Your music no longer plays in 3… 2… 1…

After iTunes was a monumental success, Microsoft did a bit of catch up with MSN Music Store.  A few years later Microsoft played catch up again by releasing the Zune, their wannabe iPod.  At the Zune’s release, Microsoft dumped the MSN Music Store and opened the Zune Marketplace.  Rather than use the same file format and DRM system, Microsoft “upgraded” the entire system.  This would not be an issue however, they did not consider backwards compatibility with music purchased from the MSN store.  The music from the MSN store is unplayable using the new Zune computer software and the Zune player. 

While having to keep old software on a PC just to play music purchase legally is bad enough, Microsoft has taken the pitfalls of DRM to a whole new level.  Right now music from the MSN store can be moved to new computers, but when ever moved, the software checks in to Microsoft’s server.  Even if the OS is upgraded, the server must be contacted. While the server check in is handled in the background and not a big deal, Microsoft has decided to shut off the server. 

Come August 31st, 2008 Microsoft will shut down the PlaysForSure (ironic name for the DRM) server.  The MSN Entertainment and Video Services general manager Rob Bennett emailed a statement to MSN Store users, “As of August 31, 2008, we will no longer be able to support the retrieval of license keys for the songs you purchased from MSN Music or the authorization of additional computers,” reads the e-mail seen by Ars. “You will need to obtain a license key for each of your songs downloaded from MSN Music on any new computer, and you must do so before August 31, 2008. If you attempt to transfer your songs to additional computers after August 31, 2008, those songs will not successfully play.”  Basically, if you have music from the MSN Music Store, get them on the five machines you want by August 31st and never upgrade, never move them to another machine, and hope your hard drive never needs to be replaced (it will make the music think it’s on a new machine; therefore try to connect to a new server). 

How Microsoft can pull this off amazes me.  I’m surprised there was not a massive lawsuit from when the Zune was incompatible with the MSN Store music.  However, I do not know the actual number of songs sold through the MSN Music Store. It may not even be enough for a class-action suit.  And as Ars Technica suggests there is the option of burning to CD then ripping back onto the computer to loose the DRM, however there is a massive loss in quality.

Finding Money in Skype

Just over 2 years ago eBay dropped a little over $3 billion (about $100,000,000 over) to purchase Skype.  While Skype has grown exponentially to over 309 million users (33 million of whom joined this year), eBay is having trouble finding a way to make money with it.  eBay’s always intends to supplement their primary site with the purchase of subsidiaries—their purchase of Paypal being the most notable—however, Skype has not become the integrated success eBay had hoped.  It has been so unsuccessful as a part of eBay experience, last year they declared its value at 1.4 billion.  The problem is not with Skype not being profitable (it has an annual revenue of 500 million), it is just that ebay cannot make it server their larger product, according to John Donahoe, “What we’re testing this year are the synergies…If the synergies are strong, we’ll keep it in our portfolio. If not, we’ll reassess it.” 

eBay had hoped Skype would open up communications with buyers and sellers.  I would love to know the last time Donahoe has used eBay.  I do understand how communication is a part of the eBay experience, however, eBay already has that covered.  Already integrated in their service is an anonymous messaging service that prevents personal information from getting out.  Adding a voice service to this removes the anonymity.  As a seller, there are always plenty of questions to field, often people looking to strike a deal to avoid waiting and actually bidding.  Dealing with the questions can be time consuming, or, as often the case, they do not event merit a response.  Why would I want to give potential buyers the opportunity to harass me via a “phone” call? 

Skype is good for phone and video conferencing around the world.  I use it for both business and personal communications, but I do not want ebayers to be contacting me through it.  When I ebay I enjoy not having to worry about it, I want the market to decide the price, I’m not looking for a debate on my Buy-it-now price or to repeatedly answer the same questions, especially via phone call. 

