Given that the Holy Writ “ iPod ” has become synonymous with “ portable medicine role player , ” it ’s easy to overlook other Apple - link medicine matters in 2007 . Yet the year bring important modification to the musical landscape painting in regard to on-line music distribution and digital right direction . And in most case , Apple was at the heart of them .
iPod developments — and there were a few this yr — will get their mo in the spotlight later in the week ; today , we ’ll focalise on other matters musical , including the expiry of DRM , the emergence of an iTunes rival , and the power to buy digital cut without having to place down your Starbucks frappuccino .
Macworld Expo: iTunes sales, Apple TV, and iPhone
Apple enter 2007 riding a continued waving of potent sales event at its iTunes Store — a point Steve Jobs made clear during his keynote at January ’s Macworld Expo .
“ There was an article recently that said iTunes sales have slowed dramatically , ” Jobs told Expo attendees . “ I do n’t lie with what information they ’re await at . What we see is iTunes sales were really up this year . ” According to Jobs , Apple doubled the number of songs it sell in 2006 , selling more than 5 million song a daylight .
“ Is n’t that unbelievable ? ” Jobs said . “ Fifty - eight songs every s . ”
During that same Expo keynote , Jobs show the general world the Apple TV , Apple ’s set - top boxful for wreak and cyclosis music and video to a TV and AV audio system . Originally slate to ship in February , the Apple TV finally hit shop shelves in late March . Although the gimmick could play euphony purchased from the iTunes Store ( as well as any medicine put in in your iTunes depository library ) , you could n’t buy euphony at once from the Store via the Apple boob tube . And as 2007 draws to a close , you still ca n’t .
Oh , and then there was some reference of a picture iPod , net communications equipment , and mobile telephone set .
Jobs’ Thoughts on Music
Another development from 2006 — politics from a number of European commonwealth query Apple about its digital right direction ( DRM ) drill — influenced event in 2007 . Norway , for illustration , gave Apple aMarch 1 deadlineto reveal its future DRM policy design .
In early February Steve Jobs postedThoughts on Musicin which he declare , “ If the big four euphony company would license Apple their music without the prerequisite that it be protected with a DRM , we would switch to deal only DRM - free euphony on our iTunes store . ” Met with cynicism in some corner , pundit oppugn if this was merely Apple ’s attempt to shift the rap and avoid read on the European Union . As it turn over out , the company had a dissimilar goal in idea , as we ’ll seebelow .
Amazon and TiVo sitting in a tree…
The iTunes Store was clearly popular enough to tempt other entities to try their hand at distributing medium online . In early February two of the prominent medium outfit joined forces and proclaimed their aim to do on the nose that .
Amazon and TiVo announced that TiVo users should soon have the opportunity to buy and download TV episodes and movies from Amazon ’s Unbox military service . The service go live in March . For the most part , it did n’t catch onas those who tried it constitute a modified pick of subject and discovered that full - length movies took several hour to download .
The decline of DRM
In April , Steve Jobs joined EMI CEO , Eric Nicoli , to put some dentition behind February ’s Thoughts on Music . The two annunciate that EMI would offer an unprotected translation of its catalogue at the iTunes Store . These unprotected tracks , term iTunes Plus , would be available for $ 1.29 each ( versus 99 cents for the protected version ) . Those who already had the protected version could upgrade for 30 cents per path or promote albums for one - third the record album ’s current price . Not only were the tracks unprotected but they were available at high bit - rates , AAC at 256kbps versus the protected lead ’ AAC at 128kbps .
But that was n’t the final word on DRM - destitute music , and it was n’t just Apple forcing the issue . In late September Amazon launched a public beta of its on-line euphony store , Amazon MP3 . Unlike the iTunes Store , song sell at Amazon ’s store were entirely unprotected and offer at high-pitched routine - pace , sold as 256kbps MP3 files .
