File under 'futility'
September 22, 2008 1:39 PM Subscribe
Having seen their profits eroded to filesharing networks and Itunes, the major labels have a new plan: Go back to physical media.
Yeah I don't think anyone will be able to turn those into files.
posted by shakespeherian at 1:42 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by shakespeherian at 1:42 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
You can't spell "dumbass" without "bass".
posted by Mister_A at 1:44 PM on September 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by Mister_A at 1:44 PM on September 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
In the latest attempt to shore up sales of music on physical media, SanDisk Corp. and the four major music companies plan to announce Monday a new format called slotMusic.
Get up...
Get down...
Radio, video
Boogie with a suitcase
Your livin' in a disco
Forget about the rat race
Let's do the milkshake, sellin' like a hotcake
Try some buy some fee-fi-fo-fum
Talk about, slotMusic
Talk about, slotMusic
Shoobie doobie do wop
I wanna dedicate this
Pop pop shoo wop
Everybody made it
Shoobie doobie do wop
Infiltrate it
Pop pop shoo wop
Activate it
New York, London, Paris, Munich
Everybody talk about slotMusic
Talk about, slotMusic
Talk about, slotMusic
Slot slot slot slot musik
posted by ornate insect at 1:44 PM on September 22, 2008 [6 favorites]
Get up...
Get down...
Radio, video
Boogie with a suitcase
Your livin' in a disco
Forget about the rat race
Let's do the milkshake, sellin' like a hotcake
Try some buy some fee-fi-fo-fum
Talk about, slotMusic
Talk about, slotMusic
Shoobie doobie do wop
I wanna dedicate this
Pop pop shoo wop
Everybody made it
Shoobie doobie do wop
Infiltrate it
Pop pop shoo wop
Activate it
New York, London, Paris, Munich
Everybody talk about slotMusic
Talk about, slotMusic
Talk about, slotMusic
Slot slot slot slot musik
posted by ornate insect at 1:44 PM on September 22, 2008 [6 favorites]
I don't really see the point when you could just buy the CD and rip it for the same price.
posted by HaloMan at 1:45 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by HaloMan at 1:45 PM on September 22, 2008
The music is to be sold in the MP3 format, with no digital locks that prevent copying.
One of us doesn't understand how this post came from the linked story.
posted by DU at 1:45 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
One of us doesn't understand how this post came from the linked story.
posted by DU at 1:45 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
A perfect example of finding a hole slot and filling it.
posted by c:\awesome at 1:46 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by c:\awesome at 1:46 PM on September 22, 2008
The music is to be sold in the MP3 format, with no digital locks that prevent copying.
One of us doesn't understand how this post came from the linked story.
Because it's being sold on a memory card for significantly more than the cost of a comparable Itunes purchase.
posted by mattholomew at 1:47 PM on September 22, 2008
One of us doesn't understand how this post came from the linked story.
Because it's being sold on a memory card for significantly more than the cost of a comparable Itunes purchase.
posted by mattholomew at 1:47 PM on September 22, 2008
Albums sold on memory cards? Boy and you thought cover art sucked on CDs....
posted by hal9k at 1:48 PM on September 22, 2008 [7 favorites]
posted by hal9k at 1:48 PM on September 22, 2008 [7 favorites]
Yeah, microSD cards. No one is going to lose those by accident. But I look forward to the lilliputian liner notes.
posted by GuyZero at 1:48 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by GuyZero at 1:48 PM on September 22, 2008
The music is to be sold in the MP3 format, with no digital locks that prevent copying. An adapter is to be included allowing users to transfer their music to PCs via their USB slots. The albums are expected to cost about $15 and are likely to be stocked by retailers near CDs and portable devices such as MP3 players and mobile phones.
I'm trying to see the negative here. Granted, they could easily put the mp3s on a CD, but this is making it easier for people, especially teens who may not have access to credit cards, the ability to buy digital music that will play with their Ipods and cell phones and whatnot.
As for futility, didn't we pretty much assume the actual act of selling music was futile? Better for them to try new ways of selling DRM free music that either violent acts of law (lawsuits, DMCA) or flogging manufactured pop stars (Hanna Montana anyone?).
I'd have more respect for the copyfighter movement is they didn't have anti-capitalistic/corporate hangups. This never seemed to matter with free software. Empires have been created with it. But the moment someone tries to make money music...
posted by zabuni at 1:48 PM on September 22, 2008
I'm trying to see the negative here. Granted, they could easily put the mp3s on a CD, but this is making it easier for people, especially teens who may not have access to credit cards, the ability to buy digital music that will play with their Ipods and cell phones and whatnot.
As for futility, didn't we pretty much assume the actual act of selling music was futile? Better for them to try new ways of selling DRM free music that either violent acts of law (lawsuits, DMCA) or flogging manufactured pop stars (Hanna Montana anyone?).
I'd have more respect for the copyfighter movement is they didn't have anti-capitalistic/corporate hangups. This never seemed to matter with free software. Empires have been created with it. But the moment someone tries to make money music...
posted by zabuni at 1:48 PM on September 22, 2008
Why is there so little talk about SACD? All the Dylan remasters are Super Audio...
I heard that vinyl is making a surge in the twentysomething market, as well.
Funny, this post reminds me of Pocket Rockers. Heh Heh
posted by captainsohler at 1:48 PM on September 22, 2008
I heard that vinyl is making a surge in the twentysomething market, as well.
Funny, this post reminds me of Pocket Rockers. Heh Heh
posted by captainsohler at 1:48 PM on September 22, 2008
Good luck with that.
Unless it's one of the very small list of artists whose albums I just absolutely have to have right away in a physical format (and more and more I wonder why I even bother, since now that I've finally joined the 21st Century and gotten an iPod I hardly ever use a CD for anything anymore), I never buy a CD if it costs more in dollars than there are tracks on it, so I doubt my CD purchases are any more profitable than if I bought songs on the iTunes store regularly.
