Online Music Stores Falling Short, Study Shows

[Christopher]

Snatched from Reuters here.

LONDON (Reuters) - Online music stores like Apple's iTunes have been a boon to fans and the beleaguered music industry, but many of them still have a long way to go, according to new research released on Tuesday.

A study from market research firm Shelley Taylor & Associates blasts music stores for confusing navigation and locking users into proprietary formats and music players.

"As a result, users' initial enthusiasm is being deflated as they realize they have been conned -- there are more limitations imposed on legitimate digital downloads, media players and portable devices than advertised," Taylor said.

The market-leading iTunes store, driven by the success of Apple's iPod portable music device, lost out on the top ranking to France's Fnac in Taylor's study of 15 of the best music stores.

"(Apple and iTunes) need to watch their back and continue to develop, especially since they've never been good at the e-commerce and shopping," Taylor said. She cited several key Fnac features that are lacking in iTunes, including discounts for buying multiple tracks and the ability to download music videos and purchase concert tickets.

Fnac is part of retailer Pinault-Printemps-Redoute.

The study gave British retailer HMV the lowest marks among online music stores for being difficult to access, providing scant artist information, and confusing navigation.

Taylor said Sony's Sonic Stage was the worst music software among those studied because it forces users into using a proprietary music format, has poor playlist functions, and commits user interface sins that make it difficult to use.

I know that this article is stating the obvious, but it's powerful for reuters to have such context. Hopefully Sony's San Jose endeavor will do something better.

[Michael1980]

The lack of quality is the main reason I have started buying cd's again.

[dex Otaku]

Something better like:

Sell lossless-packed tracks with no DRM. When they start doing this, I'll start buying music online. Otherwise, my money goes to the pressed aluminum and silicate polysubstrate, thank you.

[me]

Something better like:

Sell lossless-packed tracks with no DRM.  When they start doing this, I'll start buying music online.  Otherwise, my money goes to the pressed aluminum and silicate polysubstrate, thank you.

←

Why buy cheap, heavily compressed music online when you can get cheap music from a Used Record Shop? The only benefit is the "NOW!" factor built in to most people of the broadband age.

[Fast Eddie]

Buying a proper CD means you can rip it into any file format you want. It's like having a proper master copy.

Downloading music just doesn't appeal to me. I'm sure it only appeals to people that don't realise they are buying something inferior.

Edited February 12, 2005 by Fast Eddie

[aeriyn]

Bleh, both iTMS and Connect suck. I'm not an Apple fangirl, far from it. I like my iPod because it does everything I want it to do and nothing I do not need it to do. It's also the only microdrive unit capable of playing back a lossless format.

Just get this straight, Chris, and I know you think I'm some sort of Apple zealot. I'm not. I use the iPod because it perfectly suits my needs and wants. When something better, cuter and in pink comes out, I'll be all over it.

And since my home listening is through a good old-fashioned CDP, buying CDs makes perfect sense to me. In fact I'm listening to it right now.

[Christopher]

I think you're a loon with a shade of dork, that's all.

[Fray Adjacent]

Buying a proper CD means you can rip it into any file format you want.  It's like having a proper master copy.

Downloading music just doesn't appeal to me.  I'm sure it only appeals to people that don't realise they are buying something inferior.

←

+1 on all of the above

My process is, I buy a CD, take it home, rip it to MP3 (320Kb/s constant bitrate), save it to my server with the rest of my MP3s, rip directly from CD to ATRAC3+ (256Kb/s) and record to HiMD. Then the CD goes on my rack with all of my other CDs. A new CD is only ever out of it's case for a few hours, but having the CD gives me the freedom to rip it however I want to, and have it as an original source in case anything happens to my digital copies.

[roguefan99]

Add to the fact that if you forget to back up, you can lose it easily. So far I've only ever lost one CD. The actually having something in your hands, is something that appeals to me (I also like checking out covers etc), so I dont mind paying a bit more (not much) for an album.

[Dinko]

Legal download stores have one advantage over regular stores and CDs: get just the tracks you want. When you just want one track from one album, it's 99cents and that's the end of that. That's the only part about download stores that I find appealing - not the players associated with one store (Apple iPods) or another (Samsung Napsterized Yepp players) ; not the heavily compressed format (most of the tracks I got from iTMS suffer heavily from digitalitis with glossy upper ends, and complete lack of bass or bloom) ; nor any other characteristic of legal download sites.

But in about a dozen cases, I've found it more convenient to give 99 cents per track to Apple, than spend 20$ on a dozed used CDs, or look for the tracks on the P2P networks.

