At the end of the day it's not going to be about who is selling what end-play device, it's going to be about who is sitting in the middle. And Apple wants to be that benevolent dictator, parsing DRM-protected content to whatever device you're using at the time.

This is a very lengthy but very fascinating look at Apple's long term strategy. The best digital media article/post I've read in a long time.

...And if you don't think video on demand is here. It is. Recently we used Cinema Now to watch a video on demand. Yes, there were problems, but within a short time of selecting a movie and paying we were able to watch it. I believe the technology for VOD is around today. The barriers to adoption are one, the user interface, and two, the pricing model.
2:25:20 PM   []

It is my understanding Canadians have only two options. Puretracks and Napster. Is that correct? Anyone have any positive or negative experiences with either?
2:26:40 PM   []

In the digital world, we don't need back-ups, because a digital copy never wears out. It is timeless.

Valenti must have some special touch with DVDs and CDs because I always end up scratching them and rendering them useless. Never mind that I'm averaging about one hard drive failure a year. I think back-ups are essential in a digital world (from an interview in the Harvard Political Review)
2:02:26 PM   []

Because of you, millions of kids will stop wasting time listening to new music and seeking out new bands.

And there's another one, Squeaking by on a 4000% mark-up.

Premature releases featuring one good song plus forty minutes to forget won't garner much sympathy. Won't fill that six car garage either.

(Via Pho)
5:19:50 PM   []

DataPlay, a company attempting to replace CDs as the music format of choice, has missed its announced release date and appears unlikely to survive.

1:04:11 PM   []

In an apparent attempt to play nice with the recording industry, Toshiba has managed to sap all of the benefits from USB 2.0.

See Toshiba has proprietary software which converts all your MP3s into an encrypted format and because that encryption process takes so long the USB 2.0 connection degrades into a USB 1.1 connection. It also means that no third parties will be able to develop apps for all those 'fringe' OSes.. Ah well. Good thing I bought an iPod.
4:25:46 PM   []