Global monopoly of technology

Chapter 84 Retail Price of Singles

In any case, it can not deny its excellent user experience. iTunes does now occupy more than 90% of the digital music market. However, the speed of change in the Internet field is too fast. If the response is not timely, it may be subverted if it misses the outlet.

If these factors of MusicSpace are just what Qiao's gang takes seriously, then another factor definitely makes him anxious.

That factor is... Microsoft!

Open this music software launched by Bluestar Technology and you will find that it is synchronized with Outlook contacts and Windows users.

Apple has the iTunes+iPod combination, but Bluestar Technology also indirectly owns the MusicSpace+Windows combination. Although it is not as good as Apple's combination, it at least has this model.

As for the relationship between Joe Gang and Gates, Apple and Microsoft, the two have fallen in love and killed each other in the last century until now. They look down on each other anyway. Some talk shows also attack each other, which is fun.

And Jobs has never thought about porting the iTunes Music Store to Windows, because Apple has its own Mac to sell, but anyway, it has to acknowledge the dominance of Windows in the PC market.

In fact, Microsoft executives are also holding meetings around Bluestar Technology’s new product MusicSpace. Microsoft bought Synapse from Luo Sheng very early to fight iTunes+Mac, but Microsoft invested in Synapse. Many of them have never seen improvement, and were basically killed by iTunes.

The emergence of MusicSpace, with such a dazzling performance in just one week, undoubtedly gave Microsoft a new light.

After a meeting, Microsoft’s senior management decided to help the MusicSpace software to thrive on Windows, but Microsoft did not act selflessly, but instead forced Apple to port the iTunes Music Store to Windows. Go up, let Qiao Gangzhu lower his arrogant head and compromise.

Now Microsoft is much more relaxed. They firmly believe that Apple will not commit to not launching a Windows version of the music store in this situation. Apple now represents the minority, and Windows represents the public, unless Apple wants to Always be a niche "non-mainstream".

After the executive meeting ended, Jobs made a decision at the meeting to immediately develop the Windows version of the iTunes Music Store, which was very decisive.

But there is no such thing as the time to face the enemy, because Apple has reached a secret research plan with Motorola, which is also the beginning of Apple's formal entry into the mobile phone market.

...

White is an Internet enthusiast, and even a hardcore music enthusiast. He is also a super fan of Eminem. He calls himself "Stan". The singer is currently a hot red and hot rap star, although The media gave him bad reviews, because the words beginning with the letter F in his songs are not uncommon, but it does not prevent fans from being enthusiastically chased by fans in Europe and America, especially North America, and every album sells well.

Of course, MJ is still the top spot in the world of music in this era. No one is more popular than him, and no one wants to challenge his position.

Luo Sheng wanted to take MJ's digital copyright, but unfortunately he couldn't get it, or could not afford it.

However, MJ's brilliance did not conceal Eminem. As a white man, he was "aponized" in the field of rap, which has always been a master of blacks, showing his extraordinary talent.

These factors have made White a resident user of [MusicSapce]. He is also a senior user of [BlueSpace]. In North America nowadays, if there is no [BlueSpace] social account, I am embarrassed to say that he is a senior player in the Internet. Social networking sites are now sweeping North America, becoming one of the most popular sites nowadays.

After opening the MusicSapce software for the first time, White fell in love with this product. Registered users have a super convenient method, which is to directly authorize the BlueSpace social chain to complete. Many users like White, without having to register a new one. All accounts are authorized by their own BlueSpace.

And new users of MusicSpace have a great benefit, that is, they can listen to all music on this software for free for a week. The music library covers 2.25 million songs basically covering all popular music nowadays, as well as exclusive music. .

This trick is really useful in the North American market. The proud and ignorant Americans did not feel the power of free. Luo Sheng originally wanted to be free for one month, but the record company quit and warned Luo Sheng. Define his behavior as a disruptor of the market environment.

If he insists on doing this, the record company will take it all back after the copyright expires, and at the same time don't even think about getting the license for new songs or songs.

After the two sides negotiated, each took a step back and compressed it to a week.

Free is a very harsh word for major record companies. Napster has already created a psychological shadow in the early years, which can be said to have changed.

The record companies are also afraid that Luo Sheng will disrupt the market and burn each other's money. Apple's iTunes will also be free. Everyone has no money.

In any case, Luo Sheng's free Dafa has been greatly suppressed, but a week of free listening benefits still brings good appeal to MusicSpace.

White learned about this PC-side music software through the promotion of BlueSpace on the second day after the software was launched, and today it has passed the free period.

After being refreshed for a whole week, White can't wait to go back in time. The feeling of listening at will is not too nice.

White thought about registering a new user again, and then changing one after the expiration, so that you can basically listen to it for free, but found that the registration mechanism of MusicSpace is the same as BlueSpace.

This limits the proliferation of prostitution parties to a certain extent. Another is the copyright awareness of North American users. There are also certain restrictions on morality. The key is that people will not easily use their identities to authorize others to use. Matters involving privacy are very sensitive.

In fact, Bluestar Technology is quite lenient in this regard. If it is changed to a record company, it will definitely guard against it and block all conceivable ways.

But Bluestar Technology is different. This is an Internet company and the number of users is very important.

Especially when the company is still in the development stage and the user data is eye-catching, Luo Sheng has the confidence to speak loudly when looking for VC financing, and get more financing with less equity transfer.

If it were not for the threat of record companies, Luo Sheng would definitely be more lenient, cast the net first, and then cancel the free benefits. Even if half of the users are lost, the rest are high-quality users, and the final absolute growth rate must be higher than it is now. More exaggerated, quantitative changes can cause qualitative changes.

White searched for the rapper [Eminem], and selected a single "LoseYourself" in the list. You can listen to it for 90 seconds. He resolutely connected the audio device and clicked to play, and his body unconsciously shook with the rhythm of the music.

Then click to buy. Seeing the price, White murmured in surprise: "God, it's so cheap? It only costs $0.59 first?"

After a while, White clicked to buy decisively without any hesitation. He is a relatively fashionable Internet player and has his own PayPal, and the music store is connected to PayPal online payment.

Immediately I started buying frantically on it, ticked 100 singles in one go, and paid $59.

If a Chinese person sees it, he will definitely be shocked. The exchange rate is equivalent to a song of nearly 5, which is no different from a robbery. It costs five yuan to listen to a broken song?

But in North America, a song of $0.59 is absolutely cheap. You must know that in this era, even in North America, most Internet users still obtain music by buying CDs and downloading pirated copies. Piracy is illegal. Apple's iTunes put an end to pirated downloads, and Napster closed down.

Apple’s iTunes attracts users with the first low price of $0.99. Yes, even if the capital is low at $0.99, the MusicSpace music store is almost half cheaper than iTunes at $0.59.

I can also understand why some foreigners go to China and the first thing they do online is to download music crazily, because it's all free.

...