Right now mp3 is changing the way we receive and listen to music. As internet technology becomes more advanced people are finding ways to make everything for free. For example, long distance calls can be made from internet sites, maps can be downloaded for anywhere in the country, even internet service itself can now be free. Whether it is for profit or fun, internet savvy computer programers are finding ways to undermine the 'old economy'. New laws can not be passed fast enough to stop the internet revolution. Napster is actually using a recent law called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act as a defense to the pending lawsuit it faces with the Recording Industry Association of America. Even if Napster is eventually shut down, there are other programs available right now that can not be stopped so easily. Gnutella is a file sharing program that links individual computers together without a centralized server. Since Gnutella can share any file type, people are claiming that movies will be distributed in the same way once broadband internet access becomes available in more areas.
The bottom line is that the music industry is going to have to adapt to new technology. One way would be find another way to make money on recorded music than just selling CD's. For example, many online retailers are losing money on their merchandise in order to be competitive but are making up for this loss by selling ad space on there sites. Even if they can't stop people from sharing copyrighted music, people will still by CD's. It is much easier to purchase a CD than find and download every song on that CD and put it on a recordable media. Mp3 sharing poses the bigest threat to music singles since the consumer is only interested in one song. It also poses a threat to an artist who releases 1 or 2 good songs from their CD but the rest of their CD sounds like it was recorded in two days. The recording industry has to evolve and figure out how to use new technology to make money instead of clinging on to the past. If they don't figure out how to use digital media to their advantage, they will be left behind in the new millennium.
Sunday, 29 April 2007
The Future of Internet Music Distribution
Music distribution using MP3 compression through the Internet has become an important happening and a major concern of the recording industry. MP3 is just one of many forms of compression that is available for audio. At this time it happens to be wildly popular and is likely to remain so. The popularity MP3 is driving changes in the music industry that will bring a leveling of income to composers and performers, increase in their share of gross revenues, and drastically increase the number of composers and performers that are accessible to the music purchasing public.
After MP3 as finished remodeling the recording industry, the recording industry will consist of a three players:
1. Remnants of the current recording industry.
2. Internet companies that sell CDs.
3. Internet companies that sell individual recordings.
First there will be the remnants of the current recording industry. This area will contain the fewest artists and will operate much like today's recording industry operates. The major difference will be that the ease of creating and distributing unauthorized recordings will limit how successful any artist can be. The more successful the artist the higher the percentage of unauthorized recordings being passed around. Efforts to create a copy proof format will fail because at some point in getting the audio from the CD to the speaker the audio has to be converted into an analog signal that can drive the speaker. This analog signal is in the computer in digital form before it is sent to the audio card and can easily be recaptured and converted into any format without loss of quality. In the worst case the line output can be patched into the line input and still have minimal loss of quality. The loss of quality would be nothing compared to copying cassette tapes. And after the first digital copy is made then all subsequent copies will have the same quality as the first.
Next will be Internet companies that handle CDs recorded by full-time professional musicians. They will have downloadable (reduced audio quality) selections from the CD available at their sites. The consumer will listen to the download to determine if they want to order the high quality CD. MP3.com is slowly sliding toward this model.
Finally will be Internet companies handling individual audio files from anybody who has a yearning to create music. These files will be of the highest quality that the individual artist can produce since the file is the product that is being sold as opposed to being a step on the way to selling a CD. These files will be distributed as shareware. Artist earnings will come from shareware payments and more importantly from having their music included in custom CDs where the consumer will pick which audio selections to put on the CD that they order. MP3Shareware.com is a new Internet company intent on capturing this market.
The leveling of income will occur because at the high end the limiting factor of unauthorized recordings will reduce how financially successful any artist can be. The middle and base layers will provide exposure that was impossible in the pre-Internet recording industry thereby increasing the possibility of financial success for more musicians.
In the new recording industry, artists will retain more control of their copyrighted products and receive a larger percentage of the profits. Both MP3.com and MP3Shareware.com offer a 50% split compared to the small percentages now given by record companies.
With the Internet, anybody can put their music online quickly and easily. Mediation sites such as MP3.com and MP3Shareware.com offer several important advantages over private sites such as handling credit card transactions, a high hit rate, and the capability of aggregating many artists to produce custom CDs. Most private sites will simply provide a link to their music on the mediation site of their choice.
Internet audio distribution is providing composers and performers choices that have never been available before.
After MP3 as finished remodeling the recording industry, the recording industry will consist of a three players:
1. Remnants of the current recording industry.
2. Internet companies that sell CDs.
3. Internet companies that sell individual recordings.
First there will be the remnants of the current recording industry. This area will contain the fewest artists and will operate much like today's recording industry operates. The major difference will be that the ease of creating and distributing unauthorized recordings will limit how successful any artist can be. The more successful the artist the higher the percentage of unauthorized recordings being passed around. Efforts to create a copy proof format will fail because at some point in getting the audio from the CD to the speaker the audio has to be converted into an analog signal that can drive the speaker. This analog signal is in the computer in digital form before it is sent to the audio card and can easily be recaptured and converted into any format without loss of quality. In the worst case the line output can be patched into the line input and still have minimal loss of quality. The loss of quality would be nothing compared to copying cassette tapes. And after the first digital copy is made then all subsequent copies will have the same quality as the first.
Next will be Internet companies that handle CDs recorded by full-time professional musicians. They will have downloadable (reduced audio quality) selections from the CD available at their sites. The consumer will listen to the download to determine if they want to order the high quality CD. MP3.com is slowly sliding toward this model.
Finally will be Internet companies handling individual audio files from anybody who has a yearning to create music. These files will be of the highest quality that the individual artist can produce since the file is the product that is being sold as opposed to being a step on the way to selling a CD. These files will be distributed as shareware. Artist earnings will come from shareware payments and more importantly from having their music included in custom CDs where the consumer will pick which audio selections to put on the CD that they order. MP3Shareware.com is a new Internet company intent on capturing this market.
The leveling of income will occur because at the high end the limiting factor of unauthorized recordings will reduce how financially successful any artist can be. The middle and base layers will provide exposure that was impossible in the pre-Internet recording industry thereby increasing the possibility of financial success for more musicians.
In the new recording industry, artists will retain more control of their copyrighted products and receive a larger percentage of the profits. Both MP3.com and MP3Shareware.com offer a 50% split compared to the small percentages now given by record companies.
With the Internet, anybody can put their music online quickly and easily. Mediation sites such as MP3.com and MP3Shareware.com offer several important advantages over private sites such as handling credit card transactions, a high hit rate, and the capability of aggregating many artists to produce custom CDs. Most private sites will simply provide a link to their music on the mediation site of their choice.
Internet audio distribution is providing composers and performers choices that have never been available before.
Theories Related to Future of the Industry
There are currently three arguments
1. The industry will be unchanged because of the MP3's less-than-CD-quality sound and its large disk space requirements. In other words, the MP3 technology will be shelved along with other music technologies such as the 8-track.
2. The industry will eliminate traditional record labels by eliminating the need to manufacture and distribute the physical product of CDs.
