“You can’t arrest an idea”
The Old
Just like Napster and similar to Wikileaks, ideas formed into applications are folding industry paradigm’s. When forces seek to limit technologies with intentions for solving problems, there becomes a clashing of ideas. Slowly over time, these issues resolve themself through the spreading of knowledge.
The New
Spotify is like soundscan on steroids. That is if you are on the music side of things. If you are a user, it’s like Pandora & Napster but more catered to the user. Basically, this is the perfect tool for anyone who loves music.
Discovery is the mechanism in which innovation floureshes. When there are limitations, innovation becomes stagnant and controlled. This is why Spotify will raise from the crop. For starters, there is a freemium version for unlimited streaming on your desktop. Similar to Pandora, but way more user friendly and less intrusive advertising.
The How
Here is an example of how Spotify claims the throne:
Without Spotify, labels know only when an album is sold. If a CD is ripped for a friend or borrowed for a party, they know nothing. Spotify gives them a record, by location, age and gender, of every single time a track is played. Jay-Z used to think he was big in London, based on U.K. album sales; it turns out he’s big in Manchester.
What it comes down to
It’s over. The majors lost. The users won. Play to the users. Build a fanbase. There’s a ton of money to be made. It’s easier than ever to reach everybody but harder than ever to get people to pay attention and stay focused on you. That’s your challenge. Daniel Ek is an engineer, a businessman. You’re an artist. It all depends on you.
Sign-up for your free Spotify account here.
