iTunes, the perfect interface for music services?

Matrix Agent

Masochist Mascot
For years it has seemed to mee as though apple has almost assumed that all users have a network connection. This goes right along with their traditional doctrine of moving faster than its uers, so that they will be pushed torwards upgrading.

With all of these new music services coming out, I got to thinking about what a nice interface iTunes has, type in a few words, and bam, you've got the song, artist or genre that you want.

Now I know that this would never hapen in a million years, but bear with me. Since Apple already assumes that you have a broadband connection, whats stopping them from making deals and creating its own music service. One in which you use the simple search feature included in iTunes to gain access to the songs you want. They are at first streamed (since you already have broadbband access) for instant listening pleasure. They could even throw in a plug about quicktime there. If you decide that you like the song, you press the download button and the song is sent to your library. Since this service is not true P2P and is hosted by Apple's servers, every ID3 tag is perfect, and the songs are available at the bitrate of your selection. Downloads are blazingly fast. Cue "Mac OS X" fast there, since thats whats the servers will be running.

Apple could charge a subscription, or include 3 years of service for free for about mabey 15 songs per month, sort of like MSN an internet access.

After all of this is finished, you blazingly fast download it followed up by a blazingly fast burn to an audio CD or a lightning quick download to the iPod.

All of this is achieveable with only a few UI additions. Theey gain the support of the music industry for truly promoting responsible music on the net, and they get tons of recognition from music fans who are enthralled by the idea of instant music. Possibly the music fans will also be musicians who might be pushed so far as to buying a new rackmount?:p

On top of this, Apple's deal with 3Com (i think thats the company?) is ending as kerbango station begin to shut down, Apple either needs to host its own channels or needs to work out some kind of file transfer system as i specified above.

This is the kind of seemless integration that Apple loves to talk about, its also the kind that makes user's jaws drop.

Of course there are drawbacks for some users who wont be able to listen to live unrealeased concerts or indie groups. But the vast vast vast majority of users would be more than satisfied with a product like this.

Well i got most of this off my chest, anyone see any problems with this other than the fact that it would cost tons of money?
 
I think it's best if Apple stays away from supplying a music service. If it did, you can count on the fact that the music industry would somehow have their hands in Apple's deep pockets, which would reach right on through that broad band connection and yank money so hard from the wallet you are sitting on that you'd flip over out that chair of yours. And on top of that, it would be reduced in quality from an "OK" 128kbps to a measely 16 or 32kbps just so you wouldn't want to record it with any device. Believe me, you'd be better off listening to AM radio or 8-track tapes.

chemistry_geek
 
Read Courtney Love's speal on digital music etc... it will make you start to realize that giving music away isn't a bad business model.

Some musicians would rather be performers than artists- and in the end they're almost better off giving their music away for the publicity they recieve and encouraging people to go to live shows. A freeware-licensed music model could be really big...

As for Apple getting involved- i don't want to say they couldn't do it. I'd just rather that Bill Gates took on the RIAA instead of Apple :) I care about his deeper pockets less, and I feel some he owes me some philanthropy.
 
As for Apple getting involved- i don't want to say they couldn't do it. I'd just rather that Bill Gates took on the RIAA instead of Apple I care about his deeper pockets less, and I feel some he owes me some philanthropy.

.dev.lqd:

I couldn't agree with you more. I too would like to see Bill take on the RIAA and give a little back to humanity, but we all know that he's too shrewd (sp?) for that. He'd recreate the RIAA in a new M$ technology analogous to ".NET" and drive the RIAA right out of business. The only thing keeping him from doing this is that he hasn't figured out how to do it yet.

chemistry_geek
 
*Bump!

I hate to do this... so long after I posted this, but it seems like I may have told you so.

I had even forgot that I posted this (a full year ahead of its debut) with such surprising accuracy.

I thought it would be cool if the board saw that we are pretty on-target as far as predictions go.

Wow... haven't posted on the board in a long time... these new smilies are cool. ;)
 
I hadn't read your post before, but reading it now, it looks almost like the exact features of the iTunes Music Service.
I wonder if it's possible that some Apple employee was wandering these boards and came across your idea.
 
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