3. Argument 3: MP3 will simply whet music lovers' appetites for the benefits of a technology that can deliver songs online. Because the majority of music buyers are not willing to sift through thousands of obscure bands, web sites, etc. they are not going to be willing to completely shift to Internet music technology. Internet music technology will have a place in the market, but will not completely dominate it.
Let us talk for a moment about 2 above. As we look to future of music, the most obvious change we can expect is the dismantling of traditional physical music retail operations i.e the music shop. This is not to say that retail sales of music will be obliterated, but to say that retail sales will possibly reemerge in a different form i.e. through the Internet . The Internet is accesible nearly anywhere in the world where music buyers want to purchase music.
Another change is the demise of the manufacturing and distribution infrastructure that currently supports traditional music retail stores. Currently, the Big Five record distributors control the physical movement of CDs. 80% of the resources of these five organizations are devoted to the manufacture of physical CDs and moving them from one place to another. As the Big Five sees 80% of their operations disappear, they will be forced to focus on the remaining 20% which is comprised of developing the careers of recording artists and promoting those careers through radio and TV promotion, tour support, etc. However, as the digital revolution continues to evolve, these functions will become even more important. As more consumers have more access to the Internet, aspiring recording artists will need experienced guidance, financing and promotional resources in order to create quality music that will reach audiences more mature and more sophisticated about music. Record companies will have more distribution opportunities, giving them more ways to expose and distribute their artists' product to the consumers with more precise methods for targeting the ideal customer for their music. More revenue opportunities mean more abundantly available, affordable music. This will be good not just for established artists who will continue to see more money spent to promote their work but for new artists hoping someone will invest in their work. In order to be noticed above all the noise; this marketing expertise will be in high demand.
1. The industry will be unchanged because of the MP3's less-than-CD-quality sound and its large disk space requirements. In other words, the MP3 technology will be shelved along with other music technologies such as the 8-track.
2. The industry will eliminate traditional record labels by eliminating the need to manufacture and distribute the physical product of CDs.
3. Argument 3: MP3 will simply whet music lovers' appetites for the benefits of a technology that can deliver songs online. Because the majority of music buyers are not willing to sift through thousands of obscure bands, web sites, etc. they are not going to be willing to completely shift to Internet music technology. Internet music technology will have a place in the market, but will not completely dominate it.
Let us talk for a moment about 2 above. As we look to future of music, the most obvious change we can expect is the dismantling of traditional physical music retail operations i.e the music shop. This is not to say that retail sales of music will be obliterated, but to say that retail sales will possibly reemerge in a different form i.e. through the Internet . The Internet is accesible nearly anywhere in the world where music buyers want to purchase music.
Another change is the demise of the manufacturing and distribution infrastructure that currently supports traditional music retail stores. Currently, the Big Five record distributors control the physical movement of CDs. 80% of the resources of these five organizations are devoted to the manufacture of physical CDs and moving them from one place to another. As the Big Five sees 80% of their operations disappear, they will be forced to focus on the remaining 20% which is comprised of developing the careers of recording artists and promoting those careers through radio and TV promotion, tour support, etc. However, as the digital revolution continues to evolve, these functions will become even more important. As more consumers have more access to the Internet, aspiring recording artists will need experienced guidance, financing and promotional resources in order to create quality music that will reach audiences more mature and more sophisticated about music. Record companies will have more distribution opportunities, giving them more ways to expose and distribute their artists' product to the consumers with more precise methods for targeting the ideal customer for their music. More revenue opportunities mean more abundantly available, affordable music. This will be good not just for established artists who will continue to see more money spent to promote their work but for new artists hoping someone will invest in their work. In order to be noticed above all the noise; this marketing expertise will be in high demand.
Music, the Internet and its Future
The rapid growth of Internet users all aroiund the world has brought many issues to light. Among them are the questions of whether paper based publications such as letters, newspapers, novels etc. have a viable future and how changes driven by the ease accessibility of information on the Internet will affect the industries and occupations that depend on publication and storage of the printed word. However, similar speculation relating to the music industry and the Internet have been largely ignored up until recently. The Internet seems poised to revolutionise many aspects of the music industry including: the publishing of music, artist royalties for use of copywrited material and the sale of recorded music.
Introduction to the future of music
In only the past ten years the developments in music on the internet have been astounding. We have seen the develpment of such technologies as napster, MP3 and many more. The internet has lead to the wide spread desemenation of music, making any type of music available to anybody in the world. This essential idea is why it has been so succesful. Everyday the internet is expanding more and more and this is why the idea of music on the internet will grow and grow over time. Of late there has been much talk of free music on the internet - is it fair to the recording artists? This is one area which will need to be settled before internet music is recognised as a viable medium.
issues
New media technologies have brought about many changes with some good and some viewed as bad, it has undoubtably changed the way that music and the internet but because it has changed the way we as the audience can access the media it has also changed the way the producers of the media are able to broadcast. The internet has revolutionised the way we can access media in the last 10 years now all the days latest news is accesible in a matter of a few clicks of a mouse.
This is also the same for music, with so many different download sites it has become easier and easier to access the music you want when you want.
This hasn't gone down well with some of the music producers because of the illegal downloads that have spiralled from this new technology.
This is also the same for music, with so many different download sites it has become easier and easier to access the music you want when you want.
This hasn't gone down well with some of the music producers because of the illegal downloads that have spiralled from this new technology.
A history of the Apple iPod, iTunes & the Music Store
iTunes
What came first ... the iPod or iTunes? It was the latter. Before the iPod was released, Mac users had had the 'iLife' suite of applications on their computer including iTunes version 1.0 - which had a 'three note' icon instead of the 'double' green one which people are familiar with today.
To this day, both Windows and Mac users can install and run iTunes on their computers without having to have an iPod - you can just use it to organise your music collection on your home computer - you don't have to have an iPod to have iTunes - something which not a lot of people realise.
So iTunes was around (for the Mac only) from January 2001 - without the online store - it merely let you rip your own music/CD collection in and play them through your computer.
First Generation iPod
A chap called Tony Fadell first conceived of iPod outside of Apple, but had difficulty finding funding and so took it to Apple and demonstrated his idea to Steve Jobs. Apple hired him as an independent contractor to bring his project to the public, where he then designed the first two generations before the UK design guru Jonathan Ives took over.
The first Generation iPod was announced on the 23rd October 2001, and was a 5Gb 'scroll wheel' model, which worked with Macs only. It could up up to around 1,000 songs, and went on sale the following month.
iTunes version 2.0 is released in October 2001 - still just a Mac application at this time, and now with a blue coloured icon instead.
In the spring of 2002, third party software developers begin releasing software that will make Windows PC's work with the Mac-only iPods by fooling the iPod into thinking it is connecting to a Mac and not a PC. This worked by fooling the iPod into thinking it was looking at a Mac mounted volume/disk and not a Windows one.
As Apple were only producing iPods for Macs at this time, software was also developed for Windows PC's to allow you to manage your music collected - Ephpod and Anapod being two that are still going today.
At around the same time, a new version (but still classified as first generation) of the iPod comes out - with a 10Gb hard disk, thus capable of storing 2,000 songs. Connectivity is firewire only.