Additionally , these track were offered at prices lower than the Apple equivalent—89 or 99 cent for unprotected tracks versus Apple ’s $ 1.29 price for iTunes Plus tracks . pop album were sold for $ 8.99 rather than iTunes ’ $ 9.99 and higher Mary Leontyne Price . Amazon MP3 also pop the question unprotected tracks from label that still imposed copy tribute at the iTunes Store , specifically Universal Music . Independent artists ’ music was also offer in unprotected form at Amazon MP3 .
Not long after the successful launching of Amazon MP3 , Apple thin the price of its iTunes Plus tracks from $ 1.29 per track to 99 cents each . Apple also removed the copy protection from much of the music found on independent labels .
Use our technology, or else
April shower brought May lawsuits as Media Rights Technology ( MRT ) filed suit against Apple and other media companies for offering content that violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ( DMCA ) and cerebral property constabulary . Specifically , MRT claim that music streamed by society such as Apple could be well captured . coincidently , MRT sells a technology to prevent such capturing . The caller claimed that these companies actively avoided using MRT ’s technologies .
Give us control, or else
Further on in the news of Demands and Waah , Universal Music Group , one of the Big Four music label , opt to not continue a long - term organisation with Apple and the iTunes Store . Although it did n’t threaten to rend its music from the Store ( as did NBC Universal withits TV programminglater in the year ) , it did release UMG to make exclusive deals with other troupe .
One concluding banknote on the simmer Apple - NBC Universal feud : In the fall , the spiritualist giant join force with News Corp. ’s Fox to launch a genus Beta of an online telecasting service . nickname Hulu , the NBC Universal - News Corp. joint venture was meant to compete with both online media shop such as iTunes , as well as video recording - share-out sites like YouTube .
Ring in the new
The people who keep cartroad of these form of the numbers tell us that tradition ringtones are a huge business concern , yet what was shaping up to be the most democratic mobile phone of the year , the iPhone , did n’t indorse them . But that did n’t stop third - political party from try out . Ambrosia Software was one of the first in with itsiToner , a $ 15 utility for adding custom ringtones to the iPhone . Rogue Amoeba joined the party with its freeMakeiPhoneRingtone service program .
These exploit foretell Apple ’s approved method for creating and supply custom ringtones — purchasing them for 99 cent from the iTunes Store . By yr ’s remnant , theGarageBand 4.1.1 updategave user the ability to create their own custom ringtones .
Wi-Fi? Because it’s there
other autumn traditionally wreak a new craw of iPods , ready for the upcoming season . 2007 was no different . But in addition to the new third - generation iPod nano , iPod classic , and iPod contact , Steve Jobs bring in the iTunes Wi - Fi Music Store .
usable on the iPod jot and iPhone , the iTunes Wi - Fi Music Store made it possible for those connected to a Wi - Fi connection to preview and leverage euphony ( but not TV ) from the iTunes Store .
In addition , Jobs and Starbucks CEO , Howard Schultz uncover that iPod touch and iPhone users ( as well as those using Mac and PC laptops ) would be able to purchase Starbucks - branded music at their local unripened - and - white coffeeteria . The avail began its rollout in Seattle and New York in October . San Francisco was brought on add-in in November . Starbucks in other major cities go live in 2008 and , by 2009 , Apple and Starbucks expect all Wi - Fi memory up and running .
Unfinished business
The class comes to an end without some betoken ( or , at least , wish - for ) event occurring . Although each of the Beatles ’ individual catalogs appear at the iTunes Store , the BeatlesquaBeatles did not ( though Led Zeppelin lastly did ) . A desire - for media rental modeling that might have match the Apple TV like a glove never materialise . And while Microsoft bring out a far better interlingual rendition of the supposed “ iPod killer”—theZune — the Zune 2 , like its predecessor , failed to set the world on attack .
Though the world of engineering and music changes in sometimes alarmingly unpredictable way , it ’s skillful to know there ’s something you could reckon on .
[ Senior editor program Christopher Breen stays on top of digital music in the Playlist blog . ]
