Only one-third of Americans buy music digitally

Yes my tech friends. We the iTunes nation are a minority. A growing minority but a minority nonetheless. Two-thirds of all music purchases are still sold on physical media. I have a few friends that refuse to purchase anything other than CDs. Sound quality has a lot to do with that.

Hat tip [App Scout]

Portable Social Graphs - Imagining their Potential

I'm combing through my Social Networking blogs and found this presentation on SlideShare, authored by Shiv Singh of Razorfish, that talks about the potential impact of Facebook Connect. I've mentioned before that FB as an authentication layer for applications like banking could potentially go a long way in overcoming consumer security fears. 

One of the sections in this deck I found most interesting was the idea of connecting iTunes and Facebook. This connection would make it easier to share music you like with friends. It would also offer a way of narrowing reviews to people in your social circle and inspiring people who may not normally review things to participate. Interesting deck and well worth the read.  

iTunes Store Tax?

Considering free downloads are still an issue that record companies are battling, it seems silly to tax media sold online at this point in time. But that's what Gov. Paterson wants to do to help close the hole in NY State's budget. I understand that the State is facing a budget crisis. But the download industry is in its infancy. Plus this is the first time that the industry will be challenged by a recession. When everyone's making money, few object to paying for downloads. With consumers in dire straits, I imagine fewer will pay for downloads when they can get stuff for free. Long story short, I doubt much revenue will be garnered from this in the short to medium term. Time will tell I guess.

Hat tip [Economist]

Genius and the iTunes bender

One of the most welcome new features in iTunes has been the Genius playlist. I call it 'Pandora' for my music, Pandora being the service that creates a streaming 'radio station' based on a song you specify. You enter your favorite song from Jimmy Buffett, for example, and Pandora uses data from other playlists to pull songs that typically appeal to Buffett fans. Pandora is a great way to discover new music/artists. 

But what about my own collection. 

I have GIGS of music sitting on my machine, much of it collected in what I call iTunes benders. iTunes store addicts know what I'm talking about about. Maybe wine is involved. You go on iTunes and buy something. Then that leads to another purchase. And another. And another. Soon, you have a $30 to $50 bill. Which is great. But I may not listen to more than one song in the next few weeks. After a few benders...

So I've been using Genius to discover the music that I already have. I haven't yet to purchase something from iTunes based on the Genius recommendations. I'm sure I will, leading to another bender. And so the circle goes.