Second Generation iPod
in July 2002, Apple replaced the mechanical scroll wheel with a solid-state touch wheel and gave us larger sized models. Looking exactly the same as the first generation, the second gen ones appear in the third quarter of 2002, but with several key points:
There is now a Windows PC version (which ships with the dreadful Yahoo! MusicMatch application instead of iTunes which hasn't been written for Windows yet), and secondly they are now available in 5Gb, 10Gb and 20Gb hard disk sizes - the latter two having a touch sensitive wheel, instead of one that physically moves. There is still no USB connectivity for them - not a problem for Mac users where Firewire comes as standard, but Windows PC users had to go and buy an additional firewire expansion card to make them work.
At the same time, iTunes verion 3.0 come out (with a different coloured icon again) and it's still only available for Macs. However, people know that a Windows version of it is on its way when adverts appear for programmers to work/code a Windows version of it.
Third Generation iPod
The third generation - and some would arguable say the model which really caught the publics mainstream attention - came out in April of 2003. They look different from the first and second generation models, and have had the buttons move from the outside of the wheel to just below the display.
There are three sizes: 10Gb (2,000 songs), 15Gb (3,750 songs) and 30Gb (7,500 songs) models available.
Another major upgrade is the fact that there are no 'separate' Mac or Windows PC models - any iPod will work on either type of computer, and also USB functionality is now built in for the first time.
In September of 2003, the 20Gb model replaced the 15Gb one (holds 5,000 songs), and a 40Gb model replaced the 30Gb one - which now holds 10,000 songs.
iTunes Music Store comes online
In April of 2003, a new version of iTunes (4.0) is released along with the launch of the iTunes Store - where you could legally buy and download music. But the store is for US based customers only, the rest of the world must wait a little longer.
Eventually, in October 2003 comes iTunes version 4.1 - for the very first time it's availabe for Windows based computers as well.
iPod mini
The iPod mini is released in January 2004 - a 'cut down' smaller version which has a 4Gb disk, that can hold 1,000 songs if you use Apples new AAC encoding system instead of MP3.
It also comes in five colours - silver, pink, green, blue and gold. It's the first appearance of the 'click wheel' as well where the four buttons have been placed underneath the scroll wheel.
On the main iPod front, the 10Gb model is replaced by a 15Gb one - although great bargains can be found with some retailers selling off the old 10Gb model stock.
iTunes store in the UK
The iTunes music store is launched in the UK in June of 2004. Other European countries follow shortly after, but people complain that the price is too high in the UK when compared to other countries.
Fourth Generation iPod
Just three weeks after I got my third generation model, Apple announce the new fourth generation ones, which now had an improved battery life, a click-wheel like the iPod mini, and they lower the price significantly as well! There are 20Gb and 40Gb models. They go on sale in September of 2004.
iPod Photo / U2 iPod
I'm still confused as to whether these should be known as fifth generation iPods or not, but the iPod photo is announced/released in October 2004. It has a colour screen, improved battery life again, a different screen font, and (hence the name) the ability to store and display photos. It comes in 40Gb and 60Gb capacities at quite a price.
At the same time, a limited edition black & red colour "U2 iPod" is released, in 20Gb only, it comes with the bands signatures engraved on the back of the iPod, along with a voucher that enables you to buy the entire back catalogue of U2's music from the iTunes music store.
iPod Shuffle
In January 2005, Apple release the iPod Shuffle - the first iPod with no screen and no hard disk, as it's flash memory based. It's tiny as is ideal for joggers and other sports people who want random music on the go. It's also one of the cheapest priced ipods yet. It comes in 512Mb and 1Gb sizes.
iPod mini (Second generation) and iPod Photo revised
Come February 2005, the iPod mini gets a makeover : It's now available in 6Gb models (as well as 4Gb), it gets an increased battery life (almost doubled), and the price is dropped making it excellent value for money. The Gold coloured iPod is dropped though as it is the one which sells the least.
In the iPod photo range the 40Gb is discontinued, and instead replaced by a smaller 30Gb model - but at a much cheaper price, and it's thinner too
The regular 'fourth generation' iPod (non-colour/photo) was then available in just the 20Gb size.
All iPods in colour
At the end of June 2005, the main iPod range was reduced two just two models - the 20Gb and 60Gb versions which were both in colour. They dropped the 'photo' branding as the non-colour/photo model was withdrawn meaning that all iPods now came in colour and could display photos. The U2 iPod - still proving to be surprisingly popular was also now available in colour.
The price was also dropped again. iTunes 4.9 was released at the same time, bringing with it Podcasting capabilities. iPod-mini at this time is still black and white though.
iPod Nano
In September 2005, Apple announced the iPod Nano - which replaced the iPod mini. A flash disk-based player that came in 4Gb and 6Gb models, and also now in TWO colours - black as well as white, these incredibly small and tiny players were snapped up immediately as they were so popular. They also had colour screens, a bit of a sore point for Apple as they then had to admit that there was a fault with some of them becoming badly scratched and broken shortly after.
That small problem aside (in a minority of cases) it was easily the most 'sexy' iPod yet that proved extremely popular.
iTunes 5 also came out at the same time with a new polished look, the ability to nest playlists within folders and a few more refinements.
iPod Video
Just when everyone thought that the Nano was the big thing that Apple would have out for the christmas 2005 market, just four weeks later they brought us something even newer and better in September 2005 - The iPod Video!
This replaces the iPod Photo, and U2 model, and came in 30Gb and 60Gb, and it was even thinner then before.
There is now a 2.5 inch wide 320x240 pixel screen that lets you watch video as well. iTunes 6.0 was brought out to allow you to download music video, short films, and (in the US only at first) certain TV programmes.
New Nanos, Shuffle and Video updated
In September 2006, Apple brought out the new shaped iPod shuffle - now smaller than ever and available in 1Gb.
They also redesigned the iPod nano, including a new 8Gb model. And had them in five refined colours - Silver, Purple, Black, Green and Blue. For a short while a 1Gb model of the older style nano was available too at a very cheap price.
The iPod Video was refined - and became available in 30Gb and 80Gb sizes (the biggest so far) - it included several refinements on the software of the iPod, including a new 'search' function that you could not get through firmware upgrades on existing iPods.
The release of iTunes 7.0 was a major step forward as the iTunes Music Store was renamed just 'iTunes Store' as you could now download music, TV shows and movies (and games!) for your iPod Video. It also incorporated updating the firmware on the iPod to within iTunes - you no longer have to download a seperate program to reset it, or keep it up to date.
In October 2006, a limited edition Red coloured nano was brought out with $10 of the purchase price going towards AIDS charities - as part of the Product Red range.
In January 2007, Apple announced the launch of the iPhone. A combination of phone and music player. In my mind it's a phone with an 8Gb iPod added in on the side, and not a 'proper' iPod. It DOES though however have a screen that is almost as big as the footprint of the unit, and is all controlled by touching the screen - no physical buttons. It wil be launched first in the USA in the Spring, and then Europe and the rest of the world to follow later, due to sorting out the contract side of the phone networks.
Personally, I'm still waiting for the 'proper' 6th generation iPod, which should have the wide-touch screen like the phone, but with a 80Gb hard disk, and no phone!