And I certainly wouldn't do anything different with this new media, assuming I'd deign to purchase it at all. Which I probably won't.
posted by Caduceus at 1:49 PM on September 22, 2008
Unless it's one of the very small list of artists whose albums I just absolutely have to have right away in a physical format (and more and more I wonder why I even bother, since now that I've finally joined the 21st Century and gotten an iPod I hardly ever use a CD for anything anymore), I never buy a CD if it costs more in dollars than there are tracks on it, so I doubt my CD purchases are any more profitable than if I bought songs on the iTunes store regularly.
And I certainly wouldn't do anything different with this new media, assuming I'd deign to purchase it at all. Which I probably won't.
posted by Caduceus at 1:49 PM on September 22, 2008
The future of the "music industry" is vinyl. It's a small future.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 1:49 PM on September 22, 2008 [4 favorites]
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 1:49 PM on September 22, 2008 [4 favorites]
So... given it's SanDisk I assume this is a preloaded MicroSD card?
Weird. Doomed to fail, of course.
posted by Artw at 1:49 PM on September 22, 2008
Weird. Doomed to fail, of course.
posted by Artw at 1:49 PM on September 22, 2008
It's the most revolutionary concept since the Kodak Disk format.
posted by Smart Dalek at 1:50 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by Smart Dalek at 1:50 PM on September 22, 2008
Is there going to be a tiny little SD album cover and a tiny little SD sleeve and a tiny little SD liner with tiny little SD notes and lyrics? Because it would still be retarded if the answers were all yes.
posted by Mister_A at 1:50 PM on September 22, 2008 [4 favorites]
posted by Mister_A at 1:50 PM on September 22, 2008 [4 favorites]
This is great. Now I can get music in digital format on my computer!
posted by burnmp3s at 1:51 PM on September 22, 2008 [24 favorites]
posted by burnmp3s at 1:51 PM on September 22, 2008 [24 favorites]
Is there going to be a tiny little SD album cover and a tiny little SD sleeve and a tiny little SD liner with tiny little SD notes and lyrics? Because it would still be retarded if the answers were all yes
Hey, speak for yourself. That sounds kind of awesome.
posted by mattholomew at 1:54 PM on September 22, 2008 [5 favorites]
Hey, speak for yourself. That sounds kind of awesome.
posted by mattholomew at 1:54 PM on September 22, 2008 [5 favorites]
This is great. Now I can get music in digital format on my computer!
posted by burnmp3s
*head explodes*
posted by Dr-Baa at 1:55 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
Actually, all this needs is for Apple to make it so that iPods can read these things directly and it might actually take off - lots of people would prefer to not monkey around with the computer to get songs on their device.
If you follow that direction of thinking, this could be huge. But of course, it won't.
posted by cimbrog at 1:56 PM on September 22, 2008
If you follow that direction of thinking, this could be huge. But of course, it won't.
posted by cimbrog at 1:56 PM on September 22, 2008
Actually I think this is well worth a go - the "plus extras" could tip the balance for music buyers (largely teenagers) towards demanding authentic products. They need to keep experimenting and so I don't agree with the LOLRECORDCOMPANIES here.
posted by Samuel Farrow at 1:57 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Samuel Farrow at 1:57 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
Why iPod? Theres plenty of MP3 plays that can read directly from microSd... manufactured by SanDisk.
posted by Artw at 1:57 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 1:57 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
Samuel Farrow - I'm still going with LOLRECORDCOMPANIES.
posted by Artw at 1:58 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by Artw at 1:58 PM on September 22, 2008
*head a/explodes* is the new eponysterical.
posted by adamdschneider at 1:59 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by adamdschneider at 1:59 PM on September 22, 2008
Is there going to be a tiny little SD album cover and a tiny little SD sleeve and a tiny little SD liner with tiny little SD notes and lyrics? Because it would still be retarded if the answers were all yes.
However you can use it to roll tiny little joints, which is a plus.
posted by Divine_Wino at 1:59 PM on September 22, 2008 [8 favorites]
However you can use it to roll tiny little joints, which is a plus.
posted by Divine_Wino at 1:59 PM on September 22, 2008 [8 favorites]
Well, the Kodak Disc Format had the whole blatant disregard for spatial economy weighing it down. This just fails to recognize that any attempt to place a physical product between a consumer and a digital product is wasteful.
posted by kaibutsu at 2:02 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by kaibutsu at 2:02 PM on September 22, 2008
So, we went from making records from oil (they are made from oil, right?), to making tapes from oil (amirite?), to making smaller tapes (oil again), to finally exchanging music via bits and bytes.... no resources used, no shipping involved, no gas wasted...
so, let's exchange them in plastic form again... maybe, next year, we can find a way to just embed music in a gallon of gas....
posted by HuronBob at 2:03 PM on September 22, 2008
so, let's exchange them in plastic form again... maybe, next year, we can find a way to just embed music in a gallon of gas....
posted by HuronBob at 2:03 PM on September 22, 2008
God bless Sandisk, for conning their partners into believing this is the new future of music distribution. Brilliant, just brilliant, probably will wind up selling a ton of flash drives to the labels. They'll have to find a place to stack all that worthless plastic the same way I have to store 400 worthless CDs taking up space in my house.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 2:03 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 2:03 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
slotMusic has a unique advantage, since it's compatible with a vast range of devices people already own, including hundreds of millions of mobile phones.
You know what else is compatible with a vast range of devices people already own?
Things we already have!
posted by roombythelake at 2:04 PM on September 22, 2008 [7 favorites]
You know what else is compatible with a vast range of devices people already own?
Things we already have!
posted by roombythelake at 2:04 PM on September 22, 2008 [7 favorites]
They could sell them from vending machines and get rid of the need for record stores!
posted by Jimbob at 2:07 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by Jimbob at 2:07 PM on September 22, 2008
If the problem is teenagers without access to credit cards, why not make a kiosk or something with a USB port that you can plug any USB music player into, insert cash, download music? Put it in malls or somewhere teenagers are already likely to be with wads of disposable income.
