So maybe the Cloud for music streaming won't suck so bad after all.

Two weeks ago Aderra recorded the 2nd Annual SESAC bootcamp in Los Angeles at the Skirball Center. The leadoff key note was by Ted Cohen of TAG Strategic

Now I have made it clear that overall I think the unlimited Cloud access concept for music SUCKS for a few specific reasons: 1) Access is inherently limited by licensing, 2) Access is inherently limited by technology (can't call from my iPhone in most places let alone stream music) and 3)Psychology. People LIKE TO OWN STUFF. Access does NOT = OWNERSHIP.

BUT, Access does = CONVENIENCE.

We have recorded Ted 5 or 6 times in panel discussions but this was the first time I personally watched as he laid out his take on the history of digital music and the impending future. I have to say he made a very, very compelling case for the Cloud. You can gloss over connectivity as a barrier by assuming that technology will improve in the near future to allow of unlimited access but you cannot escape the psychology of ownership.

We have seen this in Aderra's business, downloads seem ephemeral to fans but a flash drive with the files is more than solid, it is in fact "real".

So after listening to Ted's insights I started to be swayed that the Cloud might be an exciting idea even if I had some misgivings about the primal instinct for ownership of something so emotionally resonant as music. But then I went camping.

Yes, camping with 23 of my neighbors and 22 of their kids.

Some interesting initial observations: 23 Adults aged 35-45, people brought 3 BOSE Sounddocks for their iPods/iPhones, 1 brought a similar JBL dock. NO ONE brought a CD player. No one brought CDs, no one brought a radio, boombox or other way to access, playback or stream music.

Next interesting observation: Music was playing loudly for the majority of the trip.
Powered mostly buy iTunes playlists.

The campground provided free broadband wifi access

Which meant constant access to Pandora.
Whether it was blues tinged evenings by the campfire or a dance party for the kids, it was all powered by Pandora. So at one point my neighbor Josh (who I have complained about his barking dog in my podcast...) asks me,

"Damn Ed, how many songs do you have on your iPod? Uh, not many, we've been listening to Pandora."

At that moment sitting in front of a campfire 20 minutes north of Santa Barbara I suddenly realized just how cool the Cloud could be. I have tried Spotify, Rhapsody, Rdio in Beta and even Waltzo but I have never been satisfied. But Pandora has always been cool. I have to say I miss the good old days in 2004 or so when I could type in my friends indie acts and create a station around them (Joe and Tim, please open up your submission policy once again to create a TRUE discovery experience for those of us who do not rely on labels to filter for us.)

So maybe the Cloud for music streaming won't suck so bad after all.

DRM - We're still talking about this in 2010? (Geek Challenge below)

Just got off the phone with a manager that we are working with on an upcoming tour. He wanted to know what Aderra does to "Lock Down" the music we record at live concerts. I told him we use the same exact thing that Universal (the artist's label) uses for DRM on their CDs. This mollified him for a moment until he caught on that I meant "nothing". Then is mind reeled. He hadn't ever considered before that DRM on digital music files was ridiculous given that CDs are wide open to be ripped and shared.


So then I told him about Rhapsody. I have a friend with Rhapsody who was annoyed with the restrictions on where and how he could listen to the tracks they supplied by subscription. I sent him to Radio Shack to pick up an 1/8" stereo to 1/8" stereo cable (I'm, guessing that ran him less than $5). Then I told him to run from his mp3 player out to a laptop and record everything he wanted to unlock into garageband. Ta da. Unlocked music.

Then I told him about the iTunes trick. Make a playlist of locked AAC files in iTunes. Burn it to an audio CD then rip the tracks from the CD as MP3s. Ta da. Unlocked music.

Then I told him about "secure" streams on NPR and other sites. Same old 1/8" stereo cable trick.

There is no way to create a file that you can listen to or watch and not have it vulnerable to being copied. (Here is my challenge, I'll provide 100 USBs, custom imprinted and loaded for anyone that can send me a digital media file that I cannot make shareable.)(and yes, your content will be on torrent sites) This is not about what a wicked hacker I am or or implied support of sites like the Pirate Bay, the point is that "locking" digital media content is senseless.

So as the manager I was speaking with began to realize that the fight against file sharing is futile he asked what why they had been wasting time on it for so many years.

The reality is that the people who will pay for your music will and those who won't, won't.

So really the only thing to do is make music people will invest themselves in both emotionally and financially. Worry about file sharing is a waste of time and energy. Finding a way to use file sharing to further awareness of your artist's music is well worth some thought.

DRM - We're still talking about this in 2010? (Geek Challenge below)