Comments on: Universal Music: Out with DRM, In with Google Android and Mobile

By: wb

wb — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:12:15 +0000

UMG was out front in dumping DRM, remember, too. Actually, UMG was one of the stragglers. EMI was the first to release music without DRM through iTunes Plus. Universal only later released DRM-free music at Amazon, and this was widely regarded as a ploy to weaken Apple's hold on the downloadable music market. (cf. DF)

By: Peter Kirn

Peter Kirn — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:02:50 +0000

@foosnark: Wow, that sounds awful. And why would the search queries work any differently than they do on Amazon’s site (where they work just fine)?

So, let’s see: the app is awful, there’s no headphone jack, no one is on TMobile, no one owns a G1, and it’s still a huge success. Imagine what they could do if they got any of this right.

I’d like a Bleep app for Android, please. Bleep, I’ll write it for you if you pay me in Warp Records downloads. :)

By: foosnark

foosnark — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:56:35 +0000

At least as of December, and probably earlier, the G1 started shipping with an adapter. It’s actually kind of a long cable thing that’s got a clip-on microphone as well, so if you already have sufficient length on your earbud cord, it’s excessive.

This post made me curious so I wound up firing up the app. I’m surprised by Amazon’s top 100 sellers really. Diana Krall, The Go-Go’s and Bon Jovi all in the top 5?

The app is a bit awkward. When looking at a particular song, there’s no way to jump to a listing of that artist’s other releases, the album listing as a whole, the genre, similar items, or anything. You basically get the top 100 albums or tracks overall, the top 100 albums or tracks within a given genre (*), or a basic search which is a bit wonky (**). There’s no additional information about an album other than a thumbnail of the art, title, artist name, price and track listing.

Genre headings are pretty messed up IMHO. It’s all arbitrary I’m sure, but “Goth and Industrial” is one genre, stuck under “Alternative Rock.” Most electronic stuff is stuck under “Dance & DJ.” There is no category at all for experimental electronic music even though there’s a fair amount of it in their catalog.

As far as search goes — I was looking at an Industrial anthology and found a particular track I wanted to know more about. There was no artist name on the track. A search for the track name came up with all kinds of stuff that didn’t have any of the words in my search term, but not the actual track itself. You’d basically have to switch back and forth between this app and a browser to do what I wanted.

By: Peter Kirn

Peter Kirn — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:11:41 +0000

Actually, foosnark, I’m curious about that … has *anyone* sorted this adapter for the headphones? There is an adapter now, right?

It’s stunning to me that the Amazon app is doing well given the a) small number of TMobile customers, b) smaller-still number of G1 owners, c) nonexistent standard headphone jack. Imagine what it will do once those variables change.

Ideally, I want an Android headset with audio and video out. I’ll even use a dumb dongle if I have to.

By: samoan

samoan — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:09:48 +0000

Sorry to say but Android is already an also-ran.

Google have no experience in this area so it shouldn’t be a surprise.

By: foosnark

foosnark — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:01:30 +0000

I have a G1, and I’ve yet to even fire up the Amazon music app. I haven’t mentally put the G1 in the “music player” category.

Part of this is the extra cable doodad required to plug in headphones, and part of it is happiness with eMusic and Magnatune — I only hit the Amazon store when I’m looking for a specific release and they happen to have it. eMusic really has an excellent selection of experimental electronic music, and my 100 monthly tracks are getting to be too much to listen to with full attention.

That said, I do in theory like the fact that I could buy music from Amazon while sitting in a restaurant or airport or highway rest stop or something.

By: wi_ngo

wi_ngo — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:58:16 +0000

I historically refused to use the iTunes store because of the DRM. That seems to be changing, thankfully – but ever since Amazon came out with the DRM-free music downloads, I’ve been downloading music from them like it’s crack. (Well, there and Bleep.com)

It’s so easy to use Amazon’s service it’s almost scary. I think this is a very smart move on UMG’s part.

By: Peter Kirn

Peter Kirn — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:17:21 +0000

@Tim: well, no, I don’t get that, because Universal here is pleased that they have the iTunes relationship and don’t see Apple’s dominance as a problem. And I think the appeal to openness was a practical one, not an altruistic one. The backing of Android was about the fact that dollars were coming from it, which should always pretty easy for someone like UMG to get behind. (The fact that that wasn’t always the case shows how screwed up the situation had been.)

UMG was out front in dumping DRM, remember, too.

So, yeah, who said anything about altruism? UMG is following the money, and I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:14:31 +0000

I’m all for multiple options to get drm-free music wirelessly, etc. But I wouldn’t read too much altruism into Universal’s backing of Android and “open” platforms. There just simply trying to raise up a competitor to iTunes’ near monopoly on the download market and nothing more. Behind closed doors they’re still big fans of a closed system – as long as it’s theirs and not Apple’s.