This just seems retarded. A proprietary format that doesn't work on most equipment *designed* to play music? My stereo doesn't have an SD slot, my car head unit doesn't have an SD slot, my MP3 player doesn't have an SD slot...
posted by Ziggy Zaga at 2:08 PM on September 22, 2008
This just seems retarded. A proprietary format that doesn't work on most equipment *designed* to play music? My stereo doesn't have an SD slot, my car head unit doesn't have an SD slot, my MP3 player doesn't have an SD slot...
posted by Ziggy Zaga at 2:08 PM on September 22, 2008
to finally exchanging music via bits and bytes.... no resources used
Wait really? What kind of backwards ass am I that I use electricity for my bits and bytes?
posted by shakespeherian at 2:09 PM on September 22, 2008 [4 favorites]
Wait really? What kind of backwards ass am I that I use electricity for my bits and bytes?
posted by shakespeherian at 2:09 PM on September 22, 2008 [4 favorites]
Well, the Kodak Disc Format had the whole blatant disregard for spatial economy weighing it down. This just fails to recognize that any attempt to place a physical product between a consumer and a digital product is wasteful.
Bears repeating. It's the distribution, stupid. I still can't fathom why the industry just doesn't take on ITMS on directly.
posted by butterstick at 2:12 PM on September 22, 2008
Bears repeating. It's the distribution, stupid. I still can't fathom why the industry just doesn't take on ITMS on directly.
posted by butterstick at 2:12 PM on September 22, 2008
sandisk probably has overcapacity now and making this stuff costs pennies so "why the hell not try it" is probably their approach. It cuts the COGS for the music producers significantly so it's a win all around.
posted by troy at 2:12 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by troy at 2:12 PM on September 22, 2008
Hmm... this displeases me.
In all honesty, i was happier seeing artists shake free from their labels and start carving their own paths. I can understand why major labels won't just stop aiming to market music, but they ought to think less about delivery systems and continue researching ways to increase the quality.
I was so pumped when the DVD audio specs were more or less agreed upon. It is disappointing to see those that could afford producing albums with such high audio quality [read: mostly major labels] not try pushing this idea harder before resorting to this idiocy.
I'm still going to release something on DVD audio someday. I will not aspire to have an mp3/microsd album.
posted by phylum sinter at 2:13 PM on September 22, 2008
In all honesty, i was happier seeing artists shake free from their labels and start carving their own paths. I can understand why major labels won't just stop aiming to market music, but they ought to think less about delivery systems and continue researching ways to increase the quality.
I was so pumped when the DVD audio specs were more or less agreed upon. It is disappointing to see those that could afford producing albums with such high audio quality [read: mostly major labels] not try pushing this idea harder before resorting to this idiocy.
I'm still going to release something on DVD audio someday. I will not aspire to have an mp3/microsd album.
posted by phylum sinter at 2:13 PM on September 22, 2008
I still can't fathom why the industry just doesn't take on ITMS on directly.
because Apple is only taking a dime per sale?
posted by troy at 2:13 PM on September 22, 2008
because Apple is only taking a dime per sale?
posted by troy at 2:13 PM on September 22, 2008
^ plus of course Apple now has a near-monopoly position of PMPs
posted by troy at 2:14 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by troy at 2:14 PM on September 22, 2008
Only just barely a plus, Divine_Wino, as tiny little joints are only just barely better than non-existent joints. I am a Big Stick® man myself.
posted by Mister_A at 2:15 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by Mister_A at 2:15 PM on September 22, 2008
This just seems retarded. A proprietary format that doesn't work on most equipment *designed* to play music? My stereo doesn't have an SD slot, my car head unit doesn't have an SD slot, my MP3 player doesn't have an SD slot...
Chicken & egg.
posted by troy at 2:17 PM on September 22, 2008
Chicken & egg.
posted by troy at 2:17 PM on September 22, 2008
"I don't have to convince you to buy anything; you already own it," Mr. Schreiber says.
Wait...really? THAT is the business plan that is going to save the big labels?
Eh, 6 months from now, I'll go to the bargain bin at Target and buy two or three micro sd cards for a dollar. I'll wipe the shitty top-forty nonsense off them and use em for save games on my Wii. Anyone remember the days of free AOL 1.4 mb floppy disks?
posted by JimmyJames at 2:17 PM on September 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
Wait...really? THAT is the business plan that is going to save the big labels?
Eh, 6 months from now, I'll go to the bargain bin at Target and buy two or three micro sd cards for a dollar. I'll wipe the shitty top-forty nonsense off them and use em for save games on my Wii. Anyone remember the days of free AOL 1.4 mb floppy disks?
posted by JimmyJames at 2:17 PM on September 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
If these new disks are cheaper than blank disks, I might be tempted to buy a few albums by artists I *don't* like, just for the thrill of deleting all the music.
Just think, if everyone does this it will turn the music charts completely upside down, the no 1 spot instead of being the most popular, would be the most hated!
posted by Lanark at 2:29 PM on September 22, 2008
Just think, if everyone does this it will turn the music charts completely upside down, the no 1 spot instead of being the most popular, would be the most hated!
posted by Lanark at 2:29 PM on September 22, 2008
An adapter is to be included allowing users to transfer their music to PCs via their USB slots.
Am I understanding this correctly?
1. Buy an album on a microSD card.
2. Insert microSD card into adapter that plugs into a USB port on a PC.
3. Upload music onto computer.
4. Put music on mp3 player (unless you want to carry around a handful of 1/2" x 1/2" cards in your pocket)
5. Listen to music.
or...
1. Buy an album on a microSD card.
2. Insert microSD album into microSD slot on phone
3. Navigate crappy interface to find the music
4. Listen to music
5. Someone calls....
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4.
Right now, I have a microSD card in my phone. It has about 25 songs on it. The headphone jack on my phone (a middle of the road Nokia N75 flip phone) is some proprietary piece of shit connector that I have never seen anywhere else and is not compatible with any headphones I have ever owned. Why would I go through the trouble of buying the proprietary headphones, which are likely going to be incompatible with any future phone I buy just to listen to an album on a micro card that I am likely going to lose the second I swap it out? Since I do not have the headphones, I must listen to the music through the speakers on my phone, which have the acoustics of a screeching bat. My Macbook does not have an SD port, and even getting those 25 or so songs onto the microSD card in my phone was a huge hassle which involved a USB adapter that plugged into the previously mentioned proprietary connector.
