Introduction
Digital music formats are clearly revolutionising the way we obtain and listen to our music, but what are the real implications of these formats? Cliff Douse talks it over with those in the know.
CLIFF DOUSE: What’s your verdict on the current crop of digital music web sites on the internet? Which are the most interesting and useful?
RUSSELL DEEKS:
At the moment it’s the big artist sites, like Daftpunk.com, that are the most interesting. Too many of the MP3.coms of this world are moving over to a streaming-based service, and who wants pay-per-listen? It’s a real shame that Peoplesound.com closed — there was some quality music there, but unfortunately they tried to do too much too soon.
HIGGS BOSON:
Companies like Peoplesound.com were a good idea at the start but their original concept was flawed in that they weren’t so much interested in the music as the advertising revenue generated by the site itself. Despite setting up an A&R department to sort out what music should be put on the site, practically every musician got a deal. There were literally thousands of artists — even hundreds in the jazz-fusion category! A similar situation exists with MP3.com. In my view it all reached a saturation point some time ago.
MARK JONES:
The majority of digital sites are really illegal ones offering the latest music downloads, while some offer a legal subscription service. With such a vast choice available it’s hard to say who has the edge at the moment.
CLIFF DOUSE: There are a number of digital audio formats currently being used. Which one would you say is the best?
MARK JONES:
Well, MP3 is by far the most popular because it’s so widely available. It has not been restricted by any kind of copyright protection. WMA (Windows Media files) is becoming more popular because it uses better compression without a loss in sound quality. But I believe MP3 will always have the edge because it’s so popular and readily available.
RUSSELL DEEKS:
Yes, there’s only really MP3 and WMA that count any more — WMA does offer a better sound quality to compression ratio, but it’s a nuisance to use. I used to like PlayJ but I don’t think it’s around any more.
HIGGS BOSON:
It’s hard to say which digital audio format actually is the best. If I want to compress my music, I use MP3 encoded at 223kbps, which is indistinguishable from an uncompressed CD. But, of course, no musician in his or her right mind would actually want to master to MP3 or any other compressed format, especially if they’re recording at 24-bit for DVD-quality music.
CLIFF DOUSE: Do you think that as more artists, record companies and digital web sites make more music available, traditional high-street CD shops might eventually disappear altogether?
HIGGS BOSON:
No, not in the foreseeable future. I think I’m right in saying that CD sales on the internet still only account for just over 1% of sales worldwide. But this could all change if the price of broadband came down and then many people would be able to download an album’s worth of music in under five minutes.
RUSSELL DEEKS:
The traditional record shops certainly wouldn’t disappear. Let’s face it — did vinyl?
MARK JONES:
No, I don’t think we’ll ever lose the high-street stores. Shopping can be a social thing, not just a chore.
CLIFF DOUSE: Or perhaps more frustrated or power-hungry artists will deal with the public directly via the internet and eventually put record companies, distributors and shops out of business?
RUSSELL DEEKS:
Now that’s what the big record companies are really worried about, but I still don’t think it’s likely. The bigger artists may be able to leverage this possibility to get better deals out of the labels, though, while you definitely will see some smaller bands opt for the purely digital route. But you won’t be seeing them on TOPT; they’ll lack the established industry’s marketing know-how and clout.
HIGGS BOSON:
If artists pursue the avenue of “cutting out the middle man”, they’re going to have to accept that in order to compete against both the legitimate sources and the pirates, the price will have to be low. And unless they have a huge existing fan base for promotion, it will be extremely difficult for them because there is really no such thing as a level playing field even on the internet.
There’s only one way to promote music effectively, and that is to combine radio and TV airplay while your CD is in the shops. The major artists combine these elements, with the internet playing only a minor role as an information portal. Whenever I hear someone saying that their album is only available on the internet, it’s usually because they’ve failed to get a distribution deal and don’t have enough money to promote their album.
CLIFF DOUSE: Sales of MP3 players have been reputedly disappointing. Do you think this shows a lack of interest in the format or is the general public simply confused by the new digital technologies?
MARK JONES:
From the enquiries we receive it all shows a complete lack of understanding of the concept. Most people simply associate MP3 with illegal music and Napster is mainly to blame for this stigma. MP3 should be marketed as a way of carrying your favourite music around with you on a solid-state digital audio player. Music from the internet is a bonus, not the main purpose of MP3.
RUSSELL DEEKS:
The trouble is, Napster really fired the public’s interest in music – people were getting excited about music that hadn’t been around for years, and long term it would have actually enhanced record sales. The major labels have been too slow to come up with viable online distribution models and also priced themselves out of the game.
HIGGS BOSON:
I think consumers are spoilt for choice at the moment. I was nearly kidnapped the other day by a Sony salesman, desperate to sell me a MiniDisc player, but I’m hanging in there for a decent portable DVD player. Imagine – with improved MP3 encoding, a musician will be able to squeeze their entire album collection onto one DVD. Job done!
CLIFF DOUSE: Now that Napster’s gone legitimate, other pirate digital websites such as Gnutella, with the “pirate” mantle, have taken on the music industry. What impact do you think these sites will have on the music world?
RUSSELL DEEKS:
Bugger all, to be quite cynical. A lot of old Napster-heads will give ’em a go, but the new sites just don’t work as well, full stop. Only a hardcore of people who are either quite political (anti-IP activists), quite geeky (hackers) or just plain tight will bother to use them regularly. Still, it won’t stop the record industry from getting their knickers in a twist.
HIGGS BOSON:
As long as the public can get the latest music free, why are they going to pay for it?
CLIFF DOUSE: Finally, where do you see digital music and the internet in, say, five years’ time?
MARK JONES:
I think faster internet connections will become commonplace and people will increasingly expect instant access to music. Portable players will improve dramatically, storage capacity will increase and digital music will become a normal part of everyday life.
RUSSELL DEEKS:
The technology will undoubtedly improve, but the real challenge will be persuading people to pay for music when they’ve become used to getting it for free. The industry needs to offer consumers something that’s both convenient and fairly priced.
HIGGS BOSON:
Broadband will be the key. Once high-speed internet access becomes affordable and widely available, downloading an album will take only a matter of minutes. At that point the technology will finally begin to fulfil its potential. But whatever happens, musicians will still need promotion. The internet can make music available, but it cannot make people aware that it exists.