Goodbye Johnny

For some, the publicity around the recently celebrated 10 billionth iTunes music download seemed merely to confirm what most have by now fully digested: physical music sales are a thing of the past, everyone is online these days, and whether you like it or not, the best new model for music in the digital era is Apple's iTunes store. For others, the fact that the billionth download was a 1958 Johnny Cash song drove home a more problematic truth that calls into question whether iTunes really is a sustainable solution: three quarters of digital music buyers are age 25 or older, and so too was the customer looking to get his Johnny Cash fix. Compare that with with Apple's other much-hyped landmark sale: the billionth app downloader was a 13 year old kid, i.e the real future. Out with the iPod / iTouch (whose sales are slowing) and the "static 99 cent music downloads that remain wedded to a bygone era." In with the iPhone and the app store, provider of a "fundamentally interactive experience, tailor-made for the digital natives." But where does that leave music? Mark Mulligan at Forrester Research thinks the solution is to create music products that more strongly resemble apps - i.e. listening to a song should become a more social, more dynamic, and more customized experience. Some may look forward to tweeting, remixing, casually gaming and buying added-value content all while taking in the musical genius of the Man in Black. Call me a hippie, but I don't.

F. Patrick Busse
Marketing & the Internet