API API API
you need an API
figure out what kind of advertisement splits to offer to API users, but you need one, or you'll simply be inviting competition. Im sure there's a million ventures out there that want to integrate your system into their non-related systems, and I sure know I want to integrate you guys into my events online venture... but since you have no API you're almost inviting others to create a competitive solution just to have something (sure it would be inferior for a while,but it can be integrated at least).
wake up, as much as content is important you dont have a lot of tech stuff that progressive people want, and thats fine, very few people (if anyone) has everything, but then you at least have to let people somehow integrate in an automated way with you.
examples
- read song names via web service calls
- read artist names
- control playback of the songs
- control the "yay"/'nay' of the particular song
- it would be even more amazing if people (via web services) could ccreate new stations and pick artists...

you guys dont understand how big you can blow up if you offered these and had a miniature developers program to enable third parties to innovate (tech wise) on top of your base functionality

wake up, wake up, wake up...
or call me to organize your strategy ;)

ps. and you do not have to loose the Ad revenue to do this, ads can be carried with this, and worst case scenario you can track any domain thats using your web-services so you can only allow domains that have agreements with you for rev-shares when their users are listening to the songs from your system... and yes, you can control how much those web-services are used to be sure to not have your servers overburdened over night

1. If I hear a song that truly captivates me, I want to purchase it. And not only for the sake of having a copy for instant access, but to acquire a higher quality file, allowing me to fully appreciate the song.
If there is one thing I dislike, it is low bit-rate lossy compression.

2. If the digital music is without DRM and is Lossless, yes I feel they are both equal.
Sadly, most digital music now a days is crippled by DRM and lossy compression.

3. Yes, absolutely. Digital music may not have as much of a tangible effect, but the benefits of simply having all your music at your fingertips is quite a boon. As long as it is a very high quality lossy file, or even better a lossless file.

4. I would have to disagree. Radio is totally out of your control, where as a computer file can be played at any time, on demand, similar to traditional records.

5. For me, music can simply be explained as an experience. For some, the experience is to see a band play it live, for others it's simply being able to hold physical copy of the music, and for still others, it's simply the fact of listening to the music. So for me, it's not so much how I am able to hear the song, but the fact that I can enjoy it. Be it live, recorded on physical media, or as a digital file.

I need a physical object to feel that I own the music (or book, for that matter) and control it, so I'll buy the CD to get one or two songs. CD quality is almost always better for me, but a high enough bit rate or AAC+ is fine when I want to let a music service decide what I hear. I use my computer's CD drive anyway, even though I have another CD player languishing in another room. Pandora is playing now, as background to writing this, and when music is playing, I'm usually doing something else as foreground. When a song comes on that I have to hear with full attention, well, I do.

Meg Umans

1. What motivates you to buy music as opposed to just listening to it when you happen to come across it?

Besides being able to listen to music anytime I want to hear it, I also like being able to move the music to different options. For example I enjoy putting together mix CDs that have songs that I love so that I can hear them all in a particular sequence. I can also share them with other people to introduce them to music I enjoy and share a bit of myself.

Another reason I like to buy music I like is that it comes with the packaging that I like to look at, read and explore. I don't read every CD insert I get, but having the option to do so is nice.

2. Do you feel that the digital and physical music you buy are of equal value?

Yes as long as the bitrate is high enough to be somewhat indistinguishable from the CD version. I don't purchase vinyl anymore, so all of my music is digital music. I have old records, but I rarely get them out.

3. Do you feel that it is possible to collect digital music in the same way that you can collect CDs or vinyl records?

Yes, and that's what I've done. There are a number of mp3s that I downloaded from mp3.com when it used to be a great website that I cherish. They're either songs that I haven't been able to find or they're versions that aren't available anymore.

4. (Extra-credit) Is the intangible nature of a computer file something between traditional radio and traditional records?

Not to me because one can turn the computer files into CDs so that they can be used almost like a traditional record.

5. (Ultra-double-extra-credit) Is there something about music's new intangibility (aka digital files) that might allow it to be more essentially itself, by returning to the intangible nature music had before recordings were invented?

