-
Comes With Music Not Coming Here So Fast
September 4, 2009
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
"These [music subscription] services that are out there now are going to fail. Music Net's gonna fail, Press Play's gonna fail. Here's why: People don't want to buy their music as a subscription. They bought 45s; then they bought LPs; then they bought cassettes; then they bought 8-tracks; then they bought CDs. They're going to want to buy downloads. People want to own their music. You don't want to rent your music -- and then, one day, if you stop paying, all your music goes away."
-- Apple's Steve Jobs in a 2003 Rolling Stone Interview.This week an article in Forbes reported that giant phone maker Nokia has delayed the U.S. launch of its Comes With Music service until 2010. There's a lot of spin already out about why the delay is happening, but one reason could be because it hasn't achieved the kind of success across the pond in England that was anticipated. It also seems that the service is having problems as it fights against Spotify's mobile application. (Source: http://tinyurl.com/kjol9u )
It's too soon to draw a conclusion as to whether the outcome will be better for Comes With Music, but again, I am of the opinion (like Steve Jobs) that subscription services won't fly in the end.
I read the news about Comes With Music's delay and it immediately brought to mind the commentary I wrote back in March of 2008 about subscription services and why I don't think they will ever work. I thought it time to once again give those reasons since there are still those who hope that these services might someday take hold.
"I've always had a problem with any type of subscription service. Maybe it's a throwback to those days when students rang your doorbell and told you how much money you were going to save by buying multiple magazine subscriptions from them. It was so damn easy to sign up, but incredibly hard to stop those subscriptions once you started. I think I'm still getting Time magazine from a subscription I purchased over 30 years ago. I tried to cancel my subscription well over a decade ago, and I stopped paying for it at the same time, but the magazine still comes.
Why the music subscription idea is now being resurrected by labels -- SonyBMG is reportedly launching a digital music subscription service that will offer unlimited access to the music label's catalog across a wide selection of devices, including Apple's iPod, for a flat-rate; subscription plans that would charge customers between $9 and $12 monthly -- I have no idea. Maybe it's because labels are at the point where they will try anything to generate some revenues. But now it seems that even Mr. Jobs is considering a subscription service. (Although if he is considering such a move, he has ulterior motives that have to do with iTunes and iPods)
Whatever the reason(s), in my opinion (and many others), the subscription service ideas floating around in the executive corridors at whatever labels are considering them (or possibly Apple) are probably not going to do much to attract more consumers. Here are just a couple of reasons why:
* People want to own their own music and that's why iTunes has already sold over four billion songs. Add up all the sales from other online stores (amazon.com, et. al.) and the number of songs sold goes upward dramatically.
* Given the choice between buying and owning their music versus renting it (which in essence, is what you are doing if you choose a subscription service), the consumers will buy it. If they wanted to "rent" their music, the subscription services would be wildly successful. That isn't the case.
* Once DRM-free music was made available from the labels (because the consumers demanded it), allowing more flexibility in transfer and use, online sales increased, while subscription services saw no spikes and floundered.
* Every effort by the labels to try and navigate consumers to purchasing something they really don't want will result in more P2P file-sharing. Translation: If you don't give them what they want, they'll get it for FREE despite the useless lawsuits the RIAA files against people who download.
* The anticipated increase in the future of advertising-supported models might let consumers have access to music for free. They will have to sit through some online ads to get that access, but it won't cost them any money to get their music. Of course, if the labels decide they won't release their music libraries to any such models, this possibility never becomes a reality.
If you know people who use a subscription service, ask them if they're happy. If they say yes, ask them if they've done the math about how much it costs over time versus just buying the music they really want to hear often and keep on their iPods. I've only known a handful of people that have tried subscription services, and they have all dropped them after a short period of time, opting instead to purchase the music they want, when they feel the music is worth purchasing at all. All complained about the problems they encountered canceling their services, and several kept getting those automatic monthly charges for the services on their credit cards.
It's incredibly easy to sign up for these services. But before you do so, think long and hard about it. Anytime you see the words "Just sign here..." as a preface to the latest and greatest online deals and bonus offers, remember the old adage: "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably isn't."
In the meantime, for anybody who might want to do some more homework on the subject, I recommend the following:
"College Students Shunning Free Music Subscription Services"
"Why Music Subscription Models Fail"
"If Yahoo can't do it ... Its retreat from the subscription music market begs the question: Can anyone make this business work?"
"Music Subscription Services -- Will They Ever Work?"
"Why (And How) I Just Canceled All My Music Subscriptions"
"Napster and the Subscription Model"
------------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
THE NEW RECORD ALBUM ... A GREAT ARTICLE BY JERRY DEL COLLIANO
Inside Music Media's Jerry Del Colliano has written another great article worth reading, and I highly recommend it to all readers. This time Jerry talks about "the new record album" and why it's really non-existent.
