In the last decade we’ve seen the launch of the iPod, satellite radio, and streaming music services on the Internet. But as great as those innovations have been, they haven’t always made life easy for consumers. iPods brought with them the inflexible iTunes marketplace and DRM lock-in, satellite radio added in another monthly fee with no music ownership option, and Internet radio requires (shockingly) an Internet connection. The result is that most of us cobble together our own listening system – part CD, MP3, and radio, and entirely dependent on where we are, and what service or hardware we have access to.
Thanks to the cloud, that’s all about to change. In theory, we’ll soon all have access to everything, everywhere we go. And in practice, the shift has already started to take place. Here’s a look at where music is headed.
To the Cloud
It’s been an interesting few months for cloud music services. First, Amazon launched its Cloud Drive service, offering users a space to store digital music files and play them back on the web or Android devices. Then came Google Music, a very similar offering, though one still in invitation-only beta at the moment. And finally, word has circulated in the last week that Apple is set to launch its own music service – with the one critical difference that it’s sewing up licencing deals with the major labels first. With licensing agreements in place, Apple will be able to help users avoid uploading an entire library of music, and instead scan and match any owned titles with copies already available in the cloud.
The thing about all of these cloud services is that their focus is on music storage and playback. That’s great as far as it goes, but it leaves wide open the field of music discovery. Apple could change that with the deals it has in place by introducing a subscription radio service. But as of now, that hasn’t been announced.
On the Radio
As a counterpoint to music locker services, several Internet radio services are also picking up steam. Slacker’s recent on-demand radio application – including professionally-DJ’ed stations – is my favorite example, but it’s certainly not the only option out there. MOG is highly praised for its combination of on-demand music and custom radio streams, and it includes a number of social hooks for learning more about music and sharing with friends. Rdio is relatively new, but it’s working the developer community to create apps that take advantage of a library with 8.5 million songs. Rhapsody has a long tenure with its on-demand subscription service, and it’s pretty widely available across mobile platforms (though Dave’s been frustrated with content availability). And there’s Pandora, which is still a favorite among users who want high-quality audio, custom radio, and a dead-simple interface.
Internet radio appears to be going through another heavy adoption cycle. The combination of availability on mobile devices and caching features for offline playback give these services wider appeal.
Everything Else
Along with cloud services and Internet radio, there’s, well, everything else you could imagine in between the two. Satellite radio is arguably still the best option for more traditional radio lovers, particularly in the car. For news, I’m addicted to NPR’s mobile app, which lets me play radio segments by program, topic, or station location. And new alternative services are launching all the time, like Grace Digital’s DAR.fm, which lets users record and play back popular talk shows on demand.
In short, there’s a solution for almost any type of listening experience you could want. Tying them altogether is where things get tricky. But in the age of the cloud, surely anything’s possible. Right?