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And pretty new icons, too.
…but you still have to pull it with a horse.
Other than that, there really is a lot to like about all the announcements that Apple made yesterday, and they announced a lot.
First there is the new operating system, OSX Lion, which brings some of the touch screen features of the iPhone and the iPad to the desktop. Then there is iOS 5, the new operating system for all the iGizmos, which at the very least will finally allow you to sync them altogether without a cord.
And then there was the Big New Thing: iCloud, the remote storage service that unifies everything into a whole new, self-organizing, digital ecosystem.
It will take even the most dedicated observers some time to assess all the features in all this new software – much of which will not actually be released until next fall. So there is plenty of time to sort it all out and start saving sheckels for our nifty new laptops, phones, and tablets.
But in one critical aspect, the new iCloud service is woefully lacking – and missing a grand opportunity to deliver music distribution to its inevitable destination. Continue reading
I first learned of Jonathan Coulton a couple of years ago when “Code Monkey” was playing on XM Satellite Radio. Then I started reading about his “Thing A Week” program, where he released a new song every week for a year. These elements plus what sounds like a rather arduous tour schedule has put Mr. Coulton at the top of the indie singer/songwriter scene, to the point where he was cited recently on NPR’s Planet Money podcast for having earned something in the neighborhood of a half-million dollars from his music in 2010. Not bad for a guy with a guitar and laptop.
In his own response to the NPR reporting, Coulton took issue with some of the points, like the part that compared him to a Snuggie, and whether or not the way he run his business might be applicable to other musicians trying to build a business in the digital firmament. In comments posted to Hypebot, he makes these observations:
[because of the internet]… We now have an entirely new set of contexts and they come with a whole new set of tools that give us cheap and easy access to all of them – niche has gone mainstream. It is no longer necessary to organize your business or your art around geography, or storage space, or capital, or what’s cool in your town, or any other physical constraint. And this is not to say that anyone can become a moderately successful rockstar just by starting a blog – success is still going to be a rare and miraculous thing, as it has always been. There are just a lot more ways to get there than there used to be, and people are finding new ones every day.
Whether or not Coulton’s “business model” can be applied more broadly to other artists, there is still a lot to learn from how he has found a way to prosper amid the shifting tides.
But if that’s not really interesting to you, just watch the video:
Whatever Apple is planning, "The Boss" will be part of it now that Sony has signed on.
File this one under” useless speculation.”
Because, while the news is intriguing, it really is pointless to speculate what Apple is planning to do with these licenses until they actually announce whatever it is they are going to announce.
Personally, I will be woefully disappointed if, after all this time (a year and a half since acquiring Lala.com), all Apple comes up with is a better “cloud storage” locker.
If there is no “subscription iTunes” component, Apple will have lost an opportunity to be as disruptive — and ahead of the curve — as they were with the original iPod and iTunes.
I don’t think Apple is motivated by their potential to be “disruptive.” I think they’re motivated by a clear sense of where the holes are in the market and their driving their digital truck right through it. So I remain hopeful that Apple is finally going to do what needs to be done, and pave the way to a viable subscription service.
And make now mistake, as disruptive as iTunes was when it started offering 99c downloads, a subscription service will be as disruptive again. So fasten your seat belts, and let’s just wait and see what Cupertino is going to come up with.
If you have read anything I’ve written here in the last two years, then you will already understand how a moment like this defines the New Paradigm:
This is the highest expression of “fan engagement” I’ve ever seen. A moment like this demonstrates that the music belongs to all of us now. We all belong to the tribe, and the “rock stars” of yesterday are the “chiefs” of today (and tomorrow).
Like the woman in this video, I grew up learning to play guitar by listening to Simon and Garfunkel songs. That might just as well have been me. It could have been any one of probably hundreds of people in the audience.
Now, I really do think I’m going to have to stand outside the Ryman with a fistful of dollar bills and try to get tickets to see Paul Simon when he plays there tomorrow night…
(More commentary from Rob Boilen at NPR’s All Songs Considered here.)
Gizmodo echoes what I was trying to say about Amazon’s “cloud” service:
Google isn’t offering you a vast, new catalog. It’s just offering to hold your shit for you.
I already have plenty of places to store my own shit, with various degrees of portability and accessibility.
So bzzzzz…. thank you for playing.
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