OT: So, what do you think about the iTunes Music Store?

[Muxlow]

I'm pretty sure that the sharing feature is only available to LAN networks. I don't think Apple have gotten too far with the major labels if they were allowing users to stream that copyrighted material all over the net...

[Twinstream]

Hmmmn.....been listening to music on other peoples playlists.....all night. I could speculate....a zillion or so. [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

[Twinstream]

CHECK THIS OUT! (IF YOU HAVE CABLE)

http://discussions.info.apple.com/[email protected]

[H E A D W E R K ' N]

Like many of us who don't have US-addressed Credit Cards, my experience with iTunes Music Store has been limited to just doing searches and having a look around. Needless to say though, I'm really impressed and hopefully the issues surrounding international buying (this is a record label thing, not a credit card thing, as different labels represent the same artists around the world) will be sussed out soon.

If Apple can get more labels and more songs on there to 'fill the holes' it currently has, this thing can really take off.

It also has the scope to really revolutionalise music over the next few years.

The first thing is that the ability to purchase just one or two songs from an album will hopefully mean that record companies will begin to shy away from releases based around a single decent big-name-producer-song plus 6-10 'fillers' that no one in their right mind would pay money for.

The second is that here will be an easy, cost effective way to purchase and listen to better-than-CD, multichannel audio. We've all been recording at 24bit for a few years now and most sequencers (PTLE being the big exception, sigh) have the ability to mix to 5.1 audio. Of course the humble CD can't play ball over stereo 44.1/16. DVD Audio isn't exactly taking off, as it seems that a lot of older DVD players can't play them. The only other real physical format I can think of is 24bit DAT - that's only stereo and most studios, let alone consumers, don't even have a DA45HR.

Thus, this is a golden opportunity for Apple, Record Companies and artists themselves who are sick of shelving 5.1 mixes. I don't know if AAC audio files can handle multiple channels, but I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to add that functionality, and it would get around having to matrix the channels with AC3 or DTS (and therefore having to pay them licence fees). With CoreAudio supporting multichannel audio, all that is needed is some suitable Firewire 5.1 speaker systems (or perhaps an optical out device for existing Home Theatre systems). You could also use proper audio interfaces too.

The third is a bit more way out, as it could very well end the need for record companies all together! (Well, maybe). As an independant artist, the hardest part of the game is getting your music out to the people. Harder still is making some money in the process.

Online delivery of music has some pretty good advantages over the CD-in-HMV approach. Firstly, CD manufacturing, distribution and retail costs are negated. They take up about the third of the cost of a CD, certainly a lot more than the poor starving muso gets at the end ;-).

Here's the ideal - Apple Independant Music. Struggling artists whose music is too interesting and un-formula-matic for the usual suspects can 'sign on' with Apple, and have their tracks on the iTunes Store. People can listen to previews and purchase the music for the same 99c deal. Apple could put iTunes Radio to good use and run a few stations which play the independant music too. A 50/50 split of the profit between Apple and the artist would be better than what Apple is getting from the majors and around US$5 per album is about 5 times better than what most artists get from CD sales (once they've gone Gold and paid off the advance and everything else).

Sounds easy, though there would be some interesting hurdles, like who owns publishing rights (and gets the royalities) and what happens if a band becomes a multiplatinum success. Whether or not the major labels would like Apple competing against them is something to also worry about.

Kudos to Apple for having the balls to pull this off. It just might work.

[Muxlow]

Originally posted by Twinstream:
CHECK THIS OUT! (IF YOU HAVE CABLE)

http://discussions.info.apple.com/[email protected]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Wow, that is cool! I can't believe they're getting away with that : )

Thanks for proving me wrong!

[J. Guerrero]

Headwerk'n, AAC is multichannel.
Also, since everybody is saying that AAC has a long way to go to match a CD's quality... I made my own comparissons using the Super Classix CD and Karajan's Adagio (classical music), NIN's Still (piano and synths), Days of the New (acoustic rock), and Michael Jackson's HIStory re-mastered tracks (one of the best mastered CDs I've heard)... I can't hear any difference between AAC and CD. When I compare the original CD to an mp3, you could hear the stereo image would degrade, artifacts or barely audible distortions on the hi-hats of a drum kit or hi freqs in general, loss of dynamic range... none of that with AAC. I'm plugging the Mac's sound output directly to the NS-10M's amplifier, and also compaired the recordings using Sony studio monitoring headphones.
I think, like many others, that this AAC format dowanloadable via the web and stored in a player (like the iPod) is set to replace regular stereo CDs. DVD-A and SACD will be the choice if you want better quality and multi-channel audio... 16 bit CDs might be starting it's way out.

PS: BTW, sharing the iTunes playlist over the net is incredible! I didn't think it was possible... [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[H E A D W E R K ' N]

>>Headwerk'n, AAC is multichannel.

Well, let the revolution begin!

[cliepe12]

I was dissapointed with the sound quality of the AAC's. I have downloaded a few albums, and I feel like I wasted my money because I could have just gone to Wal Mart and bought the Real thing for the same price. AAC's sound okay, but not anywhere close to CD technology. I cant believe people are saying they sound as good as CDs. Especially with Cymbals and other highs, it sounds crunched!!!

[clouvel]

yes iTunes 4 looks nice...

but it doesn't work with digi core audio driver 1.1...

so I just read your posts and I dream...

[H E A D W E R K ' N]

As I mentioned earlier, I can't actually buy music from the IMS, but I have ripped a few CDs using AAC (@192Kbps) and through my decent headphones at least, it sounds pretty darn good. On my earlier MP3 rips I can definitely hear that swishy, squelchy effect on cymbals, but on AAC it's not as pronounced.

Of course it still sounds very digital though. While it would be nice if the standard Mac audio line out used Apogee DACs (!), it would be really cool if iTunes supported Audio Units as master effects. Then we hook up analog sounding EQs or tape/tube saturation emulators to warm up the sound!