In February 2007, the Shuffle was made availale in five colours - silver/grey, purple, green, blue and orange. People suggest that you can now colour coordinate with your outfit and use them as tie-clips!
What came first ... the iPod or iTunes? It was the latter. Before the iPod was released, Mac users had had the 'iLife' suite of applications on their computer including iTunes version 1.0 - which had a 'three note' icon instead of the 'double' green one which people are familiar with today.
To this day, both Windows and Mac users can install and run iTunes on their computers without having to have an iPod - you can just use it to organise your music collection on your home computer - you don't have to have an iPod to have iTunes - something which not a lot of people realise.
So iTunes was around (for the Mac only) from January 2001 - without the online store - it merely let you rip your own music/CD collection in and play them through your computer.
First Generation iPod
A chap called Tony Fadell first conceived of iPod outside of Apple, but had difficulty finding funding and so took it to Apple and demonstrated his idea to Steve Jobs. Apple hired him as an independent contractor to bring his project to the public, where he then designed the first two generations before the UK design guru Jonathan Ives took over.
The first Generation iPod was announced on the 23rd October 2001, and was a 5Gb 'scroll wheel' model, which worked with Macs only. It could up up to around 1,000 songs, and went on sale the following month.
iTunes version 2.0 is released in October 2001 - still just a Mac application at this time, and now with a blue coloured icon instead.
In the spring of 2002, third party software developers begin releasing software that will make Windows PC's work with the Mac-only iPods by fooling the iPod into thinking it is connecting to a Mac and not a PC. This worked by fooling the iPod into thinking it was looking at a Mac mounted volume/disk and not a Windows one.
As Apple were only producing iPods for Macs at this time, software was also developed for Windows PC's to allow you to manage your music collected - Ephpod and Anapod being two that are still going today.
At around the same time, a new version (but still classified as first generation) of the iPod comes out - with a 10Gb hard disk, thus capable of storing 2,000 songs. Connectivity is firewire only.
Second Generation iPod
in July 2002, Apple replaced the mechanical scroll wheel with a solid-state touch wheel and gave us larger sized models. Looking exactly the same as the first generation, the second gen ones appear in the third quarter of 2002, but with several key points:
There is now a Windows PC version (which ships with the dreadful Yahoo! MusicMatch application instead of iTunes which hasn't been written for Windows yet), and secondly they are now available in 5Gb, 10Gb and 20Gb hard disk sizes - the latter two having a touch sensitive wheel, instead of one that physically moves. There is still no USB connectivity for them - not a problem for Mac users where Firewire comes as standard, but Windows PC users had to go and buy an additional firewire expansion card to make them work.
At the same time, iTunes verion 3.0 come out (with a different coloured icon again) and it's still only available for Macs. However, people know that a Windows version of it is on its way when adverts appear for programmers to work/code a Windows version of it.
Third Generation iPod
The third generation - and some would arguable say the model which really caught the publics mainstream attention - came out in April of 2003. They look different from the first and second generation models, and have had the buttons move from the outside of the wheel to just below the display.
There are three sizes: 10Gb (2,000 songs), 15Gb (3,750 songs) and 30Gb (7,500 songs) models available.
Another major upgrade is the fact that there are no 'separate' Mac or Windows PC models - any iPod will work on either type of computer, and also USB functionality is now built in for the first time.
In September of 2003, the 20Gb model replaced the 15Gb one (holds 5,000 songs), and a 40Gb model replaced the 30Gb one - which now holds 10,000 songs.
iTunes Music Store comes online
In April of 2003, a new version of iTunes (4.0) is released along with the launch of the iTunes Store - where you could legally buy and download music. But the store is for US based customers only, the rest of the world must wait a little longer.
Eventually, in October 2003 comes iTunes version 4.1 - for the very first time it's availabe for Windows based computers as well.
iPod mini
The iPod mini is released in January 2004 - a 'cut down' smaller version which has a 4Gb disk, that can hold 1,000 songs if you use Apples new AAC encoding system instead of MP3.
It also comes in five colours - silver, pink, green, blue and gold. It's the first appearance of the 'click wheel' as well where the four buttons have been placed underneath the scroll wheel.
On the main iPod front, the 10Gb model is replaced by a 15Gb one - although great bargains can be found with some retailers selling off the old 10Gb model stock.
iTunes store in the UK
The iTunes music store is launched in the UK in June of 2004. Other European countries follow shortly after, but people complain that the price is too high in the UK when compared to other countries.
Fourth Generation iPod
Just three weeks after I got my third generation model, Apple announce the new fourth generation ones, which now had an improved battery life, a click-wheel like the iPod mini, and they lower the price significantly as well! There are 20Gb and 40Gb models. They go on sale in September of 2004.
iPod Photo / U2 iPod
I'm still confused as to whether these should be known as fifth generation iPods or not, but the iPod photo is announced/released in October 2004. It has a colour screen, improved battery life again, a different screen font, and (hence the name) the ability to store and display photos. It comes in 40Gb and 60Gb capacities at quite a price.
At the same time, a limited edition black & red colour "U2 iPod" is released, in 20Gb only, it comes with the bands signatures engraved on the back of the iPod, along with a voucher that enables you to buy the entire back catalogue of U2's music from the iTunes music store.
iPod Shuffle
In January 2005, Apple release the iPod Shuffle - the first iPod with no screen and no hard disk, as it's flash memory based. It's tiny as is ideal for joggers and other sports people who want random music on the go. It's also one of the cheapest priced ipods yet. It comes in 512Mb and 1Gb sizes.
iPod mini (Second generation) and iPod Photo revised
Come February 2005, the iPod mini gets a makeover : It's now available in 6Gb models (as well as 4Gb), it gets an increased battery life (almost doubled), and the price is dropped making it excellent value for money. The Gold coloured iPod is dropped though as it is the one which sells the least.
In the iPod photo range the 40Gb is discontinued, and instead replaced by a smaller 30Gb model - but at a much cheaper price, and it's thinner too
The regular 'fourth generation' iPod (non-colour/photo) was then available in just the 20Gb size.
All iPods in colour
At the end of June 2005, the main iPod range was reduced two just two models - the 20Gb and 60Gb versions which were both in colour. They dropped the 'photo' branding as the non-colour/photo model was withdrawn meaning that all iPods now came in colour and could display photos. The U2 iPod - still proving to be surprisingly popular was also now available in colour.
The price was also dropped again. iTunes 4.9 was released at the same time, bringing with it Podcasting capabilities. iPod-mini at this time is still black and white though.
iPod Nano
In September 2005, Apple announced the iPod Nano - which replaced the iPod mini. A flash disk-based player that came in 4Gb and 6Gb models, and also now in TWO colours - black as well as white, these incredibly small and tiny players were snapped up immediately as they were so popular. They also had colour screens, a bit of a sore point for Apple as they then had to admit that there was a fault with some of them becoming badly scratched and broken shortly after.
That small problem aside (in a minority of cases) it was easily the most 'sexy' iPod yet that proved extremely popular.
iTunes 5 also came out at the same time with a new polished look, the ability to nest playlists within folders and a few more refinements.
iPod Video
Just when everyone thought that the Nano was the big thing that Apple would have out for the christmas 2005 market, just four weeks later they brought us something even newer and better in September 2005 - The iPod Video!