Music industry, you are doing it wrong.
posted by clearly at 2:34 PM on September 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
Am I understanding this correctly?
1. Buy an album on a microSD card.
2. Insert microSD card into adapter that plugs into a USB port on a PC.
3. Upload music onto computer.
4. Put music on mp3 player (unless you want to carry around a handful of 1/2" x 1/2" cards in your pocket)
5. Listen to music.
or...
1. Buy an album on a microSD card.
2. Insert microSD album into microSD slot on phone
3. Navigate crappy interface to find the music
4. Listen to music
5. Someone calls....
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4.
Right now, I have a microSD card in my phone. It has about 25 songs on it. The headphone jack on my phone (a middle of the road Nokia N75 flip phone) is some proprietary piece of shit connector that I have never seen anywhere else and is not compatible with any headphones I have ever owned. Why would I go through the trouble of buying the proprietary headphones, which are likely going to be incompatible with any future phone I buy just to listen to an album on a micro card that I am likely going to lose the second I swap it out? Since I do not have the headphones, I must listen to the music through the speakers on my phone, which have the acoustics of a screeching bat. My Macbook does not have an SD port, and even getting those 25 or so songs onto the microSD card in my phone was a huge hassle which involved a USB adapter that plugged into the previously mentioned proprietary connector.
Music industry, you are doing it wrong.
posted by clearly at 2:34 PM on September 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
I might be tempted to buy a few albums by artists I *don't* like, just for the thrill of deleting all the music.
Yeah, I wouldn't bother with that Lanark. The article says they want to sell these things for $15. I imagine the cards will only be 256 or 512 meg in size - just enough to hold the album, no more. You can get 1 gig blank microSD cards for about that, can't you?
posted by Jimbob at 2:36 PM on September 22, 2008
Yeah, I wouldn't bother with that Lanark. The article says they want to sell these things for $15. I imagine the cards will only be 256 or 512 meg in size - just enough to hold the album, no more. You can get 1 gig blank microSD cards for about that, can't you?
posted by Jimbob at 2:36 PM on September 22, 2008
clearly - Heh. My phones MP3 capabilities are so crapply implemented I forget it even has them.
posted by Artw at 2:40 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by Artw at 2:40 PM on September 22, 2008
The RIAA - always ahead of the game. Their visionary thinking is going to sink them one of these days.
posted by twistedonion at 2:44 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by twistedonion at 2:44 PM on September 22, 2008
You can get 4gb microSD cards shipped for less than that
I don't think SanDisk ever expects any of these schemes to actually work (like that U3 bullshit) — they seem like ploys to pretend that they're pushing their product, to pretend they aren't just a bulk manufacturer of raw materiel — and probably to launder their massive profits to cronies who set up the 'initiatives'.
posted by blasdelf at 3:05 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
I don't think SanDisk ever expects any of these schemes to actually work (like that U3 bullshit) — they seem like ploys to pretend that they're pushing their product, to pretend they aren't just a bulk manufacturer of raw materiel — and probably to launder their massive profits to cronies who set up the 'initiatives'.
posted by blasdelf at 3:05 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
Why isn't Apple setting up little ATM-style kiosks that do this with iTunes, for instance?
Because you can already buy songs on your iPod without the kiosk?
posted by designbot at 3:05 PM on September 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
Because you can already buy songs on your iPod without the kiosk?
posted by designbot at 3:05 PM on September 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
Possibly because of their ties to a model where a single computer acts as your library and controls all access?
posted by Artw at 3:06 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by Artw at 3:06 PM on September 22, 2008
I really don't understand whether there might be obstacles to this idea I ain't thought of.
No real obstacles but there are cheaper methods of distribution. I've seen iTunes cards available in HMV and Sainsburys. I'm sure other places sell them also. Perfect for kids with no access to cards.
Regarding building a custom machine to sell downloads - I'd say it's just not cost effective considering Apple makes very little on downloads.
A "kiosk" instore would be interesting though... basically a person with a computer and connection to itunes. Kid gives mp3 player to assistant who plugs it in and puts the music on the mp 3player
posted by twistedonion at 3:07 PM on September 22, 2008
No real obstacles but there are cheaper methods of distribution. I've seen iTunes cards available in HMV and Sainsburys. I'm sure other places sell them also. Perfect for kids with no access to cards.
Regarding building a custom machine to sell downloads - I'd say it's just not cost effective considering Apple makes very little on downloads.
A "kiosk" instore would be interesting though... basically a person with a computer and connection to itunes. Kid gives mp3 player to assistant who plugs it in and puts the music on the mp 3player
posted by twistedonion at 3:07 PM on September 22, 2008
This will never take off unless they make an adapter so we can listen to SD cards in our MiniDisc players.
posted by designbot at 3:11 PM on September 22, 2008 [5 favorites]
posted by designbot at 3:11 PM on September 22, 2008 [5 favorites]
Is this somehow not likely to be profitable?
All of those kids that have iPods but don't have computers? Every once in a while they pay a guy $10 to fill it up, the same guy they used to buy bootleg CDs & mixtapes from.
The nineties CD boom was fueled by naïve suburban parents paying for all of it. The other kids bought it on the street. You seriously think any kids pay for music these days?
I, for one, downloaded 30gb of music (425 albums) this weekend. There was a freeleech going on, and I hadn't caught up with things since OiNK shut down a year ago. That's how things work these days — we're so post-scarcity, acquiring music is a chore like fetching water from the infinite well.
posted by blasdelf at 3:17 PM on September 22, 2008
All of those kids that have iPods but don't have computers? Every once in a while they pay a guy $10 to fill it up, the same guy they used to buy bootleg CDs & mixtapes from.
The nineties CD boom was fueled by naïve suburban parents paying for all of it. The other kids bought it on the street. You seriously think any kids pay for music these days?
