"Ripping" Vs. "Sharing"

The debate about strict copyright laws, digital downloading, and the illegal "sharing" of music has gone on for some time. You shouldn't be able to make a back-up copy of a CD, say some, because that's copyright infringement. You shouldn't be able to download music from a legal Website and then burn it to more than one disc because, again, that's copyright infringement. Apparently digital downloading has caused this horror in the music industry. Yet today, I witnessed something that had me scratching my head. After lunch with a couple of colleagues, they wanted to pop into HMV to grab some "new" music for their iPods. Sick of the same old, same old, they decided to swap: you buy a few CDs you like, I'll buy some I like, and then we'll trade. Hmm...makes sense, right?

To the pro-copyright camp, they just violated the very sanctity of music. How dare you buy CDs and trade music like that? Essentially, that means you got every CD half-price, right? But from the pro-digital, evolution of music standpoint, what they've done is just opened each other's eyes to new music they may never have bothered to buy, in physical format or otherwise. Now not only is there a greater appreciation for different types of music, but there's also the increased chance that they'll like what they hear, and add a new artist to their radar for future purchases. What a concept!

On that note, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were new CDs available for as little as $12.99, and even $10! The last time I recall, new releases were, at best, $13.99 or $15.99. There were even some pretty good CDs selling "two for $12" or $25. Not bad. Still, I hesitated to buy anything, thinking that I'd just download the specific tunes I want and make a "mixed" CD (only one, of course. God forbid I make one for a friend as well). But at the prices they're at, it's almost worth it to buy the media (especially for the potentially better quality) and save myself the time.

I can't believe I'm saying it, but maybe CDs will return to profitability as people decide that they can't be bothered, or don't have the time, to compile a list of tunes, download them, and burn them to a CD as normal practice. If it isn't a hobby, it can certainly get time-consuming. And iPod owners know how expensive it can also get buying tune after tune, not realizing how much they add up until you get the dreaded credit card bill!

I could be way off base here, but it's food for thought, nonetheless.

On another note, Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers in the U.S. We wish you all the best on this wonderful holiday. Eat, play, and be merry!

What Will They Think Of Next?: Bring Back the Mix Tape

Anyone who grew up in the '80s or early '90s will have given a girlfriend/boyfriend, potential love interest, friend, or family member that popular gift of a "mixed tape". Yes, before the CD, and then the downloadable MP3 format became popular, the cassette tape was king. People popped them into this cool device called a Walkman, listened to tunes blasting from a square-shaped player hoisted atop their shoulder, and flipped them from side A to side B to get a whole new listing of songs (accessed only by a tedious manual fast forward/rewind process: no song skip with these babies!) Today, about two decades later, a company called fi-hi aims to bring this format back, but with a modern twist.

Called the usB-Side Mix'D Tape, the device is designed to look exactly like a cassette tape. But there's a secret: it's actually a USB flash drive, with a connector that flip-outs from its side. Then, just connect it to your PC and load up all your digital files, including music, as well as documents, videos, or images onto the gadget's 512 MB of internal memory. Now you have a nostalgic "mixed tape" for your love; and you can even add your own personal touch via the two included labels.

Aside from the mixed tape, the device can obviously also be used for sharing other data, or for transferring files back and forth. The inconspicious tapes are also great for storing or backing up sensitive data. A thief might grab USB drives, CDs, and your PC, but whose going to swipe your old tapes and 8-tracks?

Business persons might also find good use for these stand-out flash drives. They can contain promotional materials for distribution (in the same way many companies already use standard-designed USB keys); press kits, or flyers.

The "tapes" work with either PC or Mac, and come with their own little gift box for US$15 ea. at http://www.fi-hi.com/. I must say it's a pretty cool idea, and will certainly be a conversation-starter for anyone who receives them. But buyer beware: in case you didn't realize, they won't actually play in old cassette players!

New Site to Offer Free Music Downloads

A new digital music download Website has emerged that promises to offer tracks from Universal Music artists for free. Of course, there’s a small catch…

To download a tune from http://www.spiralfrog.com/, you’ll first have to wait a tiresome 90 seconds for the song to download. That’s no big deal; I can live with that. I lived with waiting longer than that back in the original Napster days when I was on dial-up! (It took half an hour to download one song!)

Second, you’ll have to fill out a survey each month about your buying habits. OK, a bit intrusive and demanding, but I’m willing to do this if it means no-hassle downloads on a daily basis.

The clincher for me, however, is that downloaded songs can’t be burned to a CD (strike one) nor transferred to an iPod (strike two). Strike three is obvious: the site only offers tunes from one label.

I do commend the company for attempting to find a winning solution to an ever-growing battle in the world of music. However, in my opinion, any service that restricts what I can do with something is o-u-t out. I want the exact same functionality I’d get with a store-bought, Compact Disc. Anything less is, well, less. To spiralfrog’s credit, you can transfer downloaded tracks to any Windows-compatible mobile device, so I’ll take back half a strike.

