In the future, trusted guides to new and good music will continue to be media outlets, but bloggers and online social networks can be added to that list. At a panel on the future of the music consumer (70p kid versus 50quid man), When music is so available, what they prefer is a trusted guide in the scene. Nick Watt, director of NMK said: “Rough Trade started Rough Trade album
A technologist, who started working for record forms in early 1970s. In 1972 he got into video, which was the size of a modern mixing desk. In 1978 he met with Atari (owned by Warner at the time) and got into games. In 1977 he met with Steve Jobs at Apple. In 1978 the PC came out with Commodore PC. He got online in 1979. In 1982 he started Warner
Ian Bell of 7digital, which runs digital media commerce on behalf on record labels, broadcast, retail and brand partners, said the danger is thinking that digital is only 1-2% of digital revenues. “Digital is not 1-2% of music consumers. They are combining their listening habits between CD, downloads, subscriptions and mobile phone content.” (Ed’s note: Well yes, since most digital music is still pirated MP3 and ripped CDs). “We constantly
Ted Cohen, Senior Vice President, Digital Development & Distribution, EMI Music, says “There are labels who get it, but digital has more of a voice at the table than it ever has. I showed Warner the Net in 1996. They got it. But at the time AOL was metered by the hour. “Now it’s about consumer control. User created mixes and playlist trading. Things will find their audience. For most
Paul Watson of Fat City Records said “Currently we have artists who retail through us exclusively because they want to be associated with the brand of the shop. In the future artists will sell downloads directly to fans, and bypass the shops, possibly even the independent ones.”
Dan Bladen from FirstForMusic.com, a promotions site, is looking for an editorial partner/sponsor for the 9 month old promotions site. Designed to bolt on to a retailer, FirstForMusic.com is currently partnered with Karmadownload.com. “We’re not trying to compete with editorial sites, but bolt on to them, said Dan. Based in Manchester and London, the aim for the site is to build the database from its current level of 25,000 members.
Speaking to MusicBites, Danielle Milne, (pictured) label manager with Black Sugar Records, backed the development of the music industry into the digital environment. “Digital is really important. As a label manager I have to know the market. Everything now is about downloads, and the kids, the market#039s buyers, are hugely technicaly advanced. They are on chatrooms, and blogs all the time – you have know about it.” BSR acts have
ITC organiser Tony Wilson, alluding to subscription versus download models: “Why does a man want to own a woman and a woman own a man?” Ted Cohen: “Somehow the rental models works quite well in that scenario.”
After one panel session, a source at iTunes sidled up to MusicBites to say that iTunes customers download ‘millions’ of tracks per week’, and not the ‘two or three’ here and there suspected by some in the music industry. But does iTunes know how may tracks are downloaded per user exactly? “No.”
Danny Van Emden (digital media director, EMI Music), said the last in 18 month mobile revenues had been “coming through strongly. The commercial imperative among networks to make 3G work is pretty high. Fixed line revenue is higher than mobile.” Andy Baker of Dx3 said there was £720m was spent on mobile content last year but it was still hard to get to. “People are buying content online. iTunes has