In a PDF report (download from Searchblog), Bear Stearns Analyst Robert Peck speculates that Google will launch a music store soon. Sure they will, and it will take lessons from video. Gary Price groks it here. From Peck’s report:
Why is Google Tunes attractive to Google? According to Nielsen/Net ratings, unique visitors to Apple’s iTunes site
increased 241% YoY to 20.7M, for a 14% reach. Further, Nielsen indicates that iTunes users form a distinct target
audience with brand preferences along autos, alcohol beverages, magazines, and television.
*** We would expect Google to rollout a Beta service within 3-6 months. We note that Google has not confirmed our
expectations, and that our thinking is based on Mosaic theory. However, we do think this fits with Google’s recent
moves and its ultimate goal of organizing the world’s information.
Do you remember the old Mp3.com? I thought that was a very awesome very advanced music system.. With all those thousands of artists having their music hosted for free, the on-demand CD burning, the 1 million $ per month from the advertising revenue that was redistributed to the artists, the mp3 download sales, webradios and finally the thing where it recognized the CD you put in the drive and gave you instant access to the music in mp3 form for streaming.. The feature which got the music majors to sue Mp3.com and finally Universal Music just took over the domain and it just collapsed and all the thousands of independant artists were kicked out. That was Michael Robertson’s awesome project, and now he is trying to make big changes with the Linspire OS..
I always thought though that Mp3.com was missing some Web 2.0 social automatic recommendations system, donations and other ways for talented artists to automatically receive the recognition they deserve. Cause too much of Mp3.com was around popularity charts, where the same music would stay on top of the chart.
Probably that Google is working on the Google Music, and maybe they should think about not calling it Store but maybe Market for the paying parts. As Google itself shouldn’t licence music, it should rather provide the open market, the interface and the advanced search and recommendations features. To have the small artists on the same level as the established media, that is the greateness of Google’s platforms.
I think the pattern is clear here. And we have seen this all before with other companies that have had success using one particular formula. Google’s hammer is algorithm driven functionality. Video, Music, Text are all nails that get driven with that hammer.
Google was able to get over using a spare, simple UI when their focus was solely text. Unfortunately, the move to richer media requires significantly more effort. They actually have to do proper design and they currently don’t have those skills available.
-Doug
Remember the Jones’ Theory.
Unless G can improve it seems like an unnecessary expenditure and headache creator.
I think Google has had so much success with their text UI that they’ve let it convince themselves that level of simplicity is the answer to all search interfaces. That’s another hammer that wants to smash every nail, even when its not appropriate.
The problem is, Google’s expertise in -all- areas, not just UI, is text-based. In web retrieval, for example, you have web pages, whose content is text, social recommendation data is links from linking web pages, and metacontent/metadata is anchor text from linking web pages.
On the web, Google is very good at making use of all three sources of data.. content, social content, and metacontent.
With music on the other hand, you have songs, whose content is melodies and rhythms and timbres, social recommendation data is playlists, and metacontent/metadata is genre tags and titles (e.g. ID3 fields).
Of these three, Google only has expertise in the latter one. They don’t really know how to do music analysis by content, the same way they can do text analysis by content. They don’t have access to loads of playlist data, unless they’re developing a vertical crawler. So all that is really left is ID3 tags.
I don’t care who you are, but if that’s all you have, you’re going to fail, no matter how good your UI.
The only way I see Google competing is if they start a buying spree.. perhaps last.fm for the social/”link” data, and Pandora for the music content data. Who knows. Anything else, I think they’re going to fizzle just like with Google Video.
I remember reading/hearing a quote saying that “Google doesn’t have a music store because Sergey doesn’t listen to much music”.
Wonder how much tension there is between the people behind the “portalized” version of Google and Sergey/Larry.
Intersting development, but here is a site to look at. http://www.BurnLounge.com/mediaonline – this is a store, that allows me to create affiliate sales (not Tupperware). Essentially you can visit my site and purchase the titles and songs I recommend or any other song that comes to mind. There is a small profit share model, but it is cool because I make a little side income from people (please try it) dowloading music through my site.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the site does start up and google offers a competing service. What I’ve seen of google is very similar to some of the other enormous companies.
They have so much money, in order for it to grow, they need to invest it. Having cash in the bank is safe, but the returns are also poor. Using it as capital for a new project would be the best method.
