Apple Tech Support Since 1995
Music
The iTunes Station, WAPL The Apple
Mar 22nd
In a previous article of mine I describe a new type of subscription service. It was more of a try before you buy solution.
I believe that Apple can have a plan to start a subscription based service for music. But unlike all of the comments about how people don’t want to rent music, this is more like XM Radio. Imagine paying a small monthly fee to Apple in exchange for unlimited listening to many channels of music. I don’t think the service will work if Apple doesn’t automatically make channels get music for their particular genre. Nearly identical to the way that XM has an 80′s channel. It would need to be similar to a radio station.
Apple would need to differentiate between renting music and a music station with many different channels. All songs are purchasable, the channels only play songs that you can buy. Unlike radio where you listen to what they want to play, with The iTunes Station you pick the channels you want to listen to and you may even have options to filter it specifically to your tastes. For instance, I like 80′s music, but only from about 84-89.
Apple probably already had something like this in mind and the newest iPods and iPhone are fully capable of playing music channels from The iTunes Station.
I would certainly consider trying it to see or hear rather some new music. Since I listen to mostly my own music instead a radio stations I’m sure I miss out on songs I would buy.
You can take this a step further and Apple could provide The iTunes Station for free with advertisements between songs just like a regular radio station. They could also provide this service over the internet as an internet radio station. There would be a ticker tape that could be clicked on taking you to the iTunes track in the iTunes Store for purchasing. How would they benefit? They would focus on playing music you don’t already own (when local to your machine). This way if you hear something you want to buy, click a Buy button while the song is playing from The iTunes Station and you own it. There are several models that could be used for this type of service, I describe just two of them.
The key for Apple is to remove the perception of renting music. Presenting it as a radio station (WAPL The Apple) will accomplish that.
The Best iPods Ever
Sep 8th
This past Wednesday Apple released the best iPods they have ever created. While the iPod Shuffle only received new colors the iPod nano will probably be the biggest hit this holiday season with it’s video capabilities. The new iPod touch is nearly identical to the iPhone minus the phone part.
As shown from left to right, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano and the iPod shuffle.
Songs are like little keys to my past.
Feb 26th
I’ve recently come to the realization that I don’t like music for the sound or the beat. I like it for the memories.
Until the iPod I spent more time listening to the Pop stations than listening to my CDs. This led to hearing a lot of new music regardless of the type. So in the past all of the music I heard was from the Pop stations or movies.
I only buy an entire album from my favorite artists, like Richard Marx, Tracy Chapman, Bon Jovi and most recently John Mayer. Most of my favorite music is from the Pop stations. I don’t mind turning on the Pop stations and letting them play but with the iPod I spend more time listening to my own music than the Pop Stations.
Songs are like little keys to my past. I can be listening to my music, close my eyes, sit very still and transport myself in my mind back to a point in time that the song reminds me of. Along with the point in time is the surroundings such as where I was, what I was doing, who I was doing it with and the little details. I can slowly rebuild an entire scene in my head of that point in time including even the smallest details.
Some of my favorite music (memories) comes from the late 80′s when I was High School. Most recently the music from The Fast and The Furious Tokyo Drift has struck a note with me. There is something about the movie that makes me feel good or young, whatever it is I associate certain songs in the movie with those feelings. Songs that I know I would have never listened to otherwise. Once a song is associated with a memory it doesn’t matter how many times I listen to it, it always reminds me of the original memory.
I listen to music for the memories. I even organize my music by the dates in which they remind me. My Playlists are titled like so “1988-06 GrandMother’s (Hanson)”, “1988-07 Dorothy’s (C.L.V.)” and “1988-08_1989-05 Senior (Cherry Creek)”. I was just listening to a song that reminded me the two summers (87 and 88) that I spent away from home my family moved.
There is a song that I like because it reminds me of my Granddad and how the song made me literally thank him for being there for me. That same song reminds my wife of a bad memory, not the same way I associate memories to songs but certainly a point in time. I choose not to listen to it for that reason. I avoid any song that’s associated to a bad memory, mine or hers.
