New Oz music scheme: unlimited music no longer pipe dream

David Swan
Monday, 17 August 2009 19:40

Your IT - Entertainment

The original article, by way of a quote from Gavin Parry, general manager of digital and brand development at Sony Music, suggested that “music is slowly moving into the loungeroom.” In my eyes (or to my ears, for that matter), nothing could be further from the truth. Music may have been in the loungeroom in the 60’s and 70’s, but moved portable with the Walkman, and later the iPod. This shift from the home stereo to the jeans pocket is only going to perpetuate further, and not somehow move back to the room that is now dominated with monstrous televisions and PS3s. Listening to recorded music is no longer a social phenomenon, and is instead an intimate thing done largely on the way to work or in the solace of a quiet bedroom. Clubs and gigs provide a social way to experience music, but people aren’t going to be listening to Bandit.fm streams there.

Unless iPods and other MP3 players become compatible with the new service, I can’t see it being triumphant.

At the very least, the music industry can be finally applauded for taking proactive steps in arguably the right direction. Many question marks remain, however, and more answers will be revealed as the service edges closer to launch.