I don't think so. Each recording is captured sound from one or more performances put together into a repeatable performance. Every performance is unique so the completely intangible nature of music before recordings existed can only be produced by artists who are never recorded. On the other hand every live musical performance has an intangible nature whether or not it is recorded. The performance isn't just the music, it's the venue, the audience, the artists, the current events taking place before the performance, etc... Each one of us has our own intangible impressions and memories of live perfomances, so they'll always be personally intangible.

1. What motivates you to buy music as opposed to just listening to it when you happen to come across it?

I'm a little odd when it comes to purchasing music. My taste gravitates more towards the obscure so if I run a cross a compilation of music featuring alternate takes on an artist's more well known material or early recordings that helped lay a foundation for what they later "became" I'll plunk down the cash for it. The majority of new music I listen to and/or want I typically either purchase singly via on-line sources or not at all.

2. Do you feel that the digital and physical music you buy are of equal value?

Yes, for the most part. The exception to this rule, for me anyway, is vinyl. A lot of the music I listen to simply sounds warmer and richer in that format.

3. Do you feel that it is possible to collect digital music in the same way that you can collect CDs or vinyl records?

This is as subjective of a question as they come. I think it comes down to the collector's motivation. If the goal is to have every song by an artist in every medium they've recorded in then that person will most likely seek it out. If on the other hand the goal is to simply to collect music for the sake of collecting then a prefered format will be sought out and utilized.

4. (Extra-credit) Is the intangible nature of a computer file something between traditional radio and traditional records?

Not for me. As I said before, my taste and collecting runs in a more obscure direction. Therefore it stands to reason that 90% or more of what I want to hear isn't going to be played on traditional radio or be released on a traditional recording.

5. (Ultra-double-extra-credit) Is there something about music's new intangibility (aka digital files) that might allow it to be more essentially itself, by returning to the intangible nature music had before recordings were invented?

I'm not sure I understand this question. If you're asking if live performances, alternate takes, raw studio audio, etc are more authentic then the answer is an overwhelming yes. If the question is does a wider variety of an individual arist's output exist via digital files the answer I think lies in the collector's motivation.

These are some great questions. Thanks!

1. I'm not sure. I really will just hear a certain song and think to myself, "That is an awesome song, I need to get it!"
2. I don't buy many cd's, I do have around 20 and I think it's pretty close.
3. Of course. I almost never get cd's because most of the time I'll only like one song by a particular artist and won't be able to stand any of their other work. With digital music I can only buy the songs I really want.
4. I don't think so. I cant really see it relating to radio at all.
5. You still have to have some device (mp3 player, computer, etc.) to play the music on so its not really intangible. It's not straight from the source.

It's amazing to look back at the progression of music through the last century. Thanks for the topic!

Live-Record-Cassette-CD-MP3

I love this!!

pandora is awsom i love this tim i am from miss Elises class at a school i hope to see you at coumputer class

For many years now I have wanted to share some of the music that I have been blessed with during my life. I have an idea for a radio program: "The Music Gourmet!", which I hope to be able to do on the "air" or on the internet.

I love all good music; however, much of what is called music today is not really music at all; but a bunch of 'noise'!

Originally from the east coast, I came out to L.A. in '66, where I met my wife, who is from the Philippines. She has a beautiful soprano voice; and sings for her church choir. She used to work as a secretary for a church. I used to
'sneak' up in the gymn every day to play the piano. One evening, as a total stranger, she came up and asked me to walk her to school. We have been together ever since.

We have a son who sings for the New York Metropolitan Opera. He is a 'lyric' baritone. In 1998, he was able to share the stage with the great Luciano Pavarotti!

In the past 40 years I have been blessed to have met some of the greats of our time, including:
Artur Rubenstein, Victor Borge, Peter Nero, Mel Torme, Henry Mancini...etc.

Any help you can give me to accomplish my goal will be greatly appreciated.

Thank You, Sincerely

J.P.Patriarco

Yes, and that's what I've done. There are a number of mp3s that I downloaded from mp3.com when it used to be a great website that I cherish. They're either songs that I haven't been able to find or they're versions that aren't available anymore.