I, for one, downloaded 30gb of music (425 albums) this weekend. There was a freeleech going on, and I hadn't caught up with things since OiNK shut down a year ago. That's how things work these days — we're so post-scarcity, acquiring music is a chore like fetching water from the infinite well.
posted by blasdelf at 3:17 PM on September 22, 2008
Is there going to be a tiny little SD album cover and a tiny little SD sleeve and a tiny little SD liner with tiny little SD notes and lyrics? Because it would still be retarded if the answers were all yes.
However you can use it to roll tiny little joints, which is a plus.
Using this line of thought I'd rather they get back into vinyl.
posted by Big_B at 3:19 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
However you can use it to roll tiny little joints, which is a plus.
Using this line of thought I'd rather they get back into vinyl.
posted by Big_B at 3:19 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
I heard that vinyl is making a surge in the twentysomething market, as well.
I figured that was stricly a steampunk thing.
posted by rocket88 at 3:27 PM on September 22, 2008
I figured that was stricly a steampunk thing.
posted by rocket88 at 3:27 PM on September 22, 2008
Why isn't Apple setting up little ATM-style kiosks that do this with iTunes, for instance?
You can buy iTunes gift cards in the supermarket. The kids are alright.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:28 PM on September 22, 2008
You can buy iTunes gift cards in the supermarket. The kids are alright.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:28 PM on September 22, 2008
That's how things work these days — we're so post-scarcity, acquiring music is a chore like fetching water from the infinite well.
It's insane. I put the RSS feeds from my favorite MP3 blogs in Google Reader and now I can't even keep up with all the new blogs Google keeps recommending, let alone download everything that interests me on the ones I'm already subscribed to. It makes me hyperventilate a little if I think about it too much.
posted by fleetmouse at 3:47 PM on September 22, 2008
It's insane. I put the RSS feeds from my favorite MP3 blogs in Google Reader and now I can't even keep up with all the new blogs Google keeps recommending, let alone download everything that interests me on the ones I'm already subscribed to. It makes me hyperventilate a little if I think about it too much.
posted by fleetmouse at 3:47 PM on September 22, 2008
Incidentally, most of what I download is out of print exotica, spoken word, cinema and library music, so I don't think I'm stealing meds out of Britney's handbag or something.
posted by fleetmouse at 3:54 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by fleetmouse at 3:54 PM on September 22, 2008
Ha! They're trying to recreate pre-internet marketing conditions. They'll never understand what has happened. Of course this probably has nothing to do with developing a viable marketing strategy, more like buildings filled with lawyers trying to maximize their ability to drain cash out of the majors while the recording execs are still delusional.
posted by gallois at 4:22 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by gallois at 4:22 PM on September 22, 2008
As doomed and silly as this may be, anything that gets the music business accustomed selling non-DRMed products should be applauded rather than raspberried.
posted by Western Infidels at 4:38 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by Western Infidels at 4:38 PM on September 22, 2008
*waxes moustache*
*wears stripey, knee length short sleeved bathing garment*
*endorses music industry*
*fires up the old Victrola*
posted by Smedleyman at 4:40 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
*wears stripey, knee length short sleeved bathing garment*
*endorses music industry*
*fires up the old Victrola*
posted by Smedleyman at 4:40 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
This just seems retarded. A proprietary format that doesn't work on most equipment *designed* to play music? My stereo doesn't have an SD slot, my car head unit doesn't have an SD slot, my MP3 player doesn't have an SD slot...
Your experience may not be everyone's. My MP3 player has a microSD slot, my phone has a microSD slot, my computer has an SD slot (and I have a microSD adapter)... Does anyone actually use their car stereos for anything other than poorly-connected amplifiers for their mp3 players?
I hope this works, if for no other reason than demonstrating the viability of non-DRMed sales. Not too many people are buying music anymore for any other reason than because they think they should, so you might as well forgo any DRM that can be bypassed and just sell what people want.
posted by Mitrovarr at 4:51 PM on September 22, 2008
Your experience may not be everyone's. My MP3 player has a microSD slot, my phone has a microSD slot, my computer has an SD slot (and I have a microSD adapter)... Does anyone actually use their car stereos for anything other than poorly-connected amplifiers for their mp3 players?
I hope this works, if for no other reason than demonstrating the viability of non-DRMed sales. Not too many people are buying music anymore for any other reason than because they think they should, so you might as well forgo any DRM that can be bypassed and just sell what people want.
posted by Mitrovarr at 4:51 PM on September 22, 2008
anything that gets the music business accustomed selling non-DRMed products should be applauded rather than raspberried.
They already are accustomed to it. Most Cds are non-DRM and they could just as easily put mp3s on the disc. Or they could do the sensible thing and distribute digitally without the need to pollute our lives with plastic stuff.
It could be a PR coup - RIAA goes green, saves tonnes and tonnes of CO2... but no, still stuck in the high profit margin 80s and 90s and clinging on for dear life. stupid idiots.
posted by twistedonion at 4:51 PM on September 22, 2008
They already are accustomed to it. Most Cds are non-DRM and they could just as easily put mp3s on the disc. Or they could do the sensible thing and distribute digitally without the need to pollute our lives with plastic stuff.
It could be a PR coup - RIAA goes green, saves tonnes and tonnes of CO2... but no, still stuck in the high profit margin 80s and 90s and clinging on for dear life. stupid idiots.
posted by twistedonion at 4:51 PM on September 22, 2008
As doomed and silly as this may be, anything that gets the music business accustomed selling non-DRMed products should be applauded rather than raspberried.
Too little, too late.
Much like the current economy, I'd rather watch then crash and burn. It would be far easier to wipe the current monopolistic mess away, then assist with the recovery by purchasing music directly from the artists. Yep, we'll have a "depression" of media, as the system recovers, but it'll be worth it in the long run.
posted by FormlessOne at 4:52 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
Too little, too late.
