They've had an online digital music store for years now. They were first and they've spent a long time refining what they do. I can assume they've spent a darn long time talking to record companies getting the prices as low as they can and the rights for purchasers as free as they can.
What they end up with is Windows Media based and rather expensive and restrictive. Through no fault of theirs. I'm sure Destra Music would love to sell you DRM free MP3s for 99 cents each. But that's not up to them, it's up the record companies.
So when iTunes Australia comes out and undercuts not only their price but their catalog and music use restrictions it's got to hurt a lot.
Isn't their some anti competition law that limits control the wholesaler has over the retailer? Probably. Probably not.
So I had a play with iTunes Australia.
I have the same problem with it as I do with Destra Music. Content. It doesn't have the music I want. I can forgive the quality and I can even forgive the price. But I can't buy something that isn't there. What did I search for? Some typical tracks I think a lot of people would want (one hit wonders and similar 80s crud). Not a single hit.
I did gets hits for
Another a nice side effect was finding some bizarre covers of the above songs. Like the cover of "Friday On My Mind" by "Hector", "Gary Moore" and... DAVID BOWIE? What the heck?
I can help but feel when you search for something and all you find is bad covers, that's not a good sign.
To be fair maybe Apple are still fighting for more back catalog. The current music in iTunes Australia (if you're into mass torture of your musical taste) is quite good. They have Missy Higgins and Bernard Fanning and all the stuff the kiddies love. They have Powderfinger, but not their best of or singles so don't try to buy their b-sides or extra tracks or anything you might actually WANT. They have Regurgitator but only the best of and latest album.
And I just dropped over to Destra and it seems all of Regurgitator's tracks (including b-sides of singles) are available for 89 cents each. Ah, it's a promo. All tracks 89 cents. Ends end of November.
Some other interesting notes. There are many WMA players on the market. While iTunes tracks will only play on an Apple iPod product. There are a lot of (crap, or old) 99 cent tracks on Destra Music, while the minimum price on iTunes Australia is $1.39. Destra Music's interface is crap but (for most people) doesn't require special software. iTunes is an application you have to download and install first (but has an OK interface, maybe that makes it ok).
If it takes a so called evil copyright-exploiting-for-tiny-advertising-profit company to do that when no-one else will, then so be it.
And if it creates copycat sites and more exposure and demand for public domain content, excellent.
Speaking of history, the BBC archive sounds pretty nice. If only the ABC would do something similar.
So... change. How? Where? In the CBD which has a lot of PT but is being choked by cars, or in the 'burbs that don't have any trains?
Well both obviously. So many plans I've read recently, mostly involving which trainlines to build. A new "tube" station to Spencer Street from Brunswick Street (and eventually out to Doncaster?). Building the train along the Eastern Freeway and Tollextentionthingy. The mythical and much needed trainline to Roville via Mulgrave and Monash Uni.
All nice to talk about but I can't help but think no matter what you choose it's going to be too late. The few ideas that are (promised) to happen won't be finished until 2010. Lots more time for petrol to rise and PT to get clogged and 6 years older.
So here are my wacky ideas:
The big problem with taking parking away, or any change really, are the traders along the roads. They'll be up in arms claiming they'll lose business. And they're probably right. Imagine no parking on Chapel Street? Sure the area is surrounded by offstreet parking but 5 metres is a long way to walk in stilettos. In today's world where the government gets blamed for every job loss they're never going to do anything deliberately that might directly ruin a business.
So don't expect anything to get any better.
My biggest worry is that PT might actually collapse and I'll have to drive. I couldn't imagine a bigger nightmare.
Although I hear it has a few problems (one being that it is USB1, thus super slow) but it's a nice way to be headed. And for AUS$99!
Saw an in car stereo (seemed to be brandless) in an Autobarn catalog last week that also played MP3 and had a USB plug on the front.
What is more environmentally friendly? Washing a cardboard & plastic coffee cup and putting in the recycling, or throwing it out?
Option 1 wastes water on an almost pointless task.
Option 2 creates landfill.
Personally I think the best option is to not wash it and put it in the recycling but what risk does that create in contaminating the recycling effort? Is that just a myth? More information required.
Or of course, don't buy coffee.
Where East Malvern stands today used to be a nice little village by the name of "Waverley". "Glen Waverley" and "Mount Waverley" got their name from it.
It's likely that the township of "Waverley" stole it's name from a similarly named area, place or thingy in the isles "back home" as was the custom at the time.
Most sources claim the name "Waverley" comes from the Sir Walter Scott Waverley novels.
There is a Waverley Abbey in Surrey. "It is possible that Sir Walter may have named his novel for this abbey."
The Waverley Abbey is most likely named for it's location in a bend of the River Wey.
It's possible the reason for naming the township "Waverley" (East Malvern) is wrong and there may have been a person named Waverley. I couldn't find anything solid on this.
My new best friend, Pandora. Enter the name of a band you like and it will play music from bands it thinks you will like with a nice explaination as to why it picked that song for you.
It's done quite nicely with my "Dream Theater" search finding me "Everytime I Die" by Children of Bodom, kind of Dream Theater (lots of melodic guitar and keyboards with some nice solos) with a growlier singer (good) and a bit heavier. And "Jacob's Ladder" by Rush (who some people have said Walken sound like). Both of which I loved.
Bring it on. I think I'll have a nice big list for Xmas.
My only complaint is that it doesn't seem to name which album the song is on, just a scan of the cover.