Money

In our monopolistic world of online music, it seems bound to happen every time: just as another consumer-friendly strategy begins to take root, that strategy gets swallowed into oblivion through an acquisition. Such may be the confounding case of the little-known music retailer Lala, a company whose strategies and efforts I’ve long been a fan of personally. Apple, the New York Times reported on Friday, has agreed to purchase online music retailer Lala in what some analysts will see as a game-changing strategy on the part of Apple.

Lala was a company that originally started as a used CD swapping and resale opportunity, remaining somewhat under the consumer radar the past few years while consistently garnering dramatic attention from technology and music industry insiders. Though under-appreciated, Lala changed its focus and technology to produce a new identity for themselves.

But in 2007, the company engineered synergistic breakthroughs in personal digital music library storage and delivery, managing to create and implement a business model which could give previously unforeseen freedom to consumers amidst a climate of fear in the music industry.

Driven by their energetic and enthusiastic CEO, Bill Nguyen, Lala’s model for success couldn’t have been more simple or fair: charge people less money for DRM-free, high-quality MP3′s while allowing them to, at the same time, store and stream their complete digital music collections from any web-enabled device, smartphone or PC — digital music without borders.

As Lala’s technology strengthened and their business model began to take shape, they opened the technology even further, launching services at the end of 2008 allowing consumers to create streaming playlists like the one above (either from consumer’s individual collections or from Lala’s extensive library of music) which could be embedded on websites and social networks. Recent deals with Facebook and Google to deliver content easily to consumers instantly opened up new avenues of revenue which would, at a base level, drive up the company’s potential value in the marketplace.

So, why the sale? The feel-good marketing strategies and open border policies of Lala haven’t really had time to demonstrate their projected growth and scalability because, unlike Apple, nobody except those in-the-know have been aware of Lala or the technology behind their brand. When a name like Apple jumps into the mix, people quickly take notice because, after all, it’s a brand people have grown to trust.

But on the other side of things, there are Lala’s extensive music licensing agreements with both major and independent music labels which would likely dissolve as a result of this deal — licensing agreements which are non-transferrable in the sale of the company.

There’s also a school of thought that Apple is buying much more than the brand of Lala — they’re buying the technology that Lala’s developers built in order to extend their reach into the next generation of PC and smartphone streaming technology.

The fear I have for consumers is the death of that incredibly-alluring deal that you might have been lucky enough to discover from time to time when you clicked on one of those friendly-little Lala players you’ve started to see: “Add this song to your collection for 6 cents”. It’s too early to tell what Apple or Lala have in mind yet because, clearly, nobody’s talking yet and there’s no crystal ball that would have even predicted this acquisition on the part of Apple.

Perhaps, in the end, the message Apple will see itself delivering to consumers is that the cost of doing business outweighs the best intentions of the little guy. If that is case, and I hope it isn’t, we’ll have to wait a little longer for a company to come along and rewrite history. For now, I hope we can all discover the long-term upside for music consumers in this very important acquisition for Apple.

Are you a die-hard music fan?  Are you the most dedicated to a core of independent artists, many of whom you feel you have developed a “personal” connection with thanks to social networks like Twitter, Facebook or MySpace?  As the models for artist survival in the music industry widen and mutate, there’s a growing focus on fans just like you — the hard core, or the uber-fan, if you will.  For fans like you, the world of music is yours to inherit and enjoy because, as you’ve already discovered, artists are starting to offer more and different ways to get and keep your attention — and your financial support.

But what if you’re just a casual music fan — one whose lifestyle is such that you don’t devote huge amounts of time and/or money with building relationships to the artists you enjoy?

This morning, Ryan Catbird alerted us to a fascinating and insightful piece over at Fingertips Commentary which examines the loss of  the casual music fan in what is referred to as “future of music” schemes being developed by, or on behalf of, independent artists.

Taking it’s cue from the conversations held during the recent Future Of Music Summit in Washington, D.C., and a keen glimpse at Kevin Kelly’s thought-provoking (and widely read piece) “1000 True Fans“, Fingertips searches for what has happened to casual music fans in the current series of fan engagement methods on the part of the artist. Fingertips points out that to artists searching for sustainability in a market place that looks so bleak, artists have taken their focus to the people they know are most willing to pony up for access to them or their music — the question is, however, at what cost to the rest of their fan base?

It may take you a while to read through, but I highly suggest you head over to Fingertips (by clicking here) and read this fascinating commentary.  We want to know what you think, too, so please share your comments on this article with us here.

Uhh…what the hell? No other information is available right now.

We sure can’t wait to hear this one.

Click Here To Listen To Coldplay’s Viva La Vida.

Click Here to buy Viva La Vida [cd|mp3] from Amazon.

COLDPLAY – “VIVA LA VIDA” NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
(all dates are subject to change)

Date City Venue Public On Sale Date

7/14 Los Angeles, CA The Forum SOLD OUT
7/15 Los Angeles, CA The Forum SOLD OUT
7/18 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion 6/14
7/19 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena on sale now
7/23 Chicago, IL United Center 6/14
7/25 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center on sale now
7/27 Pemberton, BC Pemberton Festival on sale now
7/29 Montreal, QC Bell Centre 6/14
7/30 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre 6/14
8/2 Hartford, CT XL Center on sale now
8/3 Washington, DC Verizon Center on sale now
8/4 Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden 6/14
10/20 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place TBA
10/21 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena on sale now
10/26 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center TBA
11/3 Detroit, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills on sale now
11/7 Orlando, FL Amway Arena TBA
11/9 Sunrise, FL BankAtlantic Center TBA
11/11 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena TBA
11/13 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center on sale now
11/14 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center on sale now
11/16 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center on sale now
11/18 Houston, TX Toyota Center TBA
11/19 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center TBA
11/21 Denver, CO Pepsi Center Arena TBA
11/22 Salt Lake City, UT Energy Solutions Arena TBA
11/26 Phoenix, AZ Jobing.com Arena on sale now

No word on from whence the leak came or whether anyone at EMI is actually freaking out. However, the thought of dozens of stockholders simultaneously requesting a clean pair of underpants after hearing the news is equally repulsive and hilarious.

HEY! if you came here looking for a download link for the album, I can’t oblige you or encourage you. I can tell you I’ve heard the album, it’s worth waiting a couple of weeks to go and buy it. Since you’re already here, why not take a minute to browse through the other music and content of my site and download some legal mp3′s from other bands?