Will The Cloud Rain On Radio's Parade???

It's a pretty safe bet that a "cloud" music service is coming to Apple. That cloud will allow mobile device users to bypass their computers to download their music. According to MarketWatch, the new system would allow customers to listen to and purchase music stored on remote computers in Apple data centers and have that music sent to their mobile phones. No more middle man. Apple is the middle man. When Apple bought LaLa (which doesn't mean I love you) in December 2009 they knocked a competitor out of business or will, effective May 31. LaLa allowed its customers to create online playlists of music they had uploaded or purchase songs for 89 cents each and drop a dime to stream a song an unlimited amount of times. The music business didn't love LaLa. They'll like Apple's cloud even less. So what happens to LaLa's customers now and will the cloud effect radio???

The answer to the first question is that customers who bought songs through LaLa can still play those songs and those who paid 10 cents to stream songs will get a credit with Apple's iTunes store or refunds. Apple moles report that the company is putting up one billion dollars into building a new data center in Maiden, N.C., believed to be used for new music-storing initiatives. The answer to the second question is not as clear cut as music distribution...

Apple will concentrate on what they do best if and when they launch their music cloud. They are the world's largest online music retailer, and the largest music seller of any kind in the U.S. LaLa offers music from EMI, Warner, Sony BMG and Universal, so look for that to continue under Apple's cloud. Apple unveils a new version of its iPhone June 7 and you can bet LaLa will be one of its apps. So how would radio be affected by their music cloud? For one, they would be competing with radio webcasts. While there's no certainty about how damaging that would be, music services that call themselves radio stations - are you listening Pandora? - definitely will be affected the most...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1936] The Hall Is Calling: Future Baseball Hall of Famer, Joe DiMaggio of the Yankees makes his major league debut...
2. 1937] Going, going, gone: Margaret Mitchell wins a Pulitzer Prize for her novel "Gone With The Wind"...
3. 1952] Derby Doings: Eddie Arcaro becomes the first jockey to win The Kentucky Derby 5 times, aboard Hill Gail (5/3)...1986] At the age of 54, Bill Shoemaker becomes the oldest jockey to win the big race riding Ferdinand (5/3)...
4. 1960] Try to remember: The musical "The Fantasticks" opens off-Broadway, beginning a record run of nearly 42 years and 17,162 performances. I guarantee you it's still playing somewhere. No one sang the signature song better than Jerry Orbach...
5. 1971] NPR goes on the air: National Public Radio makes its debut. Only NPR could give us 'The History of the Boombox'...
6. 1971] Tres de Mayo: The Mayday Tribe begins four days of demonstrations in Washington, D.C., aimed at shutting down the nation's capital. This demonstration followed a peaceful anti-war demonstration on April 24th...
7. 1973] The new king of the skyscrapers: The Sears Tower in Chicago is completed...
8. 1979] Maggie may, Maggie would, Maggie did: Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain's first female prime minister as the Tories oust the incumbent Labor government in parliamentary elections...
9. 1991] Curtains: "Dallas" airs its final episode. The show that started in April 1978, breaks viewing records in 1980 when over 90 million watch the "Who Shot J.R." episode...
10. 2000] "Happy Trails": John Joseph O'Connor, the archbishop of New York, dies from a brain tumor at 80...2006] Earl Woods, father of Tiger, dies from prostate cancer at 74...

Music Memories:

• 1964] Debuted on this date: Gerry & the Pacemakers make their U.S. TV debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show" singing "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying". This clip is from a different TV appearance...
• 1977] Quiet Please: Paul Simon and Phoebe Snow perform a benefit concert at the New York Public Library where the librarian continually "shushes" them...Here's Paul and Phoebe in solo appearances the same year...
• 1986] Hello Dolly: "Dollywood", Dolly Parton's theme park, opens in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Dolly also owns a radio station there (WDLY) that I used to call on when I was in syndicated radio. DP is quite the active owner as the PD would tell me...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Cheryl Burke (26), Christopher Cross (59), Mary Hopkin (60), Greg Gumbel (64), Frankie Valli (76) and Pete Seeger, (91) years young today...

Timeline Countdown: 2 days until Cinco de Mayo, 6 days until Mother's Day, 28 days until Memorial Day, 48 days until Father's Day and 49 days until summer...