Let's Rock

Apple will be making one of their big to do announcements this Tuesday. My industry's biggest retailer and some say savior, will be once again be taking the stage and laying out new technologies and business plans.

Let's Rock

Some say it will be the long awaited subscription model or social networking music site, maybe an all you can download plan, that will be the eventual future of digital retail. I maybe the guy who said TV is a passing fad, but I don't think that is in the cards just yet.

Why? You think the major labels would have been screaming about that if that were come to bear on Tuesday. Apple only has a download deal with the Big Four and us little guys. Now when the big boys want their prices to go up on iTunes, do you think word wouldn't have leaked out that they were agreeing for the prices or their revenue to come potentially come down?

I think it will be more about better and cheaper technology they will introduce - nothing revolutionary...yet.

All you can download looks like the inevitable end game for this industry - but there is still a market for physical goods like CDs and LPs, still a market for a la carte purchases for those people not needing to fill all 60 GBs of their iPod.

The bottom line is that the more variety of ways the music industry can offer the consumer to interact with their product and at the end open their wallets the better. One size does not fit all. Every other consumer product industry offers a variety of sizes to purchase. You can buy soda by the 12 ounce can, 20 once bottle, 2 liter bottle, 6 pack, 12 pack and case - imagine Coca Cola said to their consumer - we are only selling soda in 2 liter bottles and that is it.

Myself, I am hoping Steve Jobs in the short term, offers a cheaper iPod Touch with more storage for folks like me who don't want to have to lug their laptops around, but at the same time don't want / need to buy an iPhone or Blackberry.