Check it out here: http://insidemusicmedia.blogspot.com/2009/09/new-record-album.html.
------------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 3
MORE PROOF THAN EVER THE RIAA AND OTHERS ARE STILL WASTING TIME AND MONEY
Despite the RIAA press releases to the contrary, a new report drawn from the downloading habits of 64 million people shows that one-third are downloading music illegally, "but that doesn't mean they don't buy any music. "
According to the report " nearly half (49%) of all music pirates said that downloading music should be cheaper than buying a disc. This means that 51% are fine with the current price point of legal downloads." (Source: http://tinyurl.com/lutvg6 )
And this from the report: "Interpret, a market research firm focused on entertainment, media and technology has just published the results of a massive survey on illegal music downloads, covering 64 million people. Of this group 24 million respondents (36%) admitted that they had downloaded music illegally in the past three months. An impressive figure to say the least, indicating that the RIAA, BPI and IFPI will seriously have to reconsider their current handling of the 'piracy' problem. Spending millions of dollars on developing new business models instead of paying lawyers might be a good start. Interpret's findings may be helpful in this."
I've been saying that since I started this newsletter back in 2003.
If you are an industry executive and you are reading this, isn't it long past the time you tell the RIAA to stop wasting all the money they are spending on these lawsuits?
Apple Sets 9-9-09 For Its Next Event
As expected, Apple has officially confirmed that it will host an event next Wednesday, September 9th. Invitations went out Monday. The music-themed event in San Francisco will be held at 10a at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, which is next door to Moscone Center, where Apple's much-larger Worldwide Developers Conference takes place every June.
Could the date, which coincides with the release of the Beatles Rock Band and remastered CD catalog, mean The Beatles music will finally be available on iTunes?
Stay tuned.
More On The Remastered Beatles Catalog...Making The Fab Four Even More Fab
If you haven't already heard, the remastered Beatles catalog is coming to retail on September 9th.
USA Today has a great article about the upgraded catalog, and some of the things buyers can expect to hear on the new albums.
Read more about it by clicking here.
To see the great 30-second TV commercial (with digital magic footage of The Beatles crossing Abbey Road), for The Beatles Rock Band that has everyone buzzing, click here: http://tinyurl.com/ljt62u.
Sony's Walkman Outsells iPod In Japan
The Sony Walkman outsold Apple's iPod in Japan last week, the first time in more than four years, according to a study by Japanese electronics research company BCN.
Sony's slice of the market for digital music players in Japan rose to 43% for the week ending August 30th, narrowly beating Apple's 42.1 share. The survey didn't include sales results for the iPhone because that device also serves as a cell phone.
Read more about it by clicking here.
The Whole World Is Watching Online Video
A whopping 158 million U.S. Internet users -- or 80% of the nation's online population -- watched online video in July, according to new data from comScore Video Metrix. A total of 21.4 billion videos were viewed during the month.
Read more about it by clicking here.
The Zune As We Know It Is Gone; Long Live The Zune HD
The Zune, in its original offering, is going the way of the dodo, and its replacement is, of cours,e the Zune HD. "As you know, the new Zune HD device - featuring a touch OLED screen, HD Radio, HD video out capabilities, Internet browser and more - is available for preorder now and will be available at retail on September 15th," a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars. "Additional flash Zune devices (Zune 4GB, 8GB and 16GB) and hard drive devices (80GB and 120GB) will continue to be available at retail until sold out, though we will not continue to manufacture those devices."
The spokesperson also touted Microsoft's upcoming Zune software and service and the arrival of Zune video on Xbox Live this autumn. The software giant intends to provide a "great entertainment experience through software and services across multiple screens and devices."
Read more about it by clicking here.
40 Years Old, The Internet Is Still Reshaping History
It began as a Defense Department-funded project called Arpanet that drew on plenty of research elsewhere. It grew to offer a useful electronic mechanism to send mail, then the virtual real estate of World Wide Web, then a backbone for commerce, and now a core part of globe-spanning social activity. And it's well on its way to becoming the foundation for how the world's population uses computers.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Sansa Clip+ could Boost slotMusic and slotRadio
SanDisk's new Sansa Clip+ sounds like a solid choice for an inexpensive mp3 player, but it could boost SanDisk's slotMusic and slotRadio -- two types of microSD cards preloaded with music.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Content Wants to Be Pirated
Television executives, welcome to the rathole otherwise known as the fight against piracy.
Now it's your turn to fight an uphill battle, one that the music industry has waged for more than a decade to the tune of shrinking profits and smaller sales.
Read more about it by clicking here.
HOUSTON, WE DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM
Whitney Houston's new album, "I Look To You," is expected to sell between 200,000 to 300,000 copies in its first week and debut at #1 on the Billboard charts. She's back.
CHARLIE STILL PLAYING THE SKINS
Despite a flurry of Internet rumors started by a website in Australia, Charlie Watts, now 68 years old, is not leaving the Rolling Stones.