Much like the current economy, I'd rather watch then crash and burn. It would be far easier to wipe the current monopolistic mess away, then assist with the recovery by purchasing music directly from the artists. Yep, we'll have a "depression" of media, as the system recovers, but it'll be worth it in the long run.
posted by FormlessOne at 4:52 PM on September 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
Is there going to be a tiny little SD album cover and a tiny little SD sleeve and a tiny little SD liner with tiny little SD notes and lyrics? Because it would still be retarded if the answers were all yes.
However you can use it to roll tiny little joints, which is a plus.
Which, of course, is what are needed with the highly potent super-pot all the kids are smoking these days..
posted by Maias at 4:54 PM on September 22, 2008
However you can use it to roll tiny little joints, which is a plus.
Which, of course, is what are needed with the highly potent super-pot all the kids are smoking these days..
posted by Maias at 4:54 PM on September 22, 2008
Will I now have to buy some sort of case-logic micro SD binders?
posted by cell divide at 5:10 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by cell divide at 5:10 PM on September 22, 2008
In all seriousness, the only use I could see for these would be for huge files-- like buy every Led Zeppelin track, plus the Song Remains the Same and all music videos for $99 or something. Or 8gb of 80's music for $80 or something like that, I don't know.
posted by cell divide at 5:11 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by cell divide at 5:11 PM on September 22, 2008
Ah, so this is why Samsung's been trying to buy Sandisk, and, having failed, is going for a hostile takeover. I love it when I figure things out.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:52 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:52 PM on September 22, 2008
I agree with cell divide. These could work well once the cards get up into the 16GB+ sizes and they start using lossless codecs. Buy all 20 Beatles albums for $50 or something.
It's not going to revolutionize the "music industry."
posted by mrgrimm at 6:00 PM on September 22, 2008
It's not going to revolutionize the "music industry."
posted by mrgrimm at 6:00 PM on September 22, 2008
does anyone even BUY 1gb cards anymore? (i read on gizmodo that that's the size they're planning on) kudos to sandisk for finding a sinking ship to dump their useless backstock on. (seriously? 1gb? what's the point of that? what's that? like ONE movie? meh.) this seems useful only to cartoon mice without access to the innernet...
posted by sexyrobot at 7:07 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by sexyrobot at 7:07 PM on September 22, 2008
This is not the first time this has been tried.
The first portable MP3 player I owned was a thing called the "MPlayer3" by a Germany company called Pontis. It was actually a pretty neat little device; two MMC slots, ran on two AA batteries, no moving parts, simple interface you could use without looking at it.
In some ways, it was better than an iPod. But it never caught on: it used a proprietary format on the cards (not FAT16/32), and the software was wretched, and the card capacity didn't increase as quickly as they thought it would so you were stuck swapping 16MB and 32MB cards all the time.
But part of their original sales pitch was that, in addition to blank cards that you'd load up yourself with MP3s (using your serial port, woohoo!), you'd be able to go down to Sam Goody any day now and buy pre-recorded albums on read-only cards. A friend of mine even managed to order one from some obscure band in Germany; it wouldn't surprise me if it was the only album ever produced in the format.
It always struck me as a bad idea and it hasn't gotten any better in the intervening decade. In fact, it's gotten a lot worse. Ten years ago, you could at least make the argument that physical distribution bypassed two of the Pontis' major weaknesses: no way to acquire music over the Internet with any practicality (I was still using a 33.6 modem and I wasn't the only one), and very slow computer-to-device downloading. Both of those limitations have been successfully overcome; the latter by the iPod (which had Firewire to begin with and later USB2.0), the former by widespread broadband deployment.
It'll be a great way for SanDisk to unload a bunch of otherwise worthless low-capacity cards, though.
Also, here's betting that if they ever do sell them in a store, they'll put them in about a half-pound of plastic packaging, so that any possible transportation advantage of the tiny MicroSD cards will be wasted, and the consumer will be stuck buying something the size of a DVD box just to get a card the size of their fingernail.
posted by Kadin2048 at 7:28 PM on September 22, 2008
The first portable MP3 player I owned was a thing called the "MPlayer3" by a Germany company called Pontis. It was actually a pretty neat little device; two MMC slots, ran on two AA batteries, no moving parts, simple interface you could use without looking at it.
In some ways, it was better than an iPod. But it never caught on: it used a proprietary format on the cards (not FAT16/32), and the software was wretched, and the card capacity didn't increase as quickly as they thought it would so you were stuck swapping 16MB and 32MB cards all the time.
But part of their original sales pitch was that, in addition to blank cards that you'd load up yourself with MP3s (using your serial port, woohoo!), you'd be able to go down to Sam Goody any day now and buy pre-recorded albums on read-only cards. A friend of mine even managed to order one from some obscure band in Germany; it wouldn't surprise me if it was the only album ever produced in the format.
It always struck me as a bad idea and it hasn't gotten any better in the intervening decade. In fact, it's gotten a lot worse. Ten years ago, you could at least make the argument that physical distribution bypassed two of the Pontis' major weaknesses: no way to acquire music over the Internet with any practicality (I was still using a 33.6 modem and I wasn't the only one), and very slow computer-to-device downloading. Both of those limitations have been successfully overcome; the latter by the iPod (which had Firewire to begin with and later USB2.0), the former by widespread broadband deployment.
It'll be a great way for SanDisk to unload a bunch of otherwise worthless low-capacity cards, though.
Also, here's betting that if they ever do sell them in a store, they'll put them in about a half-pound of plastic packaging, so that any possible transportation advantage of the tiny MicroSD cards will be wasted, and the consumer will be stuck buying something the size of a DVD box just to get a card the size of their fingernail.
posted by Kadin2048 at 7:28 PM on September 22, 2008
butterstick: what, do you not remember the '90s or early '00s? The music industry cranked out so many bizarrely-flawed attempts at online music distribution that it was ridiculous. I have reason to think the industry has learned anything in the five years since the introduction of the iTMS.
posted by hattifattener at 7:46 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by hattifattener at 7:46 PM on September 22, 2008
Er, I have no reason, that is.
posted by hattifattener at 7:49 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by hattifattener at 7:49 PM on September 22, 2008
Physical media is t3h gh3y! Even Microsoft was able to figure that one out!
posted by furtive at 8:27 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by furtive at 8:27 PM on September 22, 2008
Yeah, that will work. I was really getting tired of being able to buy any music I want at home, naked, drinking beer.
posted by Mr_Zero at 8:34 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by Mr_Zero at 8:34 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
The only way I see this working is if the cards are freely given away, as in a promotion. But it still seems like a hassle to repackage digital information, and in a way that tries to replicate the somewhat pointless and deprecated album format. People are carrying around iPods with thousands of songs. Why bother with that thing and get 10 songs the long way around?
