Tunes changed how music was discovered. Will services like Spotify and We7 revolutionize the collection and sharing of music? The future appears to be all about anywhere access through streaming, not hoarding.
Up-and-coming UK music startup Spotify is gaining traction in the mobile space as it strikes deals with mobile networks and releases applications across multiple platforms. The site relies on advertising and a paid premium service to provide users with unlimited free music. This simple cloud-based access to music from anywhere through our phones is changing the game—and our behavior.
Ownership of sound has come a long way, ever since it became possible to record it. With the MP3, Kazaa, and iTunes, people began hoarding music and asking their friends, “how many gigabytes of music do you have?” With Rhapsody and now Spotify—as well as We7 and Grooveshark—this entire competition to own the most or best disappears. You already “own” all the music. Downloading it almost seems like a waste of time. In Spotify, every song you ever wanted is available with a simple search and without a download.
This privileging of sharing and universal access over ownership has been trending over the past few years. In 2008 MTV’s MX2 study pointed to an insight around consumer music listening behavior: Owning is more and more about timely access and less about physical possession. There is a difference between being able to physically and forever own music like in 1997, and being able to hear it when you want to, now, and in the moment. This is why mobile streaming is the future of music consumption. Expect this trend to magnify as Mobile broadband penetration starts to increase around the globe.
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