“Apple is watching its iTunes Radio streaming service flounder because it doesn’t understand the most fundamental truth about streaming music customers,” Jason Notte writes for TheStreet. “We’re not listening to streaming music services so we can find the next song to buy. We’re listening and subscribing to them so we don’t have to buy songs anymore.”
“This isn’t a Pandora issue or a digital radio issue: It’s a straight subscription streaming issue,” Notte writes. “It’s been a long time since the older segments of the music marketplace got their first iPods. It’s been more than a decade since iTunes started doling out downloads and just about as long since crafting playlists was something anyone but the most patient of party hosts or wedding planners took joy in doing. A device or iTunes library stocked with thousands of songs isn’t a point of pride anymore: It’s an onerous chore.”
“‘The a-la-carte consumption model is 11 years old and at this point the decline in the U.S. download sales seems unstoppable; it doesn’t seem like the store is refreshable,’ said one record label about the once-indispensable iTunes. And that’s how Apple, of the dancing iPod silhouettes and indie-rock jingles, got caught sleeping after the aughts ended,” Notte writes. “As great a force as Apple was in driving the last great music format change away from CDs and to lower-quality digital files, it now joins the labels in being dragged toward the subscription streaming future.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple might also try high-res track sales along with exploring subscription music and improving iTunes Radio.
I use Pandora One as I have unlimited data I don’t worry about it, but am considering that when the time comes. My son uses spotify, but he has limited data and it just fit his style. I do still buy tracks I really like but buy them from off beat places not iTunes as I think they are overpriced, unless I am lazy that day. What apple did forget was that you have to be priced at a point that someone isn’t willing to steal it or now stream it. They are helped by the RIAA, which thinks its due a free meal.
As far as their streaming service, they built it and left it, you have to continually improve which is what pandora does do. I will say the impediments that apple puts in its competitors way can be irritating. I hope they don’t get microsoftitis.
I go to live shows all the time and love new and old music. I am an old guy but probably see more concerts in a month than most folks do all year. Not into the old “Hope I die before I get old bands”, Most of what I listen to is new and NOT POP.
For the Jazz, Classical and other critical listening styles Apple should offer downloads in Apple Lossless Format- for an extra fee.