keep them well they last indefinitely.
Of course, there's that bit about the way they degrade every time they're played, but as a physical storage medium they're not really all that bad...
They can not be cheaper than ripping to hard drive. Think of the man hours it takes to make vinle and then the storage space needed.
Their justification was hard drives crash. For gods sake the missle codes, credit card numbers, bank accounts are all kept on hard drive and backed to tape or what have you. Those are less crucial than Eminem!