The days of burning songs onto a CD for a friend is fast becoming a a thing of the past.
With new cell-phones coming equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology, swapping music has never been easier or more prevalent.
The main concern for the music industry has been the swapping of music online but, apparently new technology has created a new set of headaches for them.
“Music sharing on the internet was identified by the industry as one of the biggest threats they’ve faced in recent years and…research shows that (the)mobile has got the potential to exacerbate those problems,” according to Robert Hart, co-founder of Intuitive Media.
In a recent UK study of about 1,500 13 y/o’s, it was discovered that almost a third shared their music via cell-phones, and that about 45% of the rest said they would like to.
With the average of age of first-time cell-phone users in Europe expected to be 8 yo by next year, the findings are a cause for concern in the music industry which is already reeling from the effects of online piracy.
Yet, what again seems oddly absent from the music industry is a sense that the world is evolving, that music consumption is evolving, and that it is prudent to evolve with it.
One can only hope that they don’t go after these adolescents but, considering that they’ve gone after grandmothers, dead parents, and even children in the past, litigation wouldn’t suprise me.
Mr. Hart makes some interesting points as he notes:
This is a great opportunity for the industry. 26% of the children are buying things for their phone, costing at least £1 once a week,
If the industry can offer cheap music downloads, make them easy to use and take advantage of Bluetooth spread, there are great opportunities.
The industry will waste time and money trying to stop this. There’s a viral thing happening here, and the music industry can take advantage of it.
He’s dead on in his assessment that the music industry needs to embrace the phenomenon rather than fight it. Imagine if it had created a distribution system for digital downloads even a mere 5 years ago? That’s a lost generation of people that could’ve grown up familiar with the system and now be loyal customers. Instead, it’s like they’re still starting from scratch, and even then they’re not too happy about it.
This is a rare chance to get an entire generation of young kids used to the new digital download model and make the situation better for all.
It always seems to be a concern for lost revenue, wherever it may occur, that causes the music industry to grudgingly evolve.
Though what I don’t understand about this concern over swapping music one on one with a friend is that under fair-use laws aren’t you allowed to do so?
RELATED NEWS and “HOW TO” GUIDES
BitTorrent torrent sites & search engines
Azureus 3.0 BETA Guide and Tutorial
Quick and secure file transfers with Civil Netizen Beta Release 6
Watch Tons of Your Favorite Movies On-Demand for FREE!
vNES: play Nintendo games in your internet browser
TVU, Free P2P Cable TV
SOULXTC: “walkin’ the streets of P2P”
Related Posts
- Company loads MP3s onto cell phones
- Service lets Skype users chat on cell phones
- Movie theaters may ask to jam cell phones
- Cell in Theater Could Lead to a Cell in Prison
- Omnifone launches music subscription service for European cell phone users
Loading ...
Wait a minute… *average* European cell phone user age of 8??
“By 2007 the average age someone will receive their first mobile phone will be eight in Europe according to the Wireless World Forum Youth Report 2005.”