All the ranting about "another crap story on blogging that doesn't get the point" is annoying me.

I got into this blog for one reason. It had a web interface, I could add to it from anywhere at any time. That sort of interface lends itself to quick-news. The kind of "check this out" or "damn it this is annoying me" sort of posts you get on blogs.

And the two magic ingredients : It was free. Someone gave it a name.

I don't think it's any more complicated than that.

The biggest problem with online music as it is today is labels. The music consumer is used to going to a CD shop, having everything they could want laid out in front of them. There are very few people out there who know what label their favourite band is on and nor should they care... but to use the major online digital music retailers you need to care because you can't get X labels music on MusicNet and you can't get X labels music on PressPlay. In order to get the "CD shop" choice you need to subscribe to both services.

Point 1, I'm not going near online music until there is a central point I can buy my music and that music can be played on the one standard player. If that's ends up being two or more plug-ins to Winamp, I don't care. I really don't care what the format is beyond that. It shouldn't matter. The format should not matter.

And of course I don't mean one shop. I just mean I can go to hmv.com and get anything from any label. Or MP3.com.au/CDshop, or whatever.

Actually, either that, or the musician's website. Or the radio stations website.

It's any wonder people are getting annoyed at the labels sticking their noses into the whole online music/copyright issue. It's because no-one needed to know they were there, and thus, no-one did. It's like the quiet kid who never said anything in class suddenly got up and said "actually, I own you all and you can't do anything unless I say so" and wonders why he got the shit beaten out of him.

The arguements about burning to CD, format etc. would come later, would be up to the artist, and would be controlled by how well they'd sell depending on what you could do with it. If you protect it (so you can't copy or burn to CD) does it sell better or worse? Better to begin with and never again?

Labels labels labels!