[Syrius]

[Mr. T] I pity the fool who pays 99 cents for a song, when you can get it cheaper and with higher quality somewhere else. [/Mr. T]

(Not calling you a fool, just being silly. But seriously, check out allofmp3.com)

[dclarke32]

i just don't understand how you can tell me to pay for it through your already inflated prices, then restrict me in its use. why bother? just for the option of not having to mess with any of that garbage on these online sites, i would gladly pay the people on half.com whatever they want for an album with only 1 song i like. that way i can put that song on my computer without any hassle and copy it without any hassle. just because of nonsense like that i let anyone and anyone burn a copy of any of my cds just so they don't have to deal with it either. i never used to buy used cds until i saw that they don't even last as many years as they are supposed to new or used, and realized this just means you are renting the music anyway. now if i can get it for less i will, no worries about anything from these online ripoff markets.

[Fray Adjacent]

dclarke,

I think the CD degradation was only on some old, cheaply made CDs. Most quality manufactured discs should not suffer 'CD rot'. I recall reading an article about it not long ago.

[Bananatree]

I love how all these article do the same thing:

"Apple is pretty good, Sony sucks because they have a proprietary format"

Dear Mr. Reviewer: Buy some tracks off ITMS and try and play them in something other than a CD player or a iPod.

[bug80]

I'm not going to pay €0.99 (which is actually more than $0.99) for a track that isn't even compressed at a bitrate which is transparent to my ears, if I can get the same track as a PCM for about €1.50 if I buy the CD, considering 12 tracks on an album. Plus, I get a booklet and a shiny disc

[Breepee2]

It's also the only microdrive unit capable of playing back a lossless format. 

Errrr.... there's plenty of units out there who support lossless format's (most of em do FLAC). Rio Karma, Cowon M3 and a few iRivers to name a few.

[Michael1980]

Anyway, I reckon the price of AllofMp3 is what legal download price should (when getting uncompressed files offcourse). It works out about 70 US cents to a uncompressed song which is pretty fair/good for most.

[Bananatree]

Just making sure you know that AllofMP3.com IS infact illegal.

[Michael1980]

Yes I am aware of that. What I MEANT to say is that legal stores like iTunes/Connect should sell uncompressed songs at the same price as AllofMp3 does, that way it would be fair.

[Breepee2]

Just making sure you know that AllofMP3.com IS infact illegal.

←

For most European countries it is in fact perfectly legal. Not really fair to the artists though. On the other hand, artists can be financially supported in other ways. At least you know your not funding a sick music industry by purchasing via allofmp3.

Edited March 14, 2005 by Breepee2

[cfairfowl]

I agree with me, Him! That chap! You know the guy with the ammunition case stuck in his HiFi.

Second hand record shops are a fantastic source of music, if they don’t have what you want they normally know a chap does. I have bought some hard to get stuff from ebay too. I also use my local library and lets not forget the Radio (yes, yes I know I am always banging on about the radio).

Long live Whispering Bob Harris.

[lightbulbjim]

I reckon CDs (and vinyl for that matter too) are brilliant. I listen to most of my music on CD and occasionally vinyl, then copy an album to MD when I feel the whim. Someone mentioned how you need only get the tracks you want with online stores. Personally I love buying albums on CD and vinyl when you only know one or two songs. You discover a lot more music that way.

[Deanage]

Personally I love buying albums on CD and vinyl when you only know one or two songs. You discover a lot more music that way.

Hell yeah. The only way I find out about new artists now is by buying movie/game/anime soundtracks. I found Lamb and Sven Vath via the soundtrack to "One Perfect Day" (Aussie film where some guy walks around with an MD walkman recording stuff with a mic and there's a story somewhere too. I only saw the ad and that was enough to make me get the soundtrack).

[pata2001]

Taylor said Sony's Sonic Stage was the worst music software among those studied because it forces users into using a proprietary music format, has poor playlist functions, and commits user interface sins that make it difficult to use.

Another ignorant comment.

Fairplay DRM is propietary. Atrac is propietary. WMA IS propietary, of Microsoft.

iTunes forces users to use Apple only products because Apple refuses to license its Fairplay DRM. So, tracks from iTunes are only playable on iPods, tracks from connect are only playable on Sony devices. What's the difference? Yahoo and napster tracks only playable on DRM WMA supporting DAPs. Napster and yahoo subscription services only playable on "play for sure" devices. All are the same. All are propietary. All DRMed legal music download services are propietary, unless they use OGG and ditch DRM.

Edited November 18, 2005 by pata2001