This replaces the iPod Photo, and U2 model, and came in 30Gb and 60Gb, and it was even thinner then before.
There is now a 2.5 inch wide 320x240 pixel screen that lets you watch video as well. iTunes 6.0 was brought out to allow you to download music video, short films, and (in the US only at first) certain TV programmes.
New Nanos, Shuffle and Video updated
In September 2006, Apple brought out the new shaped iPod shuffle - now smaller than ever and available in 1Gb.
They also redesigned the iPod nano, including a new 8Gb model. And had them in five refined colours - Silver, Purple, Black, Green and Blue. For a short while a 1Gb model of the older style nano was available too at a very cheap price.
The iPod Video was refined - and became available in 30Gb and 80Gb sizes (the biggest so far) - it included several refinements on the software of the iPod, including a new 'search' function that you could not get through firmware upgrades on existing iPods.
The release of iTunes 7.0 was a major step forward as the iTunes Music Store was renamed just 'iTunes Store' as you could now download music, TV shows and movies (and games!) for your iPod Video. It also incorporated updating the firmware on the iPod to within iTunes - you no longer have to download a seperate program to reset it, or keep it up to date.
In October 2006, a limited edition Red coloured nano was brought out with $10 of the purchase price going towards AIDS charities - as part of the Product Red range.
In January 2007, Apple announced the launch of the iPhone. A combination of phone and music player. In my mind it's a phone with an 8Gb iPod added in on the side, and not a 'proper' iPod. It DOES though however have a screen that is almost as big as the footprint of the unit, and is all controlled by touching the screen - no physical buttons. It wil be launched first in the USA in the Spring, and then Europe and the rest of the world to follow later, due to sorting out the contract side of the phone networks.
Personally, I'm still waiting for the 'proper' 6th generation iPod, which should have the wide-touch screen like the phone, but with a 80Gb hard disk, and no phone!
In February 2007, the Shuffle was made availale in five colours - silver/grey, purple, green, blue and orange. People suggest that you can now colour coordinate with your outfit and use them as tie-clips!
Friday, 27 April 2007
EMI music links
http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2048507,00.html-iTunes to offer EMI music to all
http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2048195,00.html- EMI and Apple in DRM deal
http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2048900,00.html
- "Big step forward in music revolution" hailed as EMI drops copy protection
http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2049994,00.html- EMI releases its first album without copy protection
http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2055410,00.html
- Beatles-EMI dispute settled
http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2048195,00.html- EMI and Apple in DRM deal
http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2048900,00.html
- "Big step forward in music revolution" hailed as EMI drops copy protection
http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2049994,00.html- EMI releases its first album without copy protection
http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2055410,00.html
- Beatles-EMI dispute settled
Thursday, 26 April 2007
Testing My case study.
1.Write a list of general terms related to NMT's
hot media
cold media
global village
convergence
personalisation
interactivity
democratisation
exploitation
consumption
technology
institutions
audience
issues
the future
innovation
technophile
technophobe
push technology
pull technology
2.Write a list of key terminology related to your chosen technology
production
content
performance
reception
developments
music distribution
record labels
digital auteurs
revenue
software
multimedia
stereo
soundtrack
anti-social technology
piracy revolution
3. From your blog, select 10 statements (stats, quotes) that you have found during your research which relate to debates on audiences' changing experiences, institutions response to technology, future etc, Name sources
The new indiestore service, in partnership with web music firm 7digital, allows bands to upload and sell four tracks, with the band keeping 70% of the revenue. Bands can upgrade to a "pro" service to sell up to 20 tracks and keep 80% of the revenue. 'Bebo Opens Music Store' By Jemima Kiss (published on Wednesday 28th March 2007, mediaguardian.co.uk).
The music business estimates that it lost £2.6bn worldwide to online and offline piracy in 2002 and, to many, making a success of legal download services is their last chance to stem the tide. 'Catch Them If You Can' By Owen Gibson (published Monday 2nd June 2003, The Guardian).
Record companies' digital sales jumped to $2bn (£1bn) in 2006 from $1.1bn a year earlier and continued to take market share (according to the global industry group IFPI,) yet the market is still in decline. Mobiles and broadband access may reverse trend. 'Still Waiting: Record Labels Long For Digital to Rescue Dwindling Sales' By Katie Allen (published Thursday 18th Jnuary 2007, The Guardian).
The pace of decline has now slowed but the latest figures still show global trade values down 4% in the first half of 2006 to $8.4bn. 'Still Waiting: Record Labels Long For Digital to Rescue Dwindling Sales' By Katie Allen (published Thursday 18th Jnuary 2007, The Guardian).
EMI's latest results showed digital revenues had jumped by 68% to £74m in the first half of 2006. They represented a growing share of total revenues at 8.5% but that is still lower than for the music market as a whole, where a tenth of global sales are digital. 'New Digital Recruit is Upbeat About Reshaping EMI's Future With Downloads' By Katie Allen (published on Wednesday 24th January 2007, The Guardian).
The RIAA began legal actions against US citizens in June 2003, and its current strategy of targeting college campuses has created a wave of new headlines - most of them negative. 'Can Filesharers Be Made to Pay?' By Adam Webb (published on Thursday 22nd March 2007, The Guardian).
The first of these cases, in January last year, resulted in a landmark legal ruling, with two men ordered to pay £5,000 and £1,500 respectively for copyright infringement. Additional costs and damages were estimated at up to £20,000. 'Can Filesharers Be Made to Pay?' By Adam Webb (published on Thursday 22nd March 2007, The Guardian).
Record labels are trying to woo younger audience by offering back catalogues on downloads. Faced with declining CD sales, record labels are increasingly hoping to market rock's biggest names to younger listeners via the web. 'The Doors lead way as big names of rock go digital' (published on Monday 26th March 2007, The Guardian).
Apple sold more than 10.5 million iPods in the first three months of 2007, helping the US technology firm to record an 88% increase in profits. Profits rose to $770m (£384m) from $410m for the same period last year. 'iPods and Macs lift Apple profits' (published on Wednesday 25th April 2007, BBC News).
Music sales had amounted to $14.5bn (£7bn) in 1999 but were down to $12.2bn in 2005. 'US music companies target colleges in crackdown on illegal downloads' By Ewen MacAskill and Conor Clarke (published on Thursday 22nd February 2007, The Guardian).
hot media
cold media
global village
convergence
personalisation
interactivity
democratisation
exploitation
consumption
technology
institutions
audience
issues
the future
innovation
technophile
technophobe
push technology
pull technology
2.Write a list of key terminology related to your chosen technology
production
content
performance
reception
developments
music distribution
record labels
digital auteurs
revenue
software
multimedia
stereo
soundtrack
anti-social technology
piracy revolution
3. From your blog, select 10 statements (stats, quotes) that you have found during your research which relate to debates on audiences' changing experiences, institutions response to technology, future etc, Name sources
The new indiestore service, in partnership with web music firm 7digital, allows bands to upload and sell four tracks, with the band keeping 70% of the revenue. Bands can upgrade to a "pro" service to sell up to 20 tracks and keep 80% of the revenue. 'Bebo Opens Music Store' By Jemima Kiss (published on Wednesday 28th March 2007, mediaguardian.co.uk).