I don’t have anything to say to anyone unless they want to say something to me. Getting scams on the phone? Where have you people been? The summer of 1999 and Columbine High School incident began a cycle. Canada is good for creating travel company scams. I see things and you know that I have channeled my talent to writing songs over my poetry writings. Don’t get me started about Sept. 11, 2001 as my mother and dear Aunt Marion were to fly from Michigan to Germany on Sept. 12, 2001. I phoned both of them Sept. 10, 2001 in the evening and told them that “I don’t think that you are going on Sept. 12, 2001.” Don’t ask about the FBI phone call. This astounded them both and I don’t know why I made the phone calls. Why are you mad at me Googlized people? I used to write poetry, but I have a Master Of Arts and I found my passion, writing music. It’s fun trying to create(remember I’m a Pisces) born in the year of the Dragon, songs and I wish that I had more time to focus on this as I painted walls in my rental home today, cut 3 acres of grass with my new Club Cadet, cooked 75 stuffed green peppers from my garden,( I’m giving some to Chuck because his electrician wife is working in Salt Lake City)and I hope that some people buy some of my music on the new Christmas CD’s coming out later this year. No I didn’t write another “Christmas Special Delivery,” about the APO mail with militaryfamilies.com assisting me with some info. about the C-Cargo planes. In one of my collections this yr. I have written a song about Hawaii(I wrote 2 songs about Hawaii…)’cause I have to go back that is familiar to me about the green sea turtle, and Pearl Harbor. I have to thank a University of Hawaii Professor in Languages at Hilo for helping me with a certain Hawaiian phrase. Have you ever been to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial? Have you ever climbed to the top of “Big Mo?” Have you ever been in the U.S.S.Bowfin?(such a lucky sub.)No one has contacted me about recording this song yet…and I think that this is a masterpiece song. If you’ve ever kayaked don’t try to take photos even if you have an underwater camera in an ocean kayak with the waves 6 ft. When you dump the kayak a large green turtle may tag along with you towards the swimming 1/3 Kilometer back to Lanai beach. I miss Hawaii.
So, some people re-finish furniture, some people paint…like Leo Da Vinci and I want to say Leo De Caprio! ha ha)…some people can stick so many toothpicks up their noses on J. Leno snd be in his funny game shows etc. and I write songs.
I am a very busy woman.
I just write the songs and I am an accomplished pianist but not a singer…that’s A. Franklin, Le Ann Rimes etc…
My overall plan isn’t over…there is method to my madness!(Of Writing my songs and Poetry) I have band friends…you, know guitarist friends like Shannon etc.
So…what do y’all think? I also love sports…go the Pistons games, etc. I used to go to the Michigan Games and the stories I could tell…
Peace & Love but be aware. And I have one brother and my sister-in-law’s brother David ran his car into what he thought was an abortion clinic. David always loved NASCAR and he had some road rage but “what the —-?” I have no idea. I think this was a horrible thing…I am shocked and feel for the clinic…David was despondent since he wasn’t made a permanent employee at an over-the-road trucking company as they let him go at 89 days of intensive driving. This is all I know about this since I didn’t know him to well.(lives on the East side)
Live life as you think and see where you get…
I have had my hand kissed by Dean Martin of the “Rat Pack,” Gem Theatre, Detroit on Sunday and since being an avid theatre attendee this was special. I have work to do..and yes…I washed my hand. But, what a blessing from Dean Martin and I remembered is son, Dean Martin Jr. It is a shame that my Profile isn’t listed anymore. I have work and writing to do..but I want you to know..Dean Martin kissed my hand..my treble clef writing pencilled hand…and I thank him for doing so.