That said, yes, lossless is still my hope. Unfortunately, I think we're taking a step backwards in quality if only the compressed version is available for sale as distributed by the label, which is a possibility in the near future.
posted by krinklyfig at 8:45 PM on September 22, 2008
That said, yes, lossless is still my hope. Unfortunately, I think we're taking a step backwards in quality if only the compressed version is available for sale as distributed by the label, which is a possibility in the near future.
posted by krinklyfig at 8:45 PM on September 22, 2008
The music industry cranked out so many bizarrely-flawed attempts at online music distribution that it was ridiculous.
It was all designed, more or less, to try to put aside Shawn Fanning. Yes, they tried, mostly to create an online version of the industry's distribution model, because that's the only thing the labels would go for. They tried everything but what had already proven to work. Apple was the first company to integrate the store with the player in a way that was inviting not only to fans but to labels (well, the existence of so many iPods was hard to argue with). No, it's not the ubiquitous mp3, but they did make it work. Still, I see a lot of both formats on a lot of computers ...
posted by krinklyfig at 8:51 PM on September 22, 2008
It was all designed, more or less, to try to put aside Shawn Fanning. Yes, they tried, mostly to create an online version of the industry's distribution model, because that's the only thing the labels would go for. They tried everything but what had already proven to work. Apple was the first company to integrate the store with the player in a way that was inviting not only to fans but to labels (well, the existence of so many iPods was hard to argue with). No, it's not the ubiquitous mp3, but they did make it work. Still, I see a lot of both formats on a lot of computers ...
posted by krinklyfig at 8:51 PM on September 22, 2008
my MP3 player doesn't have an SD slot...
Mine does, and so do many others. I thought most non-Apple PMPs had SD slots (and FM tuners). Anyway, I suppose you could rip the files from the card and reformat it to use in a camera or phone (I still wouldn't buy them but it's more than you can do with a CD).
posted by MikeMc at 10:10 PM on September 22, 2008
Mine does, and so do many others. I thought most non-Apple PMPs had SD slots (and FM tuners). Anyway, I suppose you could rip the files from the card and reformat it to use in a camera or phone (I still wouldn't buy them but it's more than you can do with a CD).
posted by MikeMc at 10:10 PM on September 22, 2008
I say we go back to wax cylinders.
posted by Happy Dave at 11:34 PM on September 22, 2008
posted by Happy Dave at 11:34 PM on September 22, 2008
Physical media is t3h gh3y! Even Microsoft was able to figure that one out!
sorry honey, but even t3h gh3ys have figured out physical media is dead. we invented digital, remember? take it back to 4chan.
posted by sexyrobot at 11:43 PM on September 22, 2008
sorry honey, but even t3h gh3ys have figured out physical media is dead. we invented digital, remember? take it back to 4chan.
posted by sexyrobot at 11:43 PM on September 22, 2008
The reason they don't like this stuff is beacuse it doesn't allow them to cheat their artists the way they would like.
posted by Rubbstone at 4:32 AM on September 23, 2008
posted by Rubbstone at 4:32 AM on September 23, 2008
I bet you could fit a heap of SD cards into an 8-track cartridge.
posted by flabdablet at 7:52 AM on September 23, 2008
posted by flabdablet at 7:52 AM on September 23, 2008
Honestly, I think this would've been a great idea 10 years ago. I love the idea of reaching into my pocket and pulling out a bunch of albums on little bitty cards; it's straight out of a cheesy 80s movie (which I'm all about). And the fact that they're giving up on DRM and tossing in some extras is a nice touch.
Still, $15 an album is too much and I'd be shocked if this idea was anything more than an embarrassing memory in a year. A good idea, but as others have said, too little too late.
posted by kryptondog at 8:02 AM on September 23, 2008
Still, $15 an album is too much and I'd be shocked if this idea was anything more than an embarrassing memory in a year. A good idea, but as others have said, too little too late.
posted by kryptondog at 8:02 AM on September 23, 2008
Buying some "chips" with some "wares" on IS rather 80s cyberpunk, isn't it?
posted by Artw at 8:34 AM on September 23, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 8:34 AM on September 23, 2008 [2 favorites]
Sweet. Buy album, remove cover from Blackberry, take out battery, take out existing 2GB microSD card, insert new 128MB microSD card, replace battery, turn on Blackberry, enjoy Usher album, realize I no longer have access to all my files on my 2GB microSD card, wonder where I put my 2GB microSD card.
posted by jermsplan at 8:53 AM on September 23, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by jermsplan at 8:53 AM on September 23, 2008 [1 favorite]
Buying some "chips" with some "wares" on IS rather 80s cyberpunk, isn't it?
When you can clip them into a socket behind your ear, I'm there!
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:25 AM on September 23, 2008
When you can clip them into a socket behind your ear, I'm there!
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:25 AM on September 23, 2008
Ziggy Zaga writes "My stereo doesn't have an SD slot, my car head unit doesn't have an SD slot, my MP3 player doesn't have an SD slot..."
I'm 2 for three just because I don't actually have a stereo right now.
Jimbob writes "You can get 1 gig blank microSD cards for about that, can't you?"
2GB for half that.
Mitrovarr writes "Does anyone actually use their car stereos for anything other than poorly-connected amplifiers for their mp3 players?"
I still prefer to create mixes on cd-r or SD. CDs especially are cheap so I can just leave them in my truck. And they are a nice hit of nostalgia when I stick in a disk from last decade.
flabdablet writes "I bet you could fit a heap of SD cards into an 8-track cartridge."
