EMI takes lead, jumps into online music sales

I don't really think that it's a valid business model - the whole point about internet downloading is that's it's free. If you want to buy stuff, you want the case, the booklet and the better sound quality.

throb

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I don't really think that it's a valid business model - the whole point about internet downloading is that's it's free. If you want to buy stuff, you want the case, the booklet and the better sound quality.

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Unfortunately I have to disagree.

Speaking for me, personally, I am in complete agreement; if I buy something, I want the tangible item, the booklet, and obviously and most importantly, the sound quality.

However, I think in my generation I am perhaps starting to become a minority:

1.) Most people consider MP3s to have a more than acceptable level of sound quality. Many people I know claim they can't tell the difference between CDs and MP3s. However, this is almost inevitably true because they either listen to music through their PC or their low-fi "flashy-lights" Curries "hifi-system". The simple fact is, a lot of people care more about appearance, "features", and fancy gizmos than quality. As everyone here will know, a budget but decent quality £300 entry-level Richer Sounds separates system will easily outperform even "boom-boxes" costing close to £1000. Yet the vast majority of people prefer to go to Curries, and simply choose one based on the exterior appearance, all the "features", and of course, those "specs": 500W PMPO! Wow! People usually equate quantity with quality, particularly with amplifiers. Most people would probably think you crazy if you said you paid £700 for a Nait with "only" 30W of power!

2.) Since quality is not an issue, it comes down to flexibility and automation. With electronic media, you can offer to sell just individual tracks. People can choose to purchase just the one track they heard at the club/pub/wherever or on the radio, rather than buy a whole album. With MP3s, you can play them on your computer and watch fancy animations whilst listening to the music (e.g. all the visualisation plugins in Winamp/XMMS/etc.). You can easily create playlists. You can have access to a (shudder!) graphic equaliser in software. And a million other things.

The simple fact is, we live in world where convenience and superficiality are largely prized over actual real quality.

And so, I actually think that the whole concept of digital music files will naturally take off with great success.

However, as long as there are at least a minority of us who do place quality as paramount, then hopefully the future of audio will still be safe.

John.

John, sad as it is, I think your view of the world is true.

But, I also think that no one will pay for something on the internet that they can dowload for free from another site.

Are the record companies dinosaurs? Not a bad thing, I think. The music will of course live on.

JohanR

EMI press release http://www.emigroup.com/news/pr182.html
Comment from the Economist http://www.economist.com/agenda/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1446431