April 3, 2007
No DRM from iTunes accomplishes what?
So, after Apple's announcement, I'll now be able to buy songs from iTunes without DRM.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/04/02itunes.html
To the folks that care about DRM - here you go. BUT!!! Here's why a good law-abiding citizen like myself doesn't really care:
They are available in 256 kbps instead of 128. (Great, now I can fit half as many songs on my iPod as I used to since the data rate doubled).
The improved bit rates will resulting "audio quality indistinguishable from the original recording". They said that about 128 kbps AAC files and they were right. Guess what? I can't remember the last complaint I heard about 128 kbps AAC files. And if it does make that much of a different, I'm not going to be able to hear it in the cheap earbuds that come with any iPod and certainly not over a crappy FM transmitter. If you want to appease the audiophiles, sell the files in Apple Lossless.
Now I can listen to my music on another player besides an iPod. (Ya...I'll get my iPod on Ebay later on today so I can buy a Zune. Right.)
And no more DRM even.(I'm legit. I'm buying from the store. I don't have more than 5 computers. I can do what I want with the music now.)
Bottom line is, I don't really care. DRM wasn't an inconvenience to me anyway.
But I agree it's a good PR move for Apple. But I don't expect it will make a bit of difference to the music industry. The same problems remain.
And the people that like buying from iTunes are going to keep buying the 99 cent version. And the people that steal music are going to keep stealing music.
Posted by Derek Leverington at 5:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 23, 2006
iTunes tries to sing a different tune
Naming is one of the most underemphasized aspects of brand design.
The most common mistake - names that are too abstract or non-descriptive - often done in the name of sounding cool or creative. One of the best practices - naming a product/service so that it associates itself with the product category without explanation - so I kind of get it after just hearing the name.
One of the better examples in recent memory of good product naming - iTunes.
This has it's own catch-22. What about something wonderfully named like iTunes when you want to expand the offering to video-based content when the name suggests a music-based offering.
Well, it looks like the first thing Apple did is quit calling it the iTunes Music Store in favour of shortening it to iTunes Store. (At least, that's how it appear in my lamer Canadian version where I can't actually purchase movies).
I'm really interested in seeing how this works out. Success in one category doesn't alway ensure success in a seemingly related market. And the competitors are started to stack up in this category with several other recent high-profile video download launches - Amazon among them.
I'm watching this case study with interest. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Apple evolves the naming of iTunes gradually to position the brand for market leadership success in the movie and video content category. Although currently used to name their simple video editing software - the name iMovie is kicking around the stable.
They face some challenges though. The name is one. The other is that they are up against a more sophisticated digital right management technology in Microsoft's Windows Media DRM. Fancier technology affords control is this is the kind of thing that content owners like Hollywood studios get seduced by. Although for all the WM DRM technology innovation, Microsoft and partners have come nowhere near replicating iTunes success.
And I don't care how wonderful the Zune is - Microsoft is at a huge disadvantage is trying to make up ground in this race. This isn't like switching where you buy your cup of coffee. Consider the collective consumer investment in iPod players, the money spent on proprietary iTunes songs and getting used to the best user experience around - I'm not going to be switching to anything else anytime soon and I don't think I'm alone in that view.
Posted by Derek Leverington at 9:41 PM
March 10, 2006
One Accord - The Digital Box Set - kind of but not really
After 5 years of great intentions, I finally put up some mp3 of some music I did while playing in my old gospel worship band - One Accord.
I was thinking the other day it's been 10 years since I've done a full-length album and so it's kind of neat 10 years after the fact to reflect back on it and put some of it up on the web.
www.derekleverington.com/oneaccord/
Posted by Derek Leverington at 8:22 PM | Comments (0)
February 26, 2006
Karl Wolf
Gotta give a nod to my man Karl Wolf from Montreal, Canada. I bought this album a couple of weeks ago and it's been in heavy rotation ever since. I'm totally stoked about doing some top-down driving in the convertible this summer to some De-sensitized and Butterfly. He's one of this producers-turned-artist (think Kanye West) who really do a good job of things.
I finally saw the first ad on Much Music last night for the album. Good to see some label support going on to get this going.
Go and pick it up on iTunes and check out the vidoes on his website:
Posted by Derek Leverington at 11:36 AM | Comments (2)
June 19, 2005
A superb rant against the music industry . . .
. . . for it's complete lack of progessive thought.
This is very nearly too articulate to be considered a rant, but it has the right sentiment for the descriptor.
http://www.furia.com/twas/twas0503.html
Via kottke.
Posted by Derek Leverington at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
June 7, 2005
New Coldplay album drops this morning
I can't get over how big of a deal these guys are. Not that it's a bad thing.
Maybe it's the fact that the music is good.
Novel idea these days.
Posted by Derek Leverington at 9:30 AM | Comments (0)