Apple outpaces competition in media distribution
Paul Corkery
Issue date: 5/21/04 Section: Sci-Tech
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Apple is leading the legal music downloading industry with its celebrated iTunes media software and the iTunes music store. When the Recording Industry Association of America cracked down on illegal file swapping, Apple iTunes was the first in what would be long line of pay-to-download alternatives.
It was only a few months back that iTunes was made available to Windows PC users, much to the elation of Windows users touting iPods, Apple's award-winning portable digital audio player. Since that time, Apple has managed to secure an industry, leading 70 percent of the legal downloading market share. iTunes is not without its competitors, but many question its ability to survive Microsoft's future entrance into the market. Existing and continuing innovation will keep Apple's heels dug into the back of the unwitting giant.
iTunes is a combination jukebox and music store which acts as a one-stop audio resource for its users. From the simple user interface, iTunes users can encode, or rip, their CD tracks, organize their audio files, convert between formats, build playlists and transfer audio to their iPod. Add in the iTunes music store, and Apple's digital audio offering becomes even more substantial. iTunes users purchased over 70 million tracks during this first year, paying an average of 99 cents a track, proving that secure digital audio distribution is a viable profit center for record labels. If the RIAA had investigated this distribution option in the late '90s, perhaps they wouldn't be recouping their losses from college students.
The days of free music trading may be over, but the days of music sharing have just begun. If you're living on campus, but still can't afford the 99 cent price tag, that's OK. iTunes includes a music sharing feature which allows iTunes users on the same network to stream each other's audio tracks.
This feature is seamlessly integrated into the iTunes interface and functions with little to no setup. Using iTunes while connected to DragonFly - though the wired network is faster and more reliable - brings up about 18 different music libraries offering more than 30,000 streamable tracks.
It was only a few months back that iTunes was made available to Windows PC users, much to the elation of Windows users touting iPods, Apple's award-winning portable digital audio player. Since that time, Apple has managed to secure an industry, leading 70 percent of the legal downloading market share. iTunes is not without its competitors, but many question its ability to survive Microsoft's future entrance into the market. Existing and continuing innovation will keep Apple's heels dug into the back of the unwitting giant.
iTunes is a combination jukebox and music store which acts as a one-stop audio resource for its users. From the simple user interface, iTunes users can encode, or rip, their CD tracks, organize their audio files, convert between formats, build playlists and transfer audio to their iPod. Add in the iTunes music store, and Apple's digital audio offering becomes even more substantial. iTunes users purchased over 70 million tracks during this first year, paying an average of 99 cents a track, proving that secure digital audio distribution is a viable profit center for record labels. If the RIAA had investigated this distribution option in the late '90s, perhaps they wouldn't be recouping their losses from college students.
The days of free music trading may be over, but the days of music sharing have just begun. If you're living on campus, but still can't afford the 99 cent price tag, that's OK. iTunes includes a music sharing feature which allows iTunes users on the same network to stream each other's audio tracks.
This feature is seamlessly integrated into the iTunes interface and functions with little to no setup. Using iTunes while connected to DragonFly - though the wired network is faster and more reliable - brings up about 18 different music libraries offering more than 30,000 streamable tracks.
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