MRAZ HAS LONGEST RUN ON HOT 100
Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" has spent 71 weeks on Billboard singles chart, making it the longest run on any song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It first charted in May 2008.
YORKE CUTS OWN SINGLES AS WELL
According to Canadian entertainment site Exclaim, Radiohead's Thom Yorke will release a new 12" single carrying two new tracks, "The Hollow Earth" and "Apart By Horses," on September 22nd.
40 YEARS LATER
The BBC reports that police will reportedly review their investigation into the 1969 death of the Rolling Stones' guitarist Brian Jones after uncovering new evidence related to the case. While the coroner originally ruled that Jones had drowned while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, it's long been rumored that he was possibly murdered.
JAY GRABS HORNSBY & CLAPTON FOR FIRST WEEK
Bruce Hornsby and his band the Noisemakers will be joined by Eric Clapton for a September 17th performance during the inaugural week of the new Jay Leno Show.
MOVE OVER ROVER, AND LET UNRELEASED JIMI TAKE OVER
Unreleased Jimi Hendrix studio recordings and concerts may see the light of day now that the guitarist's Experience Hendrix and Sony's Legacy Recordings have reached an agreement. Deluxe editions of all Hendrix's releases are also on the way, according to a press release.
LIVE YOUNG
Neil Young has announced his next archival release: Dreamin' Man, a complete live performance of Harvest Moon drawn from various solo acoustic gigs in 1992.
SPECTOR MOVED
Phil Spector and other prisoners will be going to Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, where the other most notorious prisoner is Erik Menendez, convicted with his brother Lyle of murdering their millionaire parents in 1993.
ELVIS, JERRY, CARL, AND JOHNNY
Million Dollar Quartet, the musical about Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins' 1956 jam at Memphis' Sun Records, is heading to Broadway this spring, Variety reports. The show features "I Walk the Line," "Great Balls of Fire" and more classics.
Quotes of the week
"The Beatles: Rock Band is nothing less than a cultural watershed, one that may prove only slightly less influential than the band's famous appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. By reinterpreting an essential symbol of one generation in the medium and technology of another, The Beatles: Rock Band provides a transformative entertainment experience."
-- Seth Schiesel's preview of the MTV/Harmonix game in the N.Y. Times."I may be the most bootlegged artist in history,"
-- Jay-Z to MTV News at the Answer the Call 9/11 concert press conference, when told The Blueprint 3 had leaked in its entirety. "The most bootlegged artist in history"" Are you kidding? Easy on the ego, Jay-Z."I'm trying to gather the boys together. One way or another, I'll get them back in line."
-- Keith Richards in Rolling Stone, talking about plans to record the next Stones album"I remember really vividly kneeling by my bed as a 9-year-old, saying my prayers and asking God to give me boobs that were so big that if I laid on my back I wouldn't be able to see my feet. Eventually that request was granted."
-- Katy Perry"I've mostly been listening to dirty rap lately. That's sort of my scene ... Really, really obscene hip-hop. I love it so much. It makes me laugh and then it makes me want to dance."
-- Natalie Portman, in Interview"I'm going to leave The Wanda Sykes Show and try to get her job because $5 million ain't too bad!"
-- Wanda Sykes, joking about Paula Abdul's reasons for leaving American Idol, to PEOPLE
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
CNBC: 'Anyone Who Owns A Suit Can Come On Television'
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ-Citing a need to provide quality programming 24 hours a day, CNBC has extended an invitation to anyone who owns a suit to drop by the financial news network and be a guest expert, cohost a show with Larry Kudlow, or do whatever. "Don't worry about what kind of shape your suit is in," said CNBC president Mark Hoffman, who explained that his network's studio has an iron and some old phone books that people can press their jackets on. "Just come on down, run a comb through your hair, and if you're here by 8 a.m., we'll have you on Squawk Box at 8:15 making stock picks. But don't forget your suit!" Hoffman added that men of ruddy complexion with neck sizes exceeding 19 inches are not required to wear a tie.
THE RADIO INTERVIEW on 'THE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE' - From newsblaze.com
"Steve Meyer is on the front line of global music sales and distribution which he expects will soar to pocket-bursting levels. What's more, he shares his insight and ingenuity with us. Steve gives us both historical perspective and futuristic vision as he chats with Judy about the love of his work, trends of the business and his personal points of view about success, happiness and blending life with the lust for life. Steve joins Judy and helps us discover the thrill of having it all with a sense of balance and purpose. "
You can listen to an interview I did with Judy Piazza of 'The American Perspective' by clicking here: (It runs about 15 minutes)
http://www.thesop.org/index.php?id=10306.
The Blogs
Check out Jerry Del Colliano's (the founder of INSIDE RADIO) daily blog, by clicking here: http://www.insidemusicmedia.blogspot.com