Digital Music Forum West 2007

Sony BMG: “We Are Projecting Up To 40% Of US Sales Coming From Digital in 2008”

Authored by Jay Baage on October 4, 2007 - 8:47am.

Digital Music Forum West 2007 - Many of the Thursday morning panels acknowledged the fact that, in this digital age, people are consuming more music than ever. They are just not paying for it. So how do we adjust to that reality? Digital revenues are still not making up for the drop in sales of CDs. Far from it. However, many panelists agreed that the industry is now finally moving in the right way by dropping DRM-restrictions, moving to ad-supported models and variable pricing in order to find individual price-points that works for everyone.

Starbucks Entertainment President: “We’re Still A Coffee Company”

Authored by Jay Baage on October 3, 2007 - 2:08pm.

Digital Music Forum West 2007 – Wednesday's keynote interview with Ken Lombard, President of Starbucks Entertainment, gave the audience an idea of new models for distributing and monetizing music - combining physical and digital elements. While Lombard insisted that Starbucks “is still a coffee company” he also claimed that they are making good money from selling music.

Ted Cohen: “Subscription Is Going To Win Over A La Carte Pricing”

Authored by Jay Baage on October 3, 2007 - 11:14am.

Digital Music Forum West 2007 - There is no denying that the business of selling music in form of CDs is failing. However, there should be other ways to make money off music, right? Ways that are compatible with how music is experienced in a digital era. So what are they?

It’s Official – Microsoft Launches New Zune Music Players For The Holiday Season

Authored by Jay Baage on October 3, 2007 - 5:18am.

The rumors that DMW reported on Monday were true, Microsoft introduced three new models of its Zune digital media player on Tuesday. These second generation music players are Microsoft's answer to Apple's iPods, but the company still has a lot to prove in the eyes of the consumers. Its first generation players have not been well received by the market and only sold 1.2 million units as compared to the over 100 million units of the various models of iPods sold since its 2001 launch.