DOWNLOADABLE MUSIC
If God had a jukebox, it would have every tune ever composed, instantly available anytime. But if the Devil had a studio, he'd make sure those songs were recorded in different formats, so no one could access them all. So far the Web comes off more like purgatory: Getting music files to work is an agonizingly tedious process.
Rob Glaser, the outspoken chief of RealNetworks, believes he's got a better way:a new software player, code-named Taiko, that harmonizes the inconsistent standards and incompatible hardware of digital downloading.
Recently released, Taiko works with both MP3 and RealNetworks' own G2 streaming technology. In that respect, it's a concession to MP3's ascendancy, which has sent companies with proprietary streaming formats in search of new business models. By syncing G2 and MP3, Taiko helps RealNetworks outmaneuver competitors like Liquid Audio and a2bmusic, which have their own standards.
"Any music, anywhere, any time," gushes VP Phil Barrett, summing up the potential. And with 55 million people already using RealPlayer, the hope is that Taiko will push downloadable music into the mainstream. The new player is, of course, free.
If all goes according to plan, RealNetworks will make its money from consumer electronics manufacturers, who will license Taiko for use in their products. The strategy has the firm making a complete download play: With Taiko, a customer downloads songs from the Net or a CD player to the desktop, and then listens to them on a Taiko-compatible device.
RealNetworks seems to believe its future profits will come from this new scheme. By not extracting royalties from record companies or artists and by giving away the software player, the outfit aims to turn the current download purgatory into a happy middle ground between electronics makers and music consumers.
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