snapshot 6/8/07

Flash-based iPod video on hold?
http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/06/08/flash.ipod.video.on.hold/
A video-capable iPod that uses flash memory instead of a hard disk is in the works but may be facing setbacks, according to reports from a handful of Taiwan memory producers. The unnamed companies say that Apple plans to order the equivalent of 20 million gigabits of memory over the course of the summer -- an exceptionally large amount, the manufacturers claim. The production rate is said to reflect a new product rather than typical increases in demand and has been associated with a new iPod with video support.


Universal Music, iTunes Entertain DRM-Free Possibilities
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/060707universal/view
Just weeks after the launch of iTunes Plus, executives are now pointing Digital Music News to fresh negotiations between Apple and Universal Music Group. The iTunes Plus initiative, which spins DRM-free, higher-fidelity tracks at elevated price tags, currently involves EMI exclusively. Following the iTunes Plus announcement in April, remaining majors Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, and Warner Music Group have stayed committed to content protection, rendering EMI a lone guinea pig. But according to a number of well-placed sources, including one involved in ongoing negotiations, Universal Music Group is now actively discussing a possible DRM-free play with Apple.


The CD Store Is Dead
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-sachs/the-cd-store-is-dead_b_51106.html
Leave it to rock's Social Security set to figure out this whole music marketing thing. Bob Dylan used Victoria's Secret and the iPod to help give him his biggest record sales since the 70s. Not to be outdone, Paul McCartney got eight zillion Starbucks outlets to not only sell his new CD, Memory Almost Full, but to play it nonstop for the caffeine-addled masses the entire day of release.

The CD is far from dead. It may not have a clean bill of health, but still accounts for more than 80 percent of music sales. Rather, what's dead is the CD store. And that's a whole 'nuther story. Just because people don't want to go to a store that only sells music doesn't mean they don't want to buy music while also getting a mochaccino from Starbucks, or a flat screen TV from Best Buy, or some ammo from Wal-Mart.


You're Using iTunes, But Are You Missing Some of the Fun?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118117778734227227.html?mod=todays_us_nonsub_marketplace
Its weapon has been the Windows version of iTunes, the free media organizing, recording and playback program that most people think of as just a companion to Apple's iPod music and video players. I think of iTunes as the most subversive software on the Windows computer, not because it does users any harm or does anything underhanded, but because it is allowing Apple to subvert, from inside, Microsoft's dominant platform position.

There are way more copies of iTunes installed than were bundled with Apple's 100 million or so iPods. In fact, at last week's D: All Things Digital conference Apple CEO Steve Jobs estimated more than 300 million copies of iTunes were installed. Many people download and use iTunes to play music and video, and to purchase media, for use on their computers, even if they don't own iPods.


Adidas Plans Music Download Initiative, Details Coalescing
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/060707adidas/view
Athletic giant Adidas is now planning a summer music download promotion, according to information shared with Digital Music News this week. The plans were revealed by a source involved in the planning and negotiation process. The individual noted that Adidas is still finalizing a number of details related to the play, though a start date of August 1st is currently penciled. The concept will involve download giveaways on a customized Adidas microsite, and various advertising tie-ins related to the destination. Details related to artist selection, genres, or potential offline advertising were not revealed, though a possible tour sponsorship involving Lollapalooza is being considered. "The Adidas deal could have a big Lollapalooza tie-in but the details are still being ironed out," the source shared. Also in the mix is Music Interactive, an LA-based upstart that recently landed contracts to power promotional plays for Dodge, Hyundai, and Ray-Ban. The Adidas promotion is currently slated to run through September.


SongSlide Promotes New Consumer-Generated Pricing Music Download Model
http://futuremusic.com/blog/?p=1529
SongSlide is a new Independent music download store with a twist, the consumer controls the price. When you buy digital songs or albums on SongSlide, you can slide the price up or down. The higher the price, the higher the percentage that goes to the artist.

The minimum price of a song is $0.59, however since launching in January 2007, the average price paid for a song is $1.66. “We’re calling this new pricing method Consumer-Generated Pricing, and we feel it’s a way to empower fans to become patrons of their favorite artists, even on a small scale. We’ve also filed a patent on this invention/business method and believe the pricing method can be applied to many other types of digital media and other products,” Brewer states.