Streaming Music

I’ve been spending some time on Songza today. Songza allows you to search by song title or artist to listen to any song. Songza pays all the major performing rights organizations who then pay the songwriters and publishers the appropriate rate based upon song play.

This site brings up some important points about the future of the industry.

The main reason I purchased music in the past was to own the song and have the ability to listen to the recording a the time of my choosing. I would buy a song because I liked it so much that I couldn’t wait until it was on the radio again. It was a scarce item.However, as technology changes, sites such as Songza will eliminate the scarcity factor. For instance, many handheld devices already provide internet service. Soon cars will come with the internet. So soon, I will be access sites like Songza to type in or audibly say any song and it will be played while in my car or on my portable device.

What is the motivation to own music then? I can access all information about the song online and can access the song. I think the need to own music diminishes when it is available at any time.

More on the proposed ways artists will make money on this model in the next few days.

Stay tuned,
Erik
erikrostad.com