2007 Will Be The Year Of The MP3
The signs are all pointing in one direction.
eMusic is second only to iTunes. The major labels are experimenting with the format with increasing frequency. InSound and other indie download stores are embracing the format. And now a big trusted player Amazon is set to enter the marketplace with an mp3 only store and variable pricing.
If that is not enough…consumers will demand it. Anti-DRM voices are finally gaining traction. This year for the first time some consumers are going to learn about an older player failing and destroying the content locked inside. Others will buy a new player and experience the joys of incompatibility. And whatever their player of choice, all consumers are
becoming more tech savvy and thus more aware of the limitations and problems created by 
DRM.
Perhaps we should call for a consumer uprising in favor of mp3’s as other bloggers have done. But I think the ones that need to raise their hands are the songwriters and musicians. They must to state loudly that their sick and tired of losing royalties file-sharing. But this time the answers are not lawsuits and ad campaigns that alienate fans. The only answer is to give them what they want. Freedom to hear the music they buy whenever and wherever they want to. No other answer – except perhaps licensing music on the ISP level like we do cable TV – will ever gain traction.
Raise enough voices and the labels and publishers have no choice but to respond.
WE WANT OUR MP3’S AND WE WANT THEM NOW.
Except for the fact that it’s “losing” and not “loosing.” If you’re going to claim you’re a journalist, PLEASE check your spelling.
Great article!
I think the Zune’s big push will introduce consumers to the fact that there are other mp3 players besides the iPod.
By the way, where did you get the picture of the anti-DRM day?
I think I recognize that location.
Andrew – The photo was grabbed from the great anti-DRM org. Defective By Design. Not sure where it was shot. I hope you are right about Zune, but so far the sales figures and reviews are not great.
And thanks to John for the eagle eye editing. I’ve made the correction. It’s hard being your own editor.
With all this non-DRM mp3 talk, I think it’s worth noting and repeating that Napster is still doing it’s free download of the day in mp3 format. Not sure what % of these artists are major label but many are strong indies. I just downloaded a non-DRM mp3 from The Walkmen…for free…and legal.
http://www.napster.com/freedownloads/