Sony have managed to slip some nifty new features into its latest Blue Ray players. These improvements allow the Blue Ray players to quickly convert video files for use onto a PSP or Sony Media Player. This is COULD be great news for PS3 owners as often this kind of software upgrade finds its way into PS3 firmware upgrades. This would mean users who use PlayTV could easily convert the files for use on the PSP without having to export to a PC or Mac first. 

The more hardware like the PS3 or computers in general can have conversion software built in the better for all of us. What would be great is if its implemented at a system level so that the moment the user tries to copy content from one machine to another, whether its video or audio, its automatically optomised for that hardware. This would take the ‘techie’ element away and result in making it user friendly to the vast majority of consumers out there.

its being reported that Sony refused to allow the Playstation brand to be used on a Sony Ericsson handset. Well those of us in the music industry (and those of us with sources in gadget world) know the real truth. Sony is currently in the process of reorganising its product and brand offerings. Additionally its doing this in such a way, so that they all feed vertically into its actual business model. I.E. not just doing things to propogate technology or for market share, but doing ‘things’ which result in money (always a good idea for a business I say).

We saw earlier in the year how they split with BMG and that SONYBMG are now Sony. Well 2009 or start of 2010 might be the year they do the same with Sony Ericsson. 

Can Sony release a PSP based Iphone killer, able to play top games, stream and download music and movies, and do this over a 3G and WIFI network? For sure, and once the cost is reduced to allow this all to happen without it killing the current crop of batteries they will. Making phone calls on such a device would clearly kill a current battery if you also wanted to run God Of War on it for 2 hours.

However the other stumbling block is a simple one. As part of their deal with Ericsson, one assumes Sony can’t actually make phones. Hence, by buying Ericsson out they will be free to move in this direction.

Battery life will be the technical stumbling block, but huge progress is being made in that area.

Sony Ericsson have already been releasing some great music and video enabled phones, and recently Sony have released (or about to release) a beautiful OLED powered competitor to the Ipod Touch (excluding any decent game functionality). A bringing together of these technologies along with PSP intergration would make an awesome device for us techies. 

However would it be a new paradigm in the world of music and content? Maybe it would be too techie for ‘Joe the Plumber’ or even ‘Arthur the Academic’ who listens to music and podcasts whilst on the tube. Also, is the PSP brand worth much? The first PSP has hardly been a life changing success, and often confuses those into thinking all it does is play games. Meanwhile Apple are busy rebranding the IPOD/Iphone brand into making people realise its also a gaming platform.

For example, the PS3 does EVERYTHING. In fact it has to be one of the best multimedia boxes ever created! However, people don’t see the value in the price. Why? Because consumers perceive it as a games console and never realise what else the machine can do, and does really, really well. 

However, what if Sony canabalised their brands and products and eventually sold all phones/devices as Playstation and advertised it as Playstation with Music. Playstation with Film. I’m not suggesting these are particulary great marketing phrases - the point Im trying to get across is that they need to redfine what the word Playstation or PS means to consumers. Make it clear that its a way of saying ‘this device means fun and leisure, ALL your leisure.’

No one wins points for being subtle. Clever adverts which imply but never say what you can do, might be great art but don’t sell ideas or products. Imagine this: ‘Hey, what you are playing on your phone?’ says character A. Character B responds ’some music by …., then Im gonna watch an episode of Lost, and tonight Ill play some Killzone.’

If all the content named was popular or classic, and if all of it was owned and ONLY available via Sony online shops linked to the hardware - and if that was made upfront, and clear with the consumers. Surely then, they would have a total solution and a great business model?

Hot on the heels of my streaming versus downloads rant we have this:

Pret A Manger (or however you spell it) offers free Wifi!

Now, this is not new for our US readers, in that there are whole CITIES which have free WiFi (even though I believe one of Bush’s last acts as Da Presidente is to have said no federal help there as its bad for the market or something. But its ok to throw tons of money at badly run car companies). For those of us though, stuck on this wee Island its very cool. Most coffee houses charge, or at least embarrass you into asking for a pin or password, which means you have to order something.

Not here though. No. Here they have worked out that if people are encouraged to stay, then they might get the tummy rumbles, or thirsty. Where better to have lots of people all getting tumbles and thirsty than in a coffee shop/restaurant. Clever that. 