They made cassette to 8 track adaptors, it would be possible to go to 8-track from cassette; from cd-cassette adapter; from iPod car kit from iPod.
posted by Mitheral at 9:45 AM on September 23, 2008
I'm 2 for three just because I don't actually have a stereo right now.
Jimbob writes "You can get 1 gig blank microSD cards for about that, can't you?"
2GB for half that.
Mitrovarr writes "Does anyone actually use their car stereos for anything other than poorly-connected amplifiers for their mp3 players?"
I still prefer to create mixes on cd-r or SD. CDs especially are cheap so I can just leave them in my truck. And they are a nice hit of nostalgia when I stick in a disk from last decade.
flabdablet writes "I bet you could fit a heap of SD cards into an 8-track cartridge."
They made cassette to 8 track adaptors, it would be possible to go to 8-track from cassette; from cd-cassette adapter; from iPod car kit from iPod.
posted by Mitheral at 9:45 AM on September 23, 2008
They made cassette to 8 track adaptors, it would be possible to go to 8-track from cassette; from cd-cassette adapter; from iPod car kit from iPod.
I've heard of that before. They called it a Hair Metal converter. It makes any song sound like screechy 80's butt rock.
posted by JimmyJames at 10:00 AM on September 23, 2008
Mitrovarr wrote "Does anyone actually use their car stereos for anything other than poorly-connected amplifiers for their mp3 players?"
Not all FM radio is shit. Some of us are lucky enough to have good (commercial-free) stations on the dial. I also carry around a stack of CD-Rs for those times when I am out of range of any good station. Added bonus: Have a passenger who likes the album? Hand it to him/her. Hooray for old-fashioned file sharing.
sexyrobot wrote "does anyone even BUY 1gb cards anymore?[...] seriously? 1gb? what's the point of that? what's that? like ONE movie? meh."
Not all of us use flash memory for movies. 1gb is plenty of space for sneakernet file transfer. Hell, I have a 512mb flash drive that has served me well for years now, backing up files I am working on and also holding portable apps and recovery tools I use all the damn time.
jermsplan wrote "Buy album, remove cover from Blackberry, take out battery, take out existing 2GB microSD card, insert new 128MB microSD card, replace battery, turn on Blackberry"
Don't blame me if your phone was designed poorly. Flash memory in my Nokia is hot-swappable, and it's not buried under the battery.
As for the media format itself - the record companies can try this if they want, but I don't buy digital music for the same reason many of the above comments have already made: Quality and fair use. If I paid for it, I want lossless + DRM free. If it isn't lossless, or has DRM, I don't want to pay for it. When I do buy music, I buy CDs. It gives me a lossless format, a physical backup in case my media player dies, and no DRM (so long as you avoid the known-protected disks). Plus, if I need cash, I can sell it and recoup some of my purchase price. Try that with a microSD card.
Oh yeah, and I buy used too. If I want money to go to the artist, I'll buy a concert ticket. Buying used supports local businesses and helps keep my money out of the hands of the RIAA.
My biggest concern with this move? Price. Why did VHS tapes cost so much? Why did CD- and DVD-/+Rs used to cost so much? Why do dual-layer DVD-Rs still cost so damn much? You guessed it, the RIAA/MPAA blank media tax. If this kind of shit starts to drive the cost of blank flash memory up due to asinine industry taxes, well, christ. Someone is going down for that, for damn sure.
posted by caution live frogs at 10:12 AM on September 23, 2008
Not all FM radio is shit. Some of us are lucky enough to have good (commercial-free) stations on the dial. I also carry around a stack of CD-Rs for those times when I am out of range of any good station. Added bonus: Have a passenger who likes the album? Hand it to him/her. Hooray for old-fashioned file sharing.
sexyrobot wrote "does anyone even BUY 1gb cards anymore?[...] seriously? 1gb? what's the point of that? what's that? like ONE movie? meh."
Not all of us use flash memory for movies. 1gb is plenty of space for sneakernet file transfer. Hell, I have a 512mb flash drive that has served me well for years now, backing up files I am working on and also holding portable apps and recovery tools I use all the damn time.
jermsplan wrote "Buy album, remove cover from Blackberry, take out battery, take out existing 2GB microSD card, insert new 128MB microSD card, replace battery, turn on Blackberry"
Don't blame me if your phone was designed poorly. Flash memory in my Nokia is hot-swappable, and it's not buried under the battery.
As for the media format itself - the record companies can try this if they want, but I don't buy digital music for the same reason many of the above comments have already made: Quality and fair use. If I paid for it, I want lossless + DRM free. If it isn't lossless, or has DRM, I don't want to pay for it. When I do buy music, I buy CDs. It gives me a lossless format, a physical backup in case my media player dies, and no DRM (so long as you avoid the known-protected disks). Plus, if I need cash, I can sell it and recoup some of my purchase price. Try that with a microSD card.
Oh yeah, and I buy used too. If I want money to go to the artist, I'll buy a concert ticket. Buying used supports local businesses and helps keep my money out of the hands of the RIAA.
My biggest concern with this move? Price. Why did VHS tapes cost so much? Why did CD- and DVD-/+Rs used to cost so much? Why do dual-layer DVD-Rs still cost so damn much? You guessed it, the RIAA/MPAA blank media tax. If this kind of shit starts to drive the cost of blank flash memory up due to asinine industry taxes, well, christ. Someone is going down for that, for damn sure.
posted by caution live frogs at 10:12 AM on September 23, 2008
When you can clip them into a socket behind your ear, I'm there!
/slots in a bootleg moddie from the Budayeen.
posted by Artw at 10:17 AM on September 23, 2008
/slots in a bootleg moddie from the Budayeen.
posted by Artw at 10:17 AM on September 23, 2008
Is this something I'd have to have ears to care about?
posted by kcds at 2:45 PM on September 23, 2008
posted by kcds at 2:45 PM on September 23, 2008
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posted by bonaldi at 1:40 PM on September 22, 2008 [3 favorites]