Now, the DSO’s second production since 2000 of Brahms’s Piano Concerto #2 in B flat Major and I kept thinking that my last song I wrote in E flat Major with just one more flat but was wonderfully performed with 4 movements Allegro, Andante, Rondo, etc. by Marc-Andre Hamelin who gave encore of Debussy and Merci, Danke, thank you Marc- Andre. You played the Steinway Grand with vigorous expression perfectly. So, conspiracy theory with mother continues as to who wrote “Minuet in G?” as popularized, exiting Orchestra Hall. I said Beethoven and mother…Bach. Handel, Mozart, Beethoven and some others wrote a “Minuet In G,” but I was right…and torn in classical/pop/gospel/rock music since I am writing non-lyicaled songs. What differences in structure…and mother loves P.Tschaikowsky as her favorite composer(she used to love Beethoven) as I used to but sadness…Chopin’s sadness..not Rimsky-Korsakav but my loyalties shake as earthquakes as sadness pervades our homeland and lately I appreciate L.V. Beethoven for “Ode To Joy,” “Fuer Elise,” “Minuet In G,” Symphonies, Sonatas in C, etc. without fail, his ever ending uptempo streaming music in allegretto, allegro, etc. What musical pieces Ludwig produced have one theme…a theme of pronounced emphatic music in reigning melodies. May I be so blessed as to not be criticized as such but have similar remembrance in historical music whether classical, Pop, Rock, Gospel or legacy of notes played. In “Fuer Elise” present day bridge of song rocks hard with beats and tempo of present day rockers and Beethoven is one, just one of my favorite composers of past recognition to be listened to so many years later. May my past music and new music be inspired by such greats as Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Bach, Wagner, Handel, Rimsky-Korsakov, Debussy, Schubert, Dvorak, Weber, Grieg, Rachmaninoff, Bartok, Puccini, Stravinsky, Schumann, etc. The most difficult thing a songwriter or composer can do is think up progressions of melodies that are jelled into the entire song and pleasing/catchy to remember. God bless my attempts of writing notes in pencil on manuscript paper with attention to a song since every song is unique but hopefully my songs will be historically noted positively with joyous melodies that generations will want to play etc.
It wasn’t too long ago that I had the urge to sit at my grandmother’s Baldwin spinet and write some new music as music intrinsically is in my open veins and it flows constantly running finding a home on my marked up manuscript paper in pencil. My pencil always breaks and it’s a good thing that I have a pencil sharpener, eraser.
I listen to Nelly Furtado…I listen to hearts poured by people crying out but I write with joy seeked hope and wanting happiness. The New music of mine is horizon-ed. One of my songs, “Honey I Only Love You,” with a great “hook” recorded by 2 record cos. simultaneously will be released fairly soon with an older written song, “Don’t Ever Leave Me.” I wrote “Hunny I Only Love You,” and then added to it, changing Honey, and adding a bridge. Keys of writing I have mostly been writing in the Major Keys and 2 new Christmas songs I wrote this summer. “Hallelujah To Peace!(yeah what?) fortes… slows down in the prelude, verses, bridge, chorus more uptempo and final chorus as Peace is just that which is written by me in the Key of B Major with the bridge written in C as Joy for Christmas. This is a presentation or sister song to a “Messiah Of Joy For Everyone!” “Seasons Greetings And Giving” I wrote as a typical mark with my musical songs and story in the Key of D Major. I’m finishing some music as my grandmother’s piano is lovely sounding but needs tuning. Piano playing expression played properly could probably quiet people as playing the song as written by the songwriter is most important. I’m finishing my classically written(no lyrics) music this fall, tentative copyright date Thanksgiving. Mother says to “lay of the chords,” but I love the chords and scales per se. Most notably I am almost finished with my collection of new music about Hawaii and I had some help with Hawaiian music, phrases from the University Of Hawaii at Hilo and local Hawaiian artists. I revere my ability to write new music getting so excited! I hope that everyone continues to buy my music too on the Hollywood CDs so far.
It should be noted(in pencil..ha ha) that I usually don’t write songs about people with problems, such as…I don’t want to write songs in C Minor, but some up and coming songs might relate a song or 2 about people, life as what is. Rimsky-Korsakov, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak have written far greater listening pieces expressed of music than me.
A Caprice, sonatina, concerto is not within my non-grasp of undertaking and I have been writing short pieces that I will collect together as one but my songs with lyrics hopefully you will want to hear because they are with joy, fun, real life as written.
Finalizing, some of my new music(I’m 1-2 yrs ahead of you) I am writing some somber music. Funeral oriented music, discounted “Minuet In G” by Beethoven as opposite might be. It isn’t difficult for me to do write classical music other than I like uptempo/lyrical ed music but I have to.
So please listen to my 2 Love songs, 2 Christmas songs, one written about Hawaii. I need new manuscript paper, pencils that don’t break(ha ha) and my piano tuned. Let me me get the big “kick in the….” to continue with my works.
K.F.