So InSound (one of the larger Independent retailers) is finally going to open a digital storefront. About friggin time, and even better, they’re going the same route as eMusic and releasing albums in MP3 format without the DRM restrictions. Although, true to their original mission, they will not be releasing singles; albums only. Nice to see another independent music store realizing it’s a good business decision not to put little invisible fences around digital tracks.
Speaking of DRM, the debate appears to be seeping into the mainstream, with both Reuters and USAToday putting out stories on the subject. Interesting to see this finally slip into the traditional media outlets. Perhaps the burgeoning interest is a result of Microsoft announcing the release of its own MP3 player, Zune, and its accompanying “closed” music system based on the DRM-laden WMA format. Of course, I am not placing all (or even most) of the blame on the tech companies, since they’re just reacting to the major labels dinosaur-like mentality and doing what they can to strike licensing deals; but these articles rightly point out that DRM just ends up hurting paying customers and ultimately doesn’t even work to stop people from circumventing the restrictive formats. Someday we will look back on all of this and laugh…hopefully!
There are two other solid articles discussing recent moves in independent music. The Boston Globe discusses the rise of the “Indies” on the web, while Pitchfork ponders what it actually means these days to be “independent.” Hopefully, I don’t need to put scare quotes around “indie” for now on…but, oops, I just did (twice!).
And if you haven’t heard enough about Google’s $1.65 billion purchase of YouTube, here are a few additional discussions about what might be in store for the future of GooTube:
- “Big Media Sharks Swirl Around Freshly-Acquired YouTube” – (via Digital Music News)
- Wired looks at the potential positive side of the Google purchase.
So, what else is going on out there in digital music land? Drop a comment and let me know your thoughts.