The music business estimates that it lost £2.6bn worldwide to online and offline piracy in 2002 and, to many, making a success of legal download services is their last chance to stem the tide. 'Catch Them If You Can' By Owen Gibson (published Monday 2nd June 2003, The Guardian).
Record companies' digital sales jumped to $2bn (£1bn) in 2006 from $1.1bn a year earlier and continued to take market share (according to the global industry group IFPI,) yet the market is still in decline. Mobiles and broadband access may reverse trend. 'Still Waiting: Record Labels Long For Digital to Rescue Dwindling Sales' By Katie Allen (published Thursday 18th Jnuary 2007, The Guardian).
The pace of decline has now slowed but the latest figures still show global trade values down 4% in the first half of 2006 to $8.4bn. 'Still Waiting: Record Labels Long For Digital to Rescue Dwindling Sales' By Katie Allen (published Thursday 18th Jnuary 2007, The Guardian).
EMI's latest results showed digital revenues had jumped by 68% to £74m in the first half of 2006. They represented a growing share of total revenues at 8.5% but that is still lower than for the music market as a whole, where a tenth of global sales are digital. 'New Digital Recruit is Upbeat About Reshaping EMI's Future With Downloads' By Katie Allen (published on Wednesday 24th January 2007, The Guardian).
The RIAA began legal actions against US citizens in June 2003, and its current strategy of targeting college campuses has created a wave of new headlines - most of them negative. 'Can Filesharers Be Made to Pay?' By Adam Webb (published on Thursday 22nd March 2007, The Guardian).
The first of these cases, in January last year, resulted in a landmark legal ruling, with two men ordered to pay £5,000 and £1,500 respectively for copyright infringement. Additional costs and damages were estimated at up to £20,000. 'Can Filesharers Be Made to Pay?' By Adam Webb (published on Thursday 22nd March 2007, The Guardian).
Record labels are trying to woo younger audience by offering back catalogues on downloads. Faced with declining CD sales, record labels are increasingly hoping to market rock's biggest names to younger listeners via the web. 'The Doors lead way as big names of rock go digital' (published on Monday 26th March 2007, The Guardian).
Apple sold more than 10.5 million iPods in the first three months of 2007, helping the US technology firm to record an 88% increase in profits. Profits rose to $770m (£384m) from $410m for the same period last year. 'iPods and Macs lift Apple profits' (published on Wednesday 25th April 2007, BBC News).
Music sales had amounted to $14.5bn (£7bn) in 1999 but were down to $12.2bn in 2005. 'US music companies target colleges in crackdown on illegal downloads' By Ewen MacAskill and Conor Clarke (published on Thursday 22nd February 2007, The Guardian).
link copy need to read and cut down/edit
link: http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2049769,00.html
The wired world, so they say, moves faster than meatspace. In that case, one month, three weeks and five days might seem like an awfully long time to the digerati.
But that's how long it took between Steve Jobs publishing his Thoughts on Music - an open essay telling the recording industry to drop copy protection - and EMI's announcement this week that it was going to offer downloads without Digital Rights Management (DRM).
Jobs, reading from a script rather than delivering his sermon with the usual practised polish, took the stage in London alongside EMI boss Eric Nicoli to hail the decision as breaking new ground. Campaigners breathlessly welcomed the death of copy protection, and digerati around the web began wildly dancing on the grave of DRM. Are they right?
At first glance, it seems like a situation where everybody wins: the record label can sell to customers without worrying about interoperability; iPod owners can buy from new outlets; Apple can sell to non-iPod users; other retailers can offer downloads from a big label. And, crucially, customers can (hopefully) stop worrying about interoperability.
EMI said its entire catalogue would be available as unprotected tracks for any retailer who wants to sell them - on iTunes, these higher quality tracks will cost 99p, while lower-grade, DRM-laden versions will still cost 79p.
Jobs was bullish about what this would mean for DRM overall, predicting that other major labels will follow suit shortly, and that half of the iTunes Music Store's 5m tracks would be available as unprotected versions by the end of the year.
It is the first step to vindicating the long-held views of anti-DRM campaigners - and download stores such as Wippit and eMusic that have lobbied tirelessly against copy protection - and was generally welcomed by music sellers.
Wider reach
"This is great news, because we can sell a really significant amount of music to people we couldn't reach before," said Ben Drury, founder of download service 7Digital. As well as reaching iPod owners with unprotected MP3s, Drury says it allows many stores to reach previously troublesome markets.
"We can also sell EMI's tracks to Mac users - Microsoft's WMA DRM doesn't work on them - and to people using Linux. It's a significant minority."
Some were more sceptical, however, and questioned whether Apple's move really opens iTunes up to everybody.
"The DRM-free tracks on iTunes are in AAC format, which isn't supported by the majority of digital music players. Jobs has played a very smart game," says Mark Mulligan, an analyst with Jupiter Research. "Apple has dropped the proprietary DRM but still have the customer lock-in due to AAC."
But not everybody believes this to be the case. Although AAC might not have the ubiquity of MP3, it is far from being exclusive to Apple. The iTunes store was the first system to popularise the format, but other adopters include Sony, Nokia, Microsoft and Real.
And, say audiophiles, it is significantly better quality than most other popular formats. An independent survey by Canada's Communications Research Centre showed that AAC was higher quality than most of its rivals, even when encoded at the same bitrate.
But there were certainly some politics at play, as iTunes and its FairPlay DRM system had become something of a hot potato around Europe. Norway, in particular, has been getting itchy with allegations that iTunes benefits from an anti-competitive link with the iPod, and pressure was building on Apple to avoid a drawn-out court battle - a situation that clearly influenced Jobs' open letter in February.
And although the EU this week announced that it had sent a Statement of Objections to the major labels and Apple over cross-border restrictions, it seems likely that the EMI deal will have soothed the brows of many critics.
There were other, less travelled aspects of the announcement that could have positive impacts in the long term. For example, if entire catalogues from big labels begin to go DRM-free, some of the hidden costs of restricting rights could also disappear - time spent doing multiple encoding, working on new rights schemes and supporting customers who discover the music they've bought won't play on their desired device.
Experimental credentials
EMI's motivations for the move were more than simply benevolence - business has been tough for the company, despite a roster of high-profile artists such as Robbie Williams, Coldplay and Lily Allen.
And although the label also hosts digital refuseniks such as the Beatles and Radiohead (who only relented after several years of lobbying by fans), it is keen to promote its experimental credentials - Monday's press conference saw a performance from Damon Albarn's latest project, the Good, the Bad and the Queen, for example.
The deal also covers music videos, which will be opened up in the same way, showing how video and audio are coming closer together. And it puts a premium on albums, too, offering bulk purchases at a lower wholesale price.
The implications may be many and varied, but it is likely to take some time for all the wrinkles to shake themselves out. Not every record company is going to simply fall behind the idea, and not every customer is going to get exactly what they want. But nearly all observers agree it is a step in the right direction.
"There's no doubt about it, this is an interesting and potentially quite encouraging move," said Dan Cryan, an analyst with Screen Digest.
