The Digital Music Weblog

• Atlantic Monthly : Mp3 = VHS / DRM = Betamax
  

  Filed under: General, DRM, Apple, RIAA, IFPI, BPI, iTunes

  Michael Hirchshorn of The Atlantic Monthly takes a look at Web 2.0 music services and while drawing lines though a connect the dots progression comes up with several gems of inference. The highlight of which is a comparison of Mp3 to DRM "protected" media that contrasts VHS and Betamax, "One next step could be a move by the labels to make more pay-per-download music available without restriction, meaning that once you've purchased a song, you can do anything you want with it, currently a no-go on Zune or iTunes....
  



• Jupiter predicts digital sales through 2011
  

  Filed under: News, RIAA, IFPI, BPI, Napster, eMusic, iTunes, Rhapsody, Zune Marketplace, Yahoo! Music

  Jupiter Research has done some prognosticatin' and come to the conclusion that digital sales are going to keep on growing. In fact, if predictions hold true, digital sales will grow at a compounded rate of 16% per year, to a total of 2.5 billion dollars, or just over 22% of total US consumer spending on music.
  
  Glenn Coolfer astutely observes, "Before you do any math, read a blog post about the survey by Jupiter analyst...
  



• It's really here, the iPhone
  

  Filed under: News, iTunes, Apple

  Yep, it's official. At 9:40am Pacific, Apple's Steve Jobs announced the iPhone, and the newest Apple gadget gave it's tiny little polyphonic birth cry.
  
  Details are still sketchy but, here's what our feet on the street at TUAW have to say in their live blogging of Jobs keynote. No word yet whether the iPhone really does encompass features of the iPod, but one can only hope.
  
  • "These phones all have keyboards that are there whether you need them or not. And they have buttons and controls that can't change if you want to add an idea to the product six...
    
  
  
  
  • A message from the iPod workers union
    

    Filed under: General, iTunes, Apple

    Ever wonder what goes on inside your iPod? If you're like most of us, you simply listen and browse, taking for granted all of thehard work going on deep inside your pocket-sized boredom destroyer.
    
    
    
    
    
    These guys would like to remind you that it's not all fun and games in there. Cranking out tunes and keeping things organized is tough work.
    
    Warning: This video contains not-so-safe-for-work language.. but is overall pretty harmless. Enjoy!

  
  
  
  • Should wholesale prices remain a mystery?
    

    Filed under: News, RIAA, iTunes

    When you spend 99 cents at iTunes, just how much of that buck finds its way to the record label? The short answer is; we don't know for sure. It's long been rumored that the average wholesale price for a digital download is somewhere around 70 cents. We've even used those numbers in our own articles but, to date, no one (aside from the distributors and the labels) knows for sure.
    
    The case of UMG vs. Marie Lindor may change that, at least slightly. The RIAA is refusing to turn over documents conforming the wholesale price of digital downloads unless the defendant's...
    
  
  
  
  • iTunes gives John Hodgman as Christmas gift
    

    Filed under: General, iTunes, Apple

    
    Get it while it's hot. iTunes is offering a free download of John Hodgman's audiobook, "The Areas of My Expertise" until Christmas. You may recognize Hodgman as the "PC Guy" from Apple's recent round of commercials, or from his appearances on The Daily Show.
    
    The book is described as, "a brilliant and hilarious compendium of handy reference tables, fascinating trivia, and sage wisdom on all topics large and small... a different kind of handy desk reference, one in which all of the historical oddities and amazing true facts are sifted through the singular, illuminating imagination of John Hodgman, which is the...
    
  
  
  
  • EA releases Sudoku, Solitare for iPod
    

    Filed under: News, Apple, iTunes

    Just in time for Holiday travel, EA has released two new titles for 5th gen iPods to keep your fingers and brain occupied while the miles fly by beneath you.
    
    iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz writes, "Based on the internationally successful Japanese grid number matching game, Sudoku is a 25.1MB download. Royal Solitaire features "10 of the most popular and well-known versions of Solitaire," including Canfield, Klondike, Peaks, Pyramid, Beleaguered Castle, Aces Up, Yukon, FreeCell, Golf, and Scorpion. A 45.6MB download, it promises to allow you to track your own statistics, and those from "other players around the world.""
    Ok, so it's...
    
  
  
  
  • Recycling digital media
    

    Filed under: News, iTunes, Apple

    One of the biggest gripes about iTunes is the grey definition of "buying" a song. Sure, you paid your 99 cents and now you're be-bopping down the street to the latest from Chingy but, did you really "buy" that tune? In the strictest definition, no. You don't have the ability to resell the song if you tire of listening to it after a few weeks, you'll never be able to recoup even a portion of your 99 cent "investment".
    
    PeerFlix wants to change that, according to PC Magazine. In an interview with PC Magazine, Peerflix's Billy McNair says, "Whether down the...
    
  
  
  
  • Up, down or sideways; What's iTunes deal?
    

    Filed under: News, iTunes, Apple

    Remember that Forrester research report this week which said iTunes was tanking its sales numbers compared to previous figures. What a difference a day makes. This quote sums up why following news about iTunes and research analysts can easily give a person whiplash...
    
    "[W]hile Forrester claimed that iTunes sales were leveling off at roughly 20 songs per iPod, [...] ComScore's research showed that in the first three quarters of the year, revenue on iTunes soared by 84%. In addition, the number of transactions jumped 67%, and the amount spent per transaction was up 10%."
    
    Soared? 84%? That hardly seems like...
    
  
  
  
  • LA Times wakes up, realizes that music biz is changing
    

    Filed under: News, RIAA, IFPI, BPI, eMusic, iTunes

    It's the democratization of the music business, and it's becoming a trend to large to ignore. The LA Times reports on artists who've given up (or never wanted) a major label deal, and are instead finding success online.
    
    "It's nice to have the deep pockets and clout of a major record company. [...] Nonetheless, the Web is turning into a viable alternative with which bands can develop a following and earn some money while still pursuing fame and fortune. Such popular groups as Britain's Arctic Monkeys used the Web extensively before...