Streaming
I've been confused for some time about the different ways to access, listen to, and store music. And really, can you blame me?
Every time i visit family out of town, they inevitably ask me about where the music industry is going. It's not that they're asking me the same question every few months because I explain it poorly, or because they don't get it, or because we don't have anything else to talk about. It's because every time they ask, the answer is different.
Typically, I fumble a bit over my answer. Sure, it usually contains the same elements: Retail is dying, illegal downloading is easy, legal downloading is better due to better bit rates, etc. But do I have a clear answer to their question? Absolutely not. And nobody does.
However, recently, I think I'm getting closer to solidifying MY opinion as to how people will listen in the future, and it's something that surprised even me.
Streaming.
I personally believe that streaming may not only kill record retail, but even downloading (illegal or legal), and, dare i say it, the iPod itself.
The reason lies in where I listen to music, which is most likely very typical of the general population: my home (through my computer), on my way to work on the bus (through my iPod) and in a car when i rent one for a road trip (through CDs or Satellite Radio).
So let's look at the first two. In my home, I listen through my computer. Yes, I have CDs and a CD player, but I, like a large portion of my friend,s have ripped the majority of my music onto my hard drive so I can listen through iTunes. Essentially, my CDs just sit there collecting dust.
Whenever i'm on my computer, I'm online. So if I can have access to an online music library, where I can stream whatever i want, whenever i want, why would I download it to my computers' hard drive? Sure, hard drives are becoming cheaper and cheaper, but really, what's the advantage of having it on MY computer as opposed to THEIR computer, when i can access it whenever i like?
Next is my iPod. Basically, it's a small laptop. So the only difference between that and my REAL laptop has always been wireless connectivity. But everytime I go to work, I have something else with me: my blackberry. THAT is connected to the internet, so why not merge the two?
Obviously, Apple has thought of this and come out with the iPhone which does just this. So, problem solved: I have a mobile option that allows me to browse the full web, which means if i have access to that same library, i can stream on the go. So again, where's the need to download the file to my actual device for storage?
Lastly, the car: OK, so here's a different scenario. Currently, I can't rent a car that has the internet in it. But really, how far away is that? And even today, I could connect an iPhone (which can stream music) to my cars' audio system, and presto: I can stream through my phone and out of the car speakers.
So you may be wondering where this streamable library is. Well, there's a site that just launched a library like this called LaLa (which i haven't checked out thoroughly yet)( which seems to work in just this way: you purchase access to stream any song in it's library, on a per track basis instead of an all access subscription pass. No need to download anything... as long as you're connected to the internet, which you can be virtually anywhere, you're set.
The other concern, of course, is data. Streaming music (or any media) can be slow, and nobody likes to see the word 'buffering' ever. So the real challenge to make this new reality come alive is bandwidth. Once the advancements catch up to the demand in this area, as far as i can see it, it's game over.
Ten years from now, I can't see anyone carrying data around with them. We'll all be carrying ACCESS to that data, through constant internet connectivity and a central media library.
And, personally, I can't wait.
Locating MOG account...
Comments (4)
Nicely written and though-out post. I hadn't considered streaming to have such a future important role, but the way you explain it sounds like the normal way things will go.
That is on a general level. On a personal level, and I can only speak about myself, I want the CD. I want to hold it, smell it, feel that I own it, and nothing can replace those feelings. It sounds childish, I know, but so it is. And the funny things is that the more digital our age becomes, the more I seem to love those future vintage, possibly to become extinct, dust-gathering CDs. But that's just the stubborn me. :)
Of course, I doubt that many people have this fetish (MOGgers excluded), so I do agree with your scenario. If nothing else, it might drop the price of m beloved CDs ;)
Hey Anna,
I don't think you're alone with wanting the CD. Unfortunately, I think you ARE in the minority, and the industry can't survive on the minority. In the future, I think CDs will be a collectors or 'fetish' item, the way that vinyl is today.
But the site you describe doesn't contain MY music - including obscurities never released on CD, tracks I've edited down, recordings of mine or my old band. My iPod, on the other, is a very personal "all killer no filler" selection - my lifetime "best of". No playlist that I have to troll through (while driving?) can compare to that.
Although I still haven't tried out the service yet (not available in canada), from what i understand, you can upload music to their server under your account and stream anywhere.
Consider this, too: you have to load your iPod using iTunes, right? So that means the songs are digitized on your pc/mac and stored SOMEwhere. Suppose while you were out you could stream anything on your computer on your iPod, through wireless connectivity? So in this case, YOUR computer becomes YOUR central media library, and you stream to it wherever you go. No more transferring the actual data from your computer to your ipod because, well, you don't have to. Just stream any of it, whenever and wherever you want.