How do the download stores compare on price, quality and format?
iTunes Music Store
EMI artists 99p, unprotected 256kbps AAC
Others 79p, restricted 128kbps AAC
eMusic
Bulk buy packages priced at 20-30p per song, unprotected 192kbps MP3
Wippit
From 29-99p per track, unprotected 192kbps MP3
7Digital
Up to 99p, across a mixture of formats (protected WMA, unprotected MP3 and AAC) most at 192kbps
MSN (provided by OD2)
75p per track, restricted 128kbps WMA
The wired world, so they say, moves faster than meatspace. In that case, one month, three weeks and five days might seem like an awfully long time to the digerati.
But that's how long it took between Steve Jobs publishing his Thoughts on Music - an open essay telling the recording industry to drop copy protection - and EMI's announcement this week that it was going to offer downloads without Digital Rights Management (DRM).
Jobs, reading from a script rather than delivering his sermon with the usual practised polish, took the stage in London alongside EMI boss Eric Nicoli to hail the decision as breaking new ground. Campaigners breathlessly welcomed the death of copy protection, and digerati around the web began wildly dancing on the grave of DRM. Are they right?
At first glance, it seems like a situation where everybody wins: the record label can sell to customers without worrying about interoperability; iPod owners can buy from new outlets; Apple can sell to non-iPod users; other retailers can offer downloads from a big label. And, crucially, customers can (hopefully) stop worrying about interoperability.
EMI said its entire catalogue would be available as unprotected tracks for any retailer who wants to sell them - on iTunes, these higher quality tracks will cost 99p, while lower-grade, DRM-laden versions will still cost 79p.
Jobs was bullish about what this would mean for DRM overall, predicting that other major labels will follow suit shortly, and that half of the iTunes Music Store's 5m tracks would be available as unprotected versions by the end of the year.
It is the first step to vindicating the long-held views of anti-DRM campaigners - and download stores such as Wippit and eMusic that have lobbied tirelessly against copy protection - and was generally welcomed by music sellers.
Wider reach
"This is great news, because we can sell a really significant amount of music to people we couldn't reach before," said Ben Drury, founder of download service 7Digital. As well as reaching iPod owners with unprotected MP3s, Drury says it allows many stores to reach previously troublesome markets.
"We can also sell EMI's tracks to Mac users - Microsoft's WMA DRM doesn't work on them - and to people using Linux. It's a significant minority."
Some were more sceptical, however, and questioned whether Apple's move really opens iTunes up to everybody.
"The DRM-free tracks on iTunes are in AAC format, which isn't supported by the majority of digital music players. Jobs has played a very smart game," says Mark Mulligan, an analyst with Jupiter Research. "Apple has dropped the proprietary DRM but still have the customer lock-in due to AAC."
But not everybody believes this to be the case. Although AAC might not have the ubiquity of MP3, it is far from being exclusive to Apple. The iTunes store was the first system to popularise the format, but other adopters include Sony, Nokia, Microsoft and Real.
And, say audiophiles, it is significantly better quality than most other popular formats. An independent survey by Canada's Communications Research Centre showed that AAC was higher quality than most of its rivals, even when encoded at the same bitrate.
But there were certainly some politics at play, as iTunes and its FairPlay DRM system had become something of a hot potato around Europe. Norway, in particular, has been getting itchy with allegations that iTunes benefits from an anti-competitive link with the iPod, and pressure was building on Apple to avoid a drawn-out court battle - a situation that clearly influenced Jobs' open letter in February.
And although the EU this week announced that it had sent a Statement of Objections to the major labels and Apple over cross-border restrictions, it seems likely that the EMI deal will have soothed the brows of many critics.
There were other, less travelled aspects of the announcement that could have positive impacts in the long term. For example, if entire catalogues from big labels begin to go DRM-free, some of the hidden costs of restricting rights could also disappear - time spent doing multiple encoding, working on new rights schemes and supporting customers who discover the music they've bought won't play on their desired device.
Experimental credentials
EMI's motivations for the move were more than simply benevolence - business has been tough for the company, despite a roster of high-profile artists such as Robbie Williams, Coldplay and Lily Allen.
And although the label also hosts digital refuseniks such as the Beatles and Radiohead (who only relented after several years of lobbying by fans), it is keen to promote its experimental credentials - Monday's press conference saw a performance from Damon Albarn's latest project, the Good, the Bad and the Queen, for example.
The deal also covers music videos, which will be opened up in the same way, showing how video and audio are coming closer together. And it puts a premium on albums, too, offering bulk purchases at a lower wholesale price.
The implications may be many and varied, but it is likely to take some time for all the wrinkles to shake themselves out. Not every record company is going to simply fall behind the idea, and not every customer is going to get exactly what they want. But nearly all observers agree it is a step in the right direction.
"There's no doubt about it, this is an interesting and potentially quite encouraging move," said Dan Cryan, an analyst with Screen Digest.
How do the download stores compare on price, quality and format?
iTunes Music Store
EMI artists 99p, unprotected 256kbps AAC
Others 79p, restricted 128kbps AAC
eMusic
Bulk buy packages priced at 20-30p per song, unprotected 192kbps MP3
Wippit
From 29-99p per track, unprotected 192kbps MP3
7Digital
Up to 99p, across a mixture of formats (protected WMA, unprotected MP3 and AAC) most at 192kbps
MSN (provided by OD2)
75p per track, restricted 128kbps WMA
examination questions
1. a) Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo
b) - "Hardcore PC gamers have been taking part in online contests over local networks and the Internet for years"
- "Sony's EverQuest and Electronic Art's Ultima Online attract around 450,000 and 275,000 users respectively, paying between £6-8 per month"
- "Final Fantasy 11 attracted 120,000 online subscribers paying £7 a month in three months"
c) Sony and Microsoft are talking to continental broadband suppliers. Broadband offers speed, international dimension, it's always on, it's reliable, multi-player potential (rather than compete with one friend in your living room, you can now - on some PC games - compete against up to 80 people worldwide.)
2. a) 'Gain dominance of a market' means that one company will become the biggest in a particular area and thus, control it, making it more profitable. Online gamers will use it to play games over the Internet. They want to gain a competitive advantage by offering a better version of what other companies are offering. Eg. Microsoft.
b) The Internet is being used by newspapers and magazines to publish articles. Some stories are exclusive to the Internet.
Television is available on demand, eg. 4OD and Sky Anytime. 4OD allows users to watch a programme they missed whenever they want up to a week after it was aired on Channel 4.
Internet users are able to watch films, music videos, documentaries and sketches on the Internet. Could television become a thing of the past? Unlikely.
Television shows and music artists also have their own websites and information pages so they can keep fans interested and gain a strong following.
Music is available all over the Internet to download, sell, share and publish. The net allows users to do things with music they couldn't previously have done such as publish the music they make without a record deal.
Blogs allow anyone to write and publish anything they want, whether it be a diary or journalism of news. Blogs can be very personal. Any Internet user can read it and post a comment.
