Windows Phone Thoughts: Son of Napster: One Possible Future for a Music Business That Must Inevitably Change

"When I mentioned in last week's column that I would this week be writing about a legal way to do a successful music downloading business -- a business that would threaten the Recording Industry Association of America and its hegemony -- dozens of readers wrote to me trying to predict what I would write. Some readers came at the problem from a purely technical perspective, ignoring the fact that the real issues here aren't technical but legal. Some readers took a legal approach, but they tended to ignore the business model. Some were looking solely for the business model. Interestingly, nobody even came close to my idea, which makes me either a total loon or a diabolical genius. Truth be told, I'm probably more of a diabolical loon."

Before making a single comment, please go read the article. His idea is so simple, yet powerful, that it made me laugh out loud when I realized where he was going with it. It's a fascinating idea, although it seems more focused on getting older music into a shared scenario, rather than cultivating new music. One thing that people forget is the food chain involved with finding, creating, and marketing great music. One person with a guitar and a microphone hooked up to their computer does not a rock star make. It's technically possible for anyone with an Internet connection to be a billion-dollar music artist, but the reality is much different than that. Still, this idea that Robert has is an exciting one. I bet the RIAA is already moving to stop it from becoming a reality...