What does this mean? It means that if the market place works as it should (just as its proven to so well in the financial industry) then all the other coffee houses MIGHT follow suite. THEN, at that point, Ill be more pro streaming, as I can pop in somewhere, get a coffee and watch something from my PS3 at home streaming to my PSP in my pocket. 

As long as the signal works in the loo too, I’m sorted.

Recently Nokia has announced its Comes With Music range of products. This is where you get one of their handsets and can then legally download an unlimited amount of music via their service for a year onto your newly acquired phone. 

Now when we say ‘unlimited’ that always means ‘within reason’ or that which could be ‘reasonably’ listened to by an individual in a year. 

The point is, this is slowly becoming a mainstream model. Sony Music is launching its own version (it has in scandinavia already) along with Sony Ericsson. I think we can expect that a similar deal will eventually work with the PS3/PSP platforms (at least for Sony content) and EMI recently went into a joint venture with Warner Music, not tied to a piece of hardware but allowing ‘unlimited’ downloads for a one off fee. 

Now in many respects these deals with labels add REAL value to music. The labels will get paid a slice off the hardware price or package fee (as with the EMI platform). The customer values music enough to want it and pro-actively download it, but they have lost the sense that they should pay individually for each track/album. Yet this way they are still paying for it, without feeling that they are - and then the money is distributed through to the labels and appropiate artists/songwriters etc etc. 

The flip side is that it could be perceived as the nail in the coffin of the traditional value system. The system which says:

‘That an artist or collection of artists and skilled individuals spent ‘x’ amount of time on this track/album. By purchasing it you are supporting them directly (and not the label - even though must of the money used to go to the label) and making sure they can continue to make music to the same high standard.’

Also it could be a way of blocking off the long tail. I.E. if an individual or band cannot get with a content aggregator.  They may also find that these new services only push material from major labels, as by associated with material with high cache levels adds value to the hardware and is a win, win; for the labels and tech companies. 

Does this squeeze out the individual, semi-pro? If they are left to ’sell’ their music, it would put them at a perceived disadvantage in the market place compared to the labels who have their ‘price hidden’ in the cost of the phone etc etc. 

Times are a-changing as they have been non-stop for the last 10 years. However, is something fundamental happening in front our eyes? As labels panic and seek to find an income (something which is kinda important for a business) are they undermining, further, the very product they wish to make money out of? Or, are they smelling the roses and leveraging the content the best way they can, today, making sure there is money to invest into the music of tomorrow.

Also does this mean that it will impossible to have a complete music collection in the future? Might we see a situation, as with movies and Blueray, that certain acts can only be listened to on certain playback devices? I’m not too sure thats ‘bad’ as its the norm for videogames and as I said, movies. However it would be a complete change for the consumer. 

Discuss……

As rumored earlier today and then commented on us, todays press conference has confirmed that there will be a Beatles music game. However, as we predicted and commented on, it will NOT be a ROCK BAND game in itself.

The Beatles NEVER leverage their content across brands and hence this will be a standalone product which will only play Beatle Content.

What this means in practise is still to become clear. I’m sure the hardware out there will work, but as opposed to downloading new songs into the pre-existing game it will probably be a new piece of software offering its own portal to the Beatles Digital Store.

We’ll report more once it becomes clearer. This is a bold step for the parties involved in the Beatles IP. It’s a coup for EA games and MTV, the publisher and owners of Rock Band.

Read some more about it HERE

Its being reported by the Wall Street Journal and on various industry sites that the beatles are at last bringing their music to the world of the download. However the story is that its NOT with Apple’s own Itunes. According to the Wall Street journal its rumoured that a selection of songs will be availble to owners of EAs Rock Band 2 videogame. 

Regular listeners of our podcast Music Industry News will know we often talk about this product and Guitar Hero as proof that their is still a very valuable market out there, its just being leveraged in a different way. This would seem to be evidence of the transition. 

It should be pointed out that except for the Number 1 album the Beatles have NEVER had their music licensed onto compilations. Now this is not a compilation but in many ways it is a change of policy as it would be a situation where their music was sitting as part of another product. 

So would you buy Rock Band 2 just to play along with the Beatles?

Check out the story HERE