Play a "Fanfare to the Common Man." Prior to the Gutenberg Press, there was only a Bible known by the various teachings and preaching in a locality. Between 1390 and 1455 the text was made available in a more or less standard format to all and a revolution in the format of distributed ideas began. Presently the world is experiencing another and very similar revolution in the delivery of ideas to the masses. Not only was there a revolution of ideas and the massive availability of the Bible. The publishing invention allowed for the mass exchange of data and news. Today, we can exchange data, transact business, invest, shop, learn, even provide medical and other professional services over great distances. We have only begun to see the tip of the iceberg of entertainment on the Internet. This Iceberg is very visible and will not sink our Titanic future. The camera on the next generation of technology focuses on a scene where a user will log onto the TV Guide online, click his local area's edition (this is already possible) and then click on the program wanted and, presto, the show will appear on the screen. The screen will be large and flat, clear and movie like. The future is now ; the group known as he Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) have come to terms on the latest secure format for the next generation RIO, juke boxes, toys and other music hardware. Changes and good sounds are on the way.
Music formats are likewise in an evolution. The record company of the very near future will see that MP3 then MP4 and other digital Internet delivered music formats are cheaper to package, much more profitable and can be made as secure as a music CD, cassette, "vinyl" or piano roll. These new formats are really not different from the Gutenberg revolution. They allow more music to go out from more sources to more average people. Peoples in the world who may not have a CD player might have a computer with Internet Access. In some countries a computer is more revered than a car. The record publishers of yesteryear merely need to realize the great potential.
NO MORE JEWEL BOXES, cassettes, tapes. No more any form of "physical" distribution, delivery, trucks, mail or stores for that matter. Save the cost of the packaging and secure the music as much as all older formats were secured and you have the making of a new larger market for all music.
For the cost of the masters and their conversion into ONE digital copy for download compared to the manufacturing costs of CD's and Cassettes, including returns, defects, and other issues with those media, a record company can save millions and profits can more easily be attained. The Copyright law, on the U.S. Government's part and ASCAP, BMI and other such artists royalty distribution systems through the DMCA (see article---) have provided a way for this to happen by encouraging uses of digital technology, copy protection through "technological measures" that are not to be "circumvented".
As in Sony vs. Universal (The Betamax case) and RIAA vs. RIO maker Diamond, the courts are not about to force the demise of a new technology, a format, a new Gutenberg Press. Especially when the tired old Internet sound quality is much better, downloads take less than 20 minutes for a 3-minute song. The technology has competition from Real Sound and the wave of the future becomes clear not like the light at the end of the tunnel but like the approach of a new and powerful locomotive's bright light into a long developmental pass. The first stop is clearer sound. The next is better moving pictures. This, with HDTV and faster streaming (or whatever more reliable video delivery system we have) and downloads, will again revolutionize the common man's access to many good works on the Web. Soon there will be an all-entertainment format combining most of the Web with the virtues of TV. Interactive buff, game player and "couch potato" will enjoy entertainment from the same machine.
In part 2, we will get into the legal aspects of this and the many copyright implications. Stay tuned. To get more information about this growing field, see the MP3 Site located in the Links page, and ZD Net.