95% of UK 18-24 Year Olds Belong in Jail

Turns out in the UK, it’s illegal to even copy music for personal use.  They lack the ‘Fair Use’ laws we have in America that allow for copying of files (rip, duplication, etc) for personal use in a car or iPod.  In a recent Guarding survey 95% of the 1158 respondents between 18 and 24 admitted to some form of ‘sealing.’  While personal file sharing is still most popular with two thirds admitting to duplicating a CD for a friend, the chief executive of British Music Rights (BMR), the singer Feargal Sharkey, is concerned with the ease that online file sharing offers.  Before music was just copied on to tape and shared with personal friends, now a user can share with thousands of people instantly.  This is my favorite quote from the article: “Ultimately it has to get better ... At some point musicians and songwriters have to make enough money out of it otherwise they stop doing it,” he said “My concern is for the next generation of sexually frustrated, hormone-ridden 17-year-olds that are sitting in a bedroom about to possibly, and I hope, write something like Teenage Kicks.”  So let me get this right, if you cannot make money from music, 17-year-old kids will not look to writing awesome music as an outlet for their angst?  Interesting…

So, it turns out that the United States is not the only country experiencing the phenomenon of piracy.  However, BMR is not running around suing 14-year-old kids and 80-year-old grandparents for downloading Britney Spears from Limewire.  It looks like Sharkey is aware the market needs to change (unlike the RIAA).  In this world of Internet and situational ethics, “knowing something is illegal is no longer a deterrent,”  Sharkey states, “a combination of education projects and new ways of providing music to consumers - for example, advertising-funded downloads - will change that.”  It is a step in the right direction. 

Watching the music industry try to catch up is like watching a car company produce cars that only go 20MPH (32.18688KPH for UK readers), and they do not realize people are already traveling 70MPH on the Interstate, but they have a deal with the Highway Patrol to give tickets to random people going over 20MPH.  Hopefully with the iTunes Store pulling ahead of Wal-mart in music sales and the ability to buy a single track (what? the return of the single? who’d of guess?) things are moving in the right direction.  Also, please do not use Limewire, I do not care about your music purchasing habits, it’s just a really easy way to get viruses, and they suck.

Enjoy:

 

 

Via The Guardian

Walmart takes a Back Seat

Within less than 5 years of opening, the iTunes store has surpassed Wal-Mart as the largest distributer of music, according to the NPD Group’s MusicWatch survey, with 19% of the market to Wal-Marts 15%.  With Wal-Mart being the primary leader of music sales for may years, they have controlled the behavior of the music industry.  Controlling, at times, as much as 25% of all music distribution, but having that product account for less than 1% of revenues, it allowed Wal-Mart to run the show, censoring not only the music but even packaging and advertising.  With iTunes parental control, it allows for uncensored distribution of music and places the responsibility of monitoring children’s or personal listening practices on the individual, not a cooperation.  While I doubt this means pop music will get better, I do believe it begin to reduce studio pressure on artists to make their albums “Wal-mart friendly.”

 

Via Apple

Steve McQueen Days 2008

It has taken me a few days to get this post up, mostly because I was so blown away by the amazing time that was Steve McQueen Days 2008.  It was disappointing to the such a brief article in the Tribune, however online they posted a great audio slideshow featuring Barbara McQueen, Steve’s widow. 

AUDIO SLIDE SHOW: Steve McQueen Days

Slater is a great little town and it very well might be the birth place of cool, therefore I want to make sure it is not ignored or misunderstood.  To aid in the understand of Steve McQueen days I have created a little video of photos and clips I filmed on Saturday. There was so much more going on than what I documented and I wish I was able filmed more.  In addition to the photos and book signing by Barbara, I saw several great speakers including Steve’s stunt double Loren Janes, Sergeant Cliff Anderson - Steve’s military pal, and several locals that knew Steve when he was living there.  Plus, there was great music, food, a movies playing all day long.  However, the true reason I went was for the motorcycle rodeo and it was worth it.  Completely worth it.

Feel free to comment on parts of the video by clicking the green plus that appears when you mouse over the playhead (moving dot) on the video.
The music is the theme from Bullitt