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We have done many things to stay ahead of our competition, RealNetworks has reworked its Internet video and audio playback software to become an all-purpose online entertainment center. The company, which was built on software that allowed audio and video to be streamed across the Internet, hopes to capitalize on the increasing use of the Web as an entertainment medium, from MP3s to video, with products that will work on computers and wireless devices. The company is trying to stay abreast of the rapid consumer-driven changes in digital entertainment, which will shift even more this summer when major record labels like Sony and BMG begin selling downloadable top hit songs through the Internet. We're not using this as a feature to move operating systems. We're looking at the complete transformation of a communications medium. This is not about computers this is about the way people communicate. It's about to explode in ways completely independent of the computer. It won't take to much time to look down the road and see Real moving into the consumer electronics space.

Posted by Jeffrey Kang at 4:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Widespread adoption of the technique of distributing digital music via the internet either in MP3 format or in some other form would give rise to some important social and economic advantages and disadvantages. Currently, most of the retail price paid by a consumer for compact disks goes to the manufacturer of the disc itself, the distributor of the disc, the retail store where she purchased it, or the record company that produced the recording. If the music were distributed over the Internet by the artist himself, almost all of costs associated with making and distributing discs could be eliminated. Then musicians could earn more or consumers could pay less or both. It would also get rid of the overproduction or underproduction of albums. Under the current system, the record companies must guess how many copies of each CD consumers will demand. Distribution of container less digital files over the Internet would eliminate this problem. More and new musicians would come forth, the set of musicians who would like to make their music available to the public and the set that significant numbers of consumers would like to hear are both much larger than the set hired by the recording companies. The opportunities available to new artists and to bands that appeal to certain markets would increase rapidly through widespread adoption of the new technology.
Regrettably, distribution of digital music via the Internet also has one, very substantial drawback: It undermines the ability of music creators to earn money. Two circumstances, in combination, give rise to this problem. First, MP3 files are unsecured. In other words, nothing prevents a person who has acquired with or without permission an MP3 file to make an unlimited number of copies of it. Second, unlike the copies of musical works made using analog technology the copies made using digital technology are perfect. In other words, each copy is identical to the original. In that case unauthorized, perfect MP3 copies of copyrighted recordings are widely available on the Internet for free. I hope this answers the question!

Posted by Jeffrey Kang at 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)