On a brighter note, I do believe that spiralfrog.com is on to something. How did the company manage to snag a deal with Universal to offer its tunes for free? Through online advertising: to which a portion of the revenue is undoubtedly paid to the label. This sounds like the most logical option I’ve heard to date. As it is right now, I quite often endure 10-15 second commercials so I can watch an online video, or engage in a quick game of Bejeweled 2. So I’d be more than happy to watch a quick commercial, or eyeball some ads, in order to download a desired track. This is provided I’m able to do with it as I like once it’s “mine”.

Spiralfrog.com might not be the breakthrough we’ve been looking for, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

Sony Attempts to Revitalize CD Industry With New “Ringle” Format

In an attempt to revitalize the suffering physical CD format, Sony has created the “ringle”, which will consist of a CD with three music tracks and one mobile phone ringtone. According to Reuters, a ringle CD will likely include a current hit song, a remix, and an older track.

"The idea is that if consumers in the digital age can download any tracks they want individually, why not let them buy singles in the store as well?,” explained Reuters. I’ll be honest: I haven’t gone CD shopping in a long time. But back in the day when I did buy CDs, I recall a large, often quite popular, section of CD singles. Really, the only new concept here is the addition of the ringtone.

Will this entice consumers to purchase CDs? If a “ringle” CD is $6, and digital music tracks on most sites run for about $99 each, where’s the incentive? I can buy those same three tracks for $3-4 in digital format, a ringtone from my cell provider for about $1.50, and I'm off to the races.

Maybe I’m far out on this one, but I just don’t get the appeal of a “ringle” CD. The problem is that the incentive toward digital music is no longer just about price, nor being able to get the single tracks that you want. Sure, this remains an important consideration: I hated buying CDs just for one or two good songs. But the appeal for digital music has evolved into the ability to use these tunes with the latest tech toys, which have become more sophisticated over the last few years. I can now transfer thousands of digital tunes to one media server that sits in my home theatre. Or I can transfer them to my high-capacity portable media player; or even store them on a large-format memory card that’s inserted into my portable device. With Internet streaming sites, and devices like the Slim Devices Squeezebox and Sonos Digital Music System, I can listen to digital tunes throughout the home, all from my PC.

I commend Sony and the music industry on their attempt to bring new life to the CD category. But aside from the points mentioned above, the market that’s still purchasing CDs (and don’t get me wrong: there is still a market!), is the complete opposite of the market that wants personalized ringtones. For the sake of the CD, I hope I'm proven wrong.

HMV Drops CD Prices by as Much as 33%

Is the traditional music CD in that much trouble? As of today, HMV says it will sell the majority of its music CDs at a 20% lower price point. In some cases, we’ll see up to a 33% price cut. Is this a strategic move on HMV’s part to become the leader in the music CD arena; or a necessary step to keep that part of the business alive?

Music retailer Sam The Record Man just closed the doors to its iconic downtown location this summer, clearly as a result of stiff competition from the online digital music marketplace. It’s no secret that people are downloading music online, but this isn’t to say that there aren’t still people who prefer a store-bought CD so they can enjoy the high-quality sound, and pamphlet inserts. Nevertheless, the number of customers who fit this group have dwindled considerably over the past few years.

HMV has made some pretty smart moves in order to remain profitable in the wake of the changing music landscape. The company has historically been very big in the DVD retailing side, which adds another source of revenue in addition to CDs. Last summer, HMV also added video games and gaming systems to its product roster, recognizing the huge growth in this particular area. This bold, new price reduction strategy can only mean good news for HMV. It will be interesting to see if other music retailers follow suit.

RIP Sam The Record Man

It’s no secret that sales of pysical CDs have been suffering at the expense of digital tracks from online services like iTunes, Puretrack, and, dare I say it, illegal peer-to-peer sites. We saw the iconic Tower Records close, and now downtown Toronto’s long-standing music retail store Sam The Record Man has seen its last days. As tough as it is to admit, we saw it coming.

The store will close next month. The CBC quoted Bob Sniderman, son of Founder Sam Sniderman, as saying: “Culture and society are changing. Our decision is a reflection on the state of the industry. We can't compete with what's happening in technology."

Other music retailers have taken steps to help offset the decline in CD purchases: Future Shop launched its own online music download service called Bonfire (powered by Puretracks) in 2004; while traditional music/DVD retailer HMV added video games, consoles, and accessories to its product mix last summer. The reality is, however, that digital will only continue to rise: with sites like iTunes, downloading a digital album will sometimes even provide you with the full CD jacket, including artist bios and song lyrics. Those who used the absence of these things as an argument against digital are certainly tight-lipped now.

If a music retailer wants to compete in cyber-world, here are a few suggestions. Cater to a specific niche market: offer tracks that haven’t yet found their way into the online arena. For example, a couple of my colleagues are hard-core classical music fans, and can’t find specific symphonies and performances through a music download site. These audiophile customers will remain faithful to the traditional retail model until they find a comparable alternative.

Another idea is to convert into a music café. I visited a Starbucks in South Beach, Miami last year, which was outfitted with really neat music listening stations that let you preview songs, and create your own custom-made CDs while sipping your latte. Speaking of Starbucks, I wouldn't be surprised to see one of those erected in the Yonge St. spot Sam currently occupies.

RIP, downtown T.O. Sam. Us Torontonians will miss ya.

Note: Two Sam franchise locations still exist: one in Belleville and another in Sarnia. I can hear the clock ticking…