If I’m ever in a comma I want some tests to be run on my brain activity. I know for a fact that certain songs trigger memories for me so if I’m in a comma I would bet money playing those songs will modify my brain activity. Even if it doesn’t, play the songs for me anyway (the ones organized by date and checked in iTunes).
Never really gave it much thought.
Sep 24th
Karen and Allyson have been gone for the weekend and noticed something that I never really gave much thought.
When I’m alone, I sing a lot and talk to myself. And it’s not even songs that I sing, it’s whatever I’m doing at the time.
For example on the way down stairs I’m singing “I like going down the stairs, yes I do, yes I do. I like getting to the bottom.”
If someone had pointed it out before today I would have said “No I don’t” right before saying “Yes, yes I do, yes I do”.
American Idol, the family show.
Mar 17th
It’s funny to see my 9 year old daughter get so excited about this show. It’s even funnier to watch her rattle off the names of the contestants like she was reading it.
I could see her on American Idol some day, for now, it’s the one show the entire family watches together.
iTunes vs Subscription Services
Mar 15th
There is a fundamental difference between Music and Movies and Steve Jobs gets it. I explain the difference between Subscription based music services and Renting Music.
I just finished reading this article http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000210035724/ and I think he is confused about the music industry.
Subscribing to a music service is a seriously small niche market and Apple knows this. That won’t keep Apple from taking that niche though.
When I refer to the renting of movies I’m including going to the theatre, you have a limited amount of time to view the movie but at the theatre you’re on their schedule. And many people only after renting lots of movies will purchase their favorites. This is vastly different than listening to music.
Things you can do while listening to music include cleaning, reading, running, biking, lifting, playing, driving, relaxing, working (lots of verbs) you get the idea. How many of these can you do while watching a movie? Few if any, why, because watching a movie is a verb itself unlike listening to music which is usually secondary to what else you’re doing.
I’ve heard Steve Jobs say that “You may watch your favorite movie a few times but you listen to your favorite music hundreds if not thousands of times” and I totally agree. So what sense does it make to subscribe to something that you’re going to use so much, It doesn’t. Subscribing to a music service is no different than satellite radio, once you stop paying for the service it’s gone.
Services, how does music become a service, if you’re getting married and need a DJ. But casual listening to music will never be a service. Subscription based music is an attempt to turn listening to music into a service. Examples of services, electric company, Xbox Live, .mac, internet provider, trash pickup you get the idea. How does renting music fit into services, I don’t think that it does.
What will Apple do to rain on the other companies subscription service? Several articles online indicate that Apple is already looking to take over the renting of music. I have an idea that truly differentiates subscribing to a music service and renting music.
Renting Music my way, imagine not just paying a flat fee every month but instead paying a single rental fee per song or album. Think about it, you go to the iTunes Music Store and see the O.C. album, well you know the music you hear on the O.C. is cool, but you don’t know if it’s cool enough to buy. So just rent the album for a month for a one time fee of $1. At the end of the month you have the option to buy that album and get $1 off the price since you already paid that to rent it. This approach gives you opportunity to actually demo full songs for a fee and If you buy it you’re not out any additional money, if you don’t buy it or don’t like it, it only cost you $1 to find that out.
How is this different than the subscription service that the others have, it doesn’t tie you into a monthly fee (Napster $15 per month). People hate monthly fees and companies love them because it generate regular revenue. The plan I outlined gives you the ability to listen to music for a certain amount of time before deciding if you want to pay full price, and the fee is one time not recurring.
My plan puts renting music almost on par with renting movies. Small fee to check it out for limited amount of time. My plan differentiates subscribing to a music service and truly renting music.
If Apple takes this type of approach to renting music I believe they could easily kill off companies like Napster.
A look back, for all us 80′s music fans.
Mar 6th
A few weeks ago I was going through some old tapes I had and found this radio clip from WZPL (The Apple) that I had recorded back in July 1989. I was going to ITT Tech in Indianapolis for Architecture and Engineering during this time and had a small apartment where I spent most of my time listening to music or watching ST:TNG.
The clip really shows it’s age simply from the music playing and listed, It’s a fun reminder.
All of my favorite music came out of the late 80′s so it’s no surprise that I really enjoy this clip, now you can too.
