links for 2007-07-05 (plasticbag.org)
Universal have decided not to continue with iTunes under the same terms and will now only use it to sell artists ‘at will’.
Apparently it’s a response to Apple moving away from DRM and it’s a bad move. Strategically, even if you thought DRM was perfect, it would now be time to give up on music as a lost battle and concentrate on video.
RIP Fopp
Well this is sad news. The lovely high-street chain Fopp, well-known for its cut price albums and racks of £5 CDs is closing down. Very depressing.
The two statements are related, that much is obvious. The question is how many customers receive good advice from CD retail clerks these days? Up until about 1997 I could count on several stores having not only a great selection, but clerks that loved music and were knowledgeable. Around 1997 CD retailers seemed to start paying their clerks less and less and I started to get answers like “Is that Jazz or Pop?” when asking for a certain Bach composition… The next question is where we will get good info about music albums in the future?
i think some people (especially the young) will get music info similar to the way i got info when i was growing up: friend recommendations.
other alternatives are music review sites, the good ole billboard charts, artist recommendations, and recommendations via software algorithms, ala iTunes, Amazon, etc. yep, it kinda loses the face to face human element but that’s what’s happening right now and the trend will continue in the near future.
~C
P.S. i think Universal really made a bad move….
I disagree. Those software algorithms have not once worked for me. It’s like planning a really good party… I don’t think software could plan a party as well as a Southern lady would. Just the right mix of people… a few extremes buffered by a number of moderates…
i like Peter Morville’s take on this topic. i agree with him that the solution is not either or but AND.
“How do we make informed decisions in the information age? How do we know enough to ask the right questions? 3 billion web pages. 6 billion people. Who do you ask? Who do you trust? How do you find the best product, the right person, the data that makes a difference?
The answers lie hidden within the strange connections between social software, human psychology, convergent architecture, smart mobs, reputation economies, learning organizations, nanotechnology and literacy.”
here’s an interesting talk by Morville on Google TECH Talks.
~C