i·me·michael

Universal Music unveils download plan

“This is a direct blow to the peer-to-peer services by providing consumers with a cheap and easy way to get a trusted file,” said P.J. McNealy, analyst with GartnerG2.

Just nod your head in agreement ’til they get a clue.

Actually I shouldn’t be so harsh. It’s a step in the right direction, but offering the downloads only in less widely accepted formats such as Liquid Audio and Microsoft Windows Media, makes it a half-assed gesture, and dooms it to failure, or at best, only moderate success.

It seems as though the industry isn’t even trying to understand their market, or the technology. And I would have thought they were through trying to dictate terms, from a position of ignorance, to a more knowledgeable and aware consumer market. A consumer market that has embraced mp3 and Ogg Vorbis.