snapshot 3/26/08

Amazon takes on Apple with copy-protection-free music
The music industry is finally comfortable selling digital music without copy protection, but the huge shift hasn't resulted in dramatically higher sales. Amazon's MP3 store - which sells only songs without copy protection - has quietly become No. 2 in digital sales since opening nearly six months ago. That's even though Apple dominates digital music with its iTunes Store (the second-largest music retailer in the world, after Wal-Mart) and its hugely popular iPod.

Apple now has 2 million songs from EMI and independent labels available without DRM, out of its 6 million-song catalog. Amazon offers 4.5 million DRM-free songs. Pete Baltaxe, Amazon's director of digital music, won't say how many songs Amazon has sold but will say that consumers love the experience.

The labels are also offering DRM-free songs at other digital media outlets. Universal is working with Wal-Mart, Rhapsody, Best Buy (BBY) and a handful of smaller retailers. Sony/BMG has a deal with Target (TGT). That hasn't significantly boosted sales. It hasn't hurt them either, although music label executives had argued against selling songs without copy protection, saying such a move would increase piracy.


Stats for Music Marketers, Part XII
As of this minute, Coldplay has 392,819 friends on MySpace and 43,156 fans on Facebook. MySpace's Coldplay page has four songs on it; Facebook's one. MySpace's are embeddable on your page; Facebook's are not, yet. MySpace supports for-pay downloads (they're priced absurdly high, but that's not MySpace's fault); Facebook does not. MySpace's page has some personality; but Facebook's has a user video and a discography. They both have band info and touring info.


Peter Gabriel to launch music-discovery service in U.S. April 9
Peter Gabriel, the music star and technology enthusiast, is scheduled to help launch The Filter, a music-discovery service, in the United States in San Francisco on April 9.

The Filter is a free software download that recommends songs, videos, literature and news based on a user's existing digital library. The Filter is designed to filter irrelevant material and deliver content that reflects an individual's tastes, according to a statement released by the company. Executives at The Filter also say their algorithm can make recommendations that cut across different entertainment platforms. Say, for example, you like film director Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, The Filter can suggest certain music based on that.