My Opinion on Music Distribution

In my opinion, all three systems of transferring music are flawed. Napster-like file swapping networks have the largest library of music but leave the artists out of the loop. Pay-for downloadable music services like MusicNet on RealOne MusicPass are the only legal digital distribution systems but they don't have the selection. The least flawed method is CDs. There is a huge selection (Almost all music is on CDs.), the artists get paid, and CD players are ubiquitous. the only problem is that they are physical and you have to drive to a store to get them (unless you illegally burn CDs).

My vision for the best system, which I think I share with others, is most similar to Kazaa or others and could possibly use them. I think that a new format should come out that has some extra features. It would use some form of compression like MP3, be encrypted, and have some extra information about who to pay. The extra information would be about where to send payment and how much. When the user first uses the software, they are prompted for a paypal account, credit card number, or another form of payment. The first time a user plays a song, the player prompts them saying how much it would cost and asking if they are sure. Every company that licensed the format for their players would agree to have their player conform to the standard.

This format could be swapped on networks like Kazaa and therefore have a very broad audience, it would require the user to pay, and it would be easy to access.

I'm pretty sure that this is the way things are already going and ATRAC3, MemoryStick MagicGate, and Windows Media are all moving in this direction. I just wanted to contribute my two cents to help others see what's coming and maybe make a difference.