Broadband has democratised the media world and gives consumers greater choice on what they can do, which has worried industries as they are loosing control over their once passive audience and becoming less profitable.
b) - "Hardcore PC gamers have been taking part in online contests over local networks and the Internet for years"
- "Sony's EverQuest and Electronic Art's Ultima Online attract around 450,000 and 275,000 users respectively, paying between £6-8 per month"
- "Final Fantasy 11 attracted 120,000 online subscribers paying £7 a month in three months"
c) Sony and Microsoft are talking to continental broadband suppliers. Broadband offers speed, international dimension, it's always on, it's reliable, multi-player potential (rather than compete with one friend in your living room, you can now - on some PC games - compete against up to 80 people worldwide.)
2. a) 'Gain dominance of a market' means that one company will become the biggest in a particular area and thus, control it, making it more profitable. Online gamers will use it to play games over the Internet. They want to gain a competitive advantage by offering a better version of what other companies are offering. Eg. Microsoft.
b) The Internet is being used by newspapers and magazines to publish articles. Some stories are exclusive to the Internet.
Television is available on demand, eg. 4OD and Sky Anytime. 4OD allows users to watch a programme they missed whenever they want up to a week after it was aired on Channel 4.
Internet users are able to watch films, music videos, documentaries and sketches on the Internet. Could television become a thing of the past? Unlikely.
Television shows and music artists also have their own websites and information pages so they can keep fans interested and gain a strong following.
Music is available all over the Internet to download, sell, share and publish. The net allows users to do things with music they couldn't previously have done such as publish the music they make without a record deal.
Blogs allow anyone to write and publish anything they want, whether it be a diary or journalism of news. Blogs can be very personal. Any Internet user can read it and post a comment.
Broadband has democratised the media world and gives consumers greater choice on what they can do, which has worried industries as they are loosing control over their once passive audience and becoming less profitable.
Tuesday, 17 April 2007
Is the Ipod really that good?
More than three years after its late 2001 launch, the iPod shows no sign of going out of fashion. But is it really worth its premium price relative to other portable music players?
i looked at a number of different reviews that looked at the ipod and different Mp3 players the best review i found was at
http://www.itwriting.com/ipodphoto.php
As an owner of an ipod myself i obviously favour this over the competition but i do think that the ipod can be overated myself, after reading through a number of reviews on the internet and watching 'The Gadget Show' i have seen a number of Mp3 players that come very close to the ipod and are better in a number of different ways, the Ipod that i have purchased was the Nano which i have found to be very good up until the point where the screen broke.
The ipod has become somewhat of a must have item, with it being an item of status as well as an Mp3 player.
i looked at a number of different reviews that looked at the ipod and different Mp3 players the best review i found was at
http://www.itwriting.com/ipodphoto.php
As an owner of an ipod myself i obviously favour this over the competition but i do think that the ipod can be overated myself, after reading through a number of reviews on the internet and watching 'The Gadget Show' i have seen a number of Mp3 players that come very close to the ipod and are better in a number of different ways, the Ipod that i have purchased was the Nano which i have found to be very good up until the point where the screen broke.
The ipod has become somewhat of a must have item, with it being an item of status as well as an Mp3 player.
music devices
Now music technology has moved to digital music, with radios being updated and new devices being produced such as Mp3s these devices have revolutionised music and the way we can listen to it, before we had the portable CD player which was revolutionary for its time but looking back at it now it seems so old tech, the new Mp3s can hold up to 40G of songs with each Gigabyte holding roughly 250 songs which gives you a rough idea of just how massive some of the memory these Mp3s can hold.
The main Mp3 to have come out is Mac's Ipod and it is the most well known and popular selling Mp3 on the market.I will be looking at just how good this product is, does it deserve its reputation?, are there any better Mp3s on the market?.
The main Mp3 to have come out is Mac's Ipod and it is the most well known and popular selling Mp3 on the market.I will be looking at just how good this product is, does it deserve its reputation?, are there any better Mp3s on the market?.
lets chat about music...
The music industry has brought a lot of extras with it as it has progressed, things such as different radio stations (devoted to different music and different areas)and music chat, now you can put your own views across and discuss music with people from around the world. There are a lot of different types of music chat sites with some focusing on one kind of music or one band and there are others that include all different types of music this allows the audience or listener to decide what type of of music they want to chat about and allows them to have thier say on these different types of music.
I dont use any type of music chat but i think were i to this would be the site i would use.
I dont use any type of music chat but i think were i to this would be the site i would use.
Thursday, 12 April 2007
how has music changed ?
The way that music is produced has changed radically since the original dawn of music particuarly in the last century.
this is because of the introduction of technology, different types of music can be produced and no longer does the usic have to made using instruments but computer programs installed with various sounds can do the job for the artist.
This enables the artist to alter their song to their desired sound after they have recorded it and they can even change their voice by tweaking out all the bad points and editing the recording to sound better thn before, this means that pratically anyone can become a 'good' singer because if they have the right knowledge in computer production or know someone that does then they dont have to be a good vocalist as long as they edit their voice it will sound good. Many have criticised this and their are a lot of older generation listeners who are against this my dad among them who often quotes "music just isn't the way it used to be' before going on to rant about hows music was when he was alive.
Technology has brought about so many changes to the music industry that unlike in past times when we have had very few main artists being so very sucessful, the market has opened up and now you will find thousands of different bands that have made it into the limelight somewhere along the line and are know nation if not world wide.
These changes with technology have brought about a lot new kinds of music such as 'electro pop' and 'dance and trance' music often refered to as 'club music' this is a very limited form of music in my view and although there are a number of dance songs i like i dont believe it to be very artistic and a lot of the songs are mind numbingly boring to listen to, often with the same computer generated beat running through the song repeatedly. I dont understand how people can get so much praise for this as they have no real musical talent but because they can use a computer well, they are suddenly classed as an 'artist', this just goes to show the dramatic change in the production of music and how it has gone from the real artists to computer geeks that are responsible for producing a lot of todays music market.
this is because of the introduction of technology, different types of music can be produced and no longer does the usic have to made using instruments but computer programs installed with various sounds can do the job for the artist.
This enables the artist to alter their song to their desired sound after they have recorded it and they can even change their voice by tweaking out all the bad points and editing the recording to sound better thn before, this means that pratically anyone can become a 'good' singer because if they have the right knowledge in computer production or know someone that does then they dont have to be a good vocalist as long as they edit their voice it will sound good. Many have criticised this and their are a lot of older generation listeners who are against this my dad among them who often quotes "music just isn't the way it used to be' before going on to rant about hows music was when he was alive.
Technology has brought about so many changes to the music industry that unlike in past times when we have had very few main artists being so very sucessful, the market has opened up and now you will find thousands of different bands that have made it into the limelight somewhere along the line and are know nation if not world wide.
These changes with technology have brought about a lot new kinds of music such as 'electro pop' and 'dance and trance' music often refered to as 'club music' this is a very limited form of music in my view and although there are a number of dance songs i like i dont believe it to be very artistic and a lot of the songs are mind numbingly boring to listen to, often with the same computer generated beat running through the song repeatedly. I dont understand how people can get so much praise for this as they have no real musical talent but because they can use a computer well, they are suddenly classed as an 'artist', this just goes to show the dramatic change in the production of music and how it has gone from the real artists to computer geeks that are responsible for producing a lot of todays music market.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)