It is quiet obvious that when Google, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter make a move at the same time, you can say that a trend might be created.
At the last Twitter conference in LA "Free isn't a business model" resonated. It seems that the passion for a better society leaves some room for a more pragmatic pocket consideration. What is happening now is a real shift in business and The Matrix starts its implementation slowly.
Music is one of the most innovative and lucrative field in eCommerce. Over the next 2 years, the big players will try to bring us into a "streaming" consumption model. You won't buy a .mp3 for 99 cents but one stream for 10 cents.
The only analogy that I can find - and I don't have affection for it - is heroine. Before, they use to sell a syringe with unlimited shots for $1. Now, they will try to move the market toward a model where they give you a free syringe and they sell a fix for $0.10 (probably with the first ones for free).
The database won't matter anymore - only the pipeline. Like in the oil industry, the people who own the land with oil make less money than the ones who own the pipeline. The songs (or other digital products) will be in third parties' databases. Google, Facebook & Co will be the pipelines that sell us access to streams through a computer or a mobile phone.
Should we agree or not, this will go into the market for trial.
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