The idea was to offer the entire iTunes catalog in exchange for a premium on iPod music players. Since music labels would be tied in to this plan, how come the music industry isn't having any serious discussions with Apple about the plan??? Could it be the meager 5% year-on-year growth rate reported by Business Week this morning has put a damper on things???
There are some indications that iPod sales are slowing despite the record 22.1 million units sold in the quarter ending December 29th and that 5% growth figure compares with 50% a year earlier. While the Apple plan of offering customers access to the entire iTunes catalog is as tasty as a smorgasbord and the iPod equivalent of a music automat, maybe Apple is considering some tweaking to the original menu...
Apple doesn't have much time to reconfigure because competition is strong. The social darlings of the Internet - Facebook and MySpace are working on their own Web music stores. Reportedly MySpace would rely on its own ad-support that would allow free a la carte downloading like Amazon.com started doing last year...
Sadly, this is the state of music today. The fate of the music industry depending on outside (Web) sources to keep it relevant while the industry giants of yesterday watch it happen powerlessly...
10 Timeline Memories:
- 1900] The Bronx is up and the Battery's down: New York City Mayor Robert Van Wyck breaks ground for the New York subway tunnel that will link Manhattan and Brooklyn...
- 1955] Who's your Big Daddy?: Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" opens on Broadway. The movie will star Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor...
- 1956] Don Russell: Senior Bill Russell leads the University of San Francisco to its second straight NCAA title with a 83-71 win over Iowa as the Dons win their 55th straight game - a record at the time...
- 1958] Elvis has left the draft board: Elvis Presley is inducted into the Army. Although he was drafted the previous December, the Army allowed Elvis to finish filming "King Creole"...
- 1962] Death visits the ring: Emile Griffith beats Benny "The Kid" Paret senseless in a welterweight title fight at Madison Square Garden. Ten days later Paret dies from his injuries...
- 1964] JFK in silver: The Kennedy half-dollar is issued by the Treasury...
- 1980] Debuted on this date: "Nightline" debuts with Ted Koppel. In 1979 the news show debuted with coverage of the Iran crisis. Koppel left the show in November of 2005 but the show continues to air with new hosts...
- 1988] Guilty as charged: Former national security aides Oliver L. North and John M. Poindexter plead innocent to Iran-Contra charges...
- 1989] Oil slick for the ages: The Exxon Valdez spills 11 million gallons of oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound after running aground...
- 1997] Oscar gold: "The English Patient" (Best Picture), Geoffrey Rush (Best Actor) and Frances McDormand (Best Actress) win Oscars at the 69th Academy Awards...
Music Memories:
- 1973] Bum-mer: Lou Reed is bitten on the tookus by a male fan at a concert in Buffalo. Both Reed and the fan get tetanus shots...
- 1973] Released on this date: "Dark Side of the Moon" LP - Pink Floyd, which stays on the charts for a record-breaking 741 weeks...1978] "With a Little Luck" - Paul McCartney & Wings...
- 1975] Number One on this date: "Lady Marmalade" - LaBelle...1985] "One More Night" - Phil Collins...
Commentary:
Major League Baseball continues to have our baseball season open abroad for obvious reasons. It's one thing to promote the game on a global stage but the affect on teams going through this rigorous travel routine has affected their play during the first month of the season. Would it kill MLB to confine these games to the exhibition season instead of having the Red Sox and Athletics play two games in Tokyo, fly back to the west coast for more exhibition games and then restart the baseball season the following week? Since these two games do count as regular season games, watching them live means waking up at 6 here to do it. Enough already! Stop the global opening nonsense...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Lara Flynn Boyle (38), Annabella Sciorra (44), Star Jones Reynolds (46), Kelly LeBrock (48), Donna Pescow (54), Louie Anderson (55), Tommy Hilfiger (57), Nick Lowe (59) and Bob Mackie (68)...
Timeline Countdown: One day until opening day, 12 days until The Final Four, 14 days until the NCAA Championship game and 26 days until Passover...
