10 January 04
Discovering Digital Audio
Our installation of Panther, the new version of the Mac operating system, has prompted me to start playing with the Apple music jukebox program, iTunes. And in so doing I’ve finally become clued into the digital music scene. The world of internet music is quite in flux, but some trends are getting clearer. Business models are emerging for selling music over the net. The iTunes music store is doing quite well, seems to hit the sweet spot: reasonable prices for downloading (99 cents a track), an ever-growing selection of music, and fair licensing terms. And shareware music, where you can download before paying for the album, is now a viable alternative, examples being the Berkeley record label Magnatune, and the independent CD distributor CD Baby. There’s plenty to explore, and I’m learning that a laptop with a minimum of hardware and software can make for an all-in-one music box, allowing for recording, editing, and playback with great ease.
- We have used iTunes since version 1.0, but we are only able to copy tracks from our own Cds. We have our iMac linked up with an amplifier and speakers and I have a 15GB ipod (almost full). Most of our CDs sit in their cases untouched, after having been added to iTunes. But …we cannot buy music online as iTunes Music Store is not available here or indeed anywhere outside USA. Nevertheless, even without the store iTunes is a ripper of an application!— Geoff 11. January 2004, 16:21 Link
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