Disqus - Latest Comments for Marc Cohen

Re: Rhapsody Hooks Up With MTV

Marc Cohen — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:47:29 -0000

This move is being presented in the press as a union to compete against iTunes. Why would anyone want to do that? iTunes sells a relatively small amount of music - especially compared to the installed base of iPods. A $20/month service from Rhapsody America, as Fred suggests, would make them a niche player since the core music listening audience - young, cash strapped people - couldn't afford this and if they could, wouldn't pay for it.

At this point in the new world of music, the only way to make a dent is to make music cheaper, or free. Real ad-supported downloaded music (not Spiralfrog or even WE7 style ad-supported music) can do this. The option of ad-supported music lowers the total cost of music consumption since some portion of a person's library can be paid and some ad-supported.

Ad-support built TV, radio and the Internet, why wouldn't it work for downloaded music?

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: Interview: Spiral Frog CEO Joe Mohen

Marc Cohen — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 08:10:47 -0000

Advertising supported music is the wave of the future. I commend Spiralfrog for being the pioneer, but their service is not what consumers want.

For full coverage of the emerging media of ad-supported music check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog at http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: The seven strategies for mobile ads, and which ones will work

Marc Cohen — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 14:14:58 -0000

All of the approaches you describe are visual advertising - they require the target to be looking at the phone to receive the ad. Most interaction with the cellphone is through the ear, not the eye. The most successful approaches to mobile marketing will be audio based.

Re: SeeqPod, “playable” music search

Marc Cohen — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:40:47 -0000

What is the revenue model?

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: Warner streams entire catalog of music for free on imeem

Marc Cohen — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:07:20 -0000

We are at the beginning of the advertising supported music revolution. Time spent listening to recorded music is up and so too should be recording industry revenues. Ad-supporte monetizes the time people spend listening.

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: The business of music: It’s the relationship, stupid

Marc Cohen — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:09:12 -0000

Tim -

Don't completely agree. In music the fan can experience a profound relationship with the artist but the fan still wants the artist's music for free. Why did so many Radiohead fans download In Rainbows from P2P networks instead of giving them a nominal amount? So while music my be about relationships, the business of music is about price.

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: Grooveshark offers P2P music downloads — but is it legal?

Marc Cohen — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:32:03 -0000

I don't understand the notion that Grooveshark is going after P2P filesharers. Just because it uses a P2P backbone? P2P users don't care about the technology, they care about the price, which is free. Grooveshark is charging more than many large music download stores. Grooveshark has completely missed the point that the lesson of P2P is free.

Grooveshark has already jumped the shark.

Re: Our New Service Is Called 'Total Music,' but We Like to Refer to It Internally as 'Total Panic'

Marc Cohen — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 19:21:23 -0000

Here is how I see the digital music world: 1. Most music is obtained for nothing on P2P networks. 2. The price of digital music that is purchased is falling (see Wal-Mart and Amazon). 3. In order to move mp3 players, manufacturers are slashing prices.

So in the digital music world where the price of everything is falling, Morris really believes that adding $90 to get in the game will entice consumers?

I like the approach of bundling unlimited music with hardware but make the music truly free. In fact, make the hardware free.

How do you do this? Advertising support.

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: Free ad supported music is on the way

Marc Cohen — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:55:57 -0000

You are right Nic, the winning model will have ads in the music stream because this is the only way to monetize the time spent listening to the music. This is true for ad-supported downloaded music as well.

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: 2007/04/30/we7/

Marc Cohen — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 22:30:27 -0000

Excellent idea although I wonder if people would enjoy listening to a full playlist of these tracks.

Re: 2007/08/09/universal-drm-free/

Marc Cohen — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 13:10:43 -0000

In his famous article "Marketing Myopia" Professor Ted Leavitt described the buggy whip industry and observed that no amount of product improvement could prevent the evaporation of the industry.

The record industry is on its way to becoming a new buggy whip industry. Eliminating DRM is the kind of ineffective product improvement Leavitt described.

The industry needs to reinvent itself is a free, ad-supported medium.

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: YouTube’s New InVideo Ad Format Is Not Google AdWords

Marc Cohen — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 17:04:56 -0000

Google and others are claiming that these overlay ads are not intrusive. Of course they are intrusive. If you are watching a video and you see an ad it is intrusive - as good advertising should be. Let's cut the charade and admit that it is intrusive. Nobody would watch an ad if it wasn't.

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: Amp'd Bankruptcy: By The Numbers: 'Liquidity Crisis' Due, In Part, To 80,000 Non-Paying Customers

Marc Cohen — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 11:54:37 -0000

The number of non-paying customers is a juicy nugget. Good find. I think this may be the death knell for Amp'd. Better credit policies will slow growth. I always wondered how Amp'd's young target audience could afford the high ARPU Amp'd was touting. I guess the answer is they couldn't. Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: Amazon To Launch DRM-Less Digital Music Store; EMI First Major Tenant

Marc Cohen — Wed, 16 May 2007 23:08:28 -0000

I think that the issue of DRM-free music is a red herring. Are people using P2P because the music is DRM-free? No, they are using P2P because the music is just free. People want free music much more than they want DRM-free music. Record companies should offer free, ad-supported music to combat piracy. For more on this subject Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog: http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: Mobile Music Worth $12 Billion By 2011, $7.3 Billion To Labels: Report

Marc Cohen — Wed, 23 May 2007 20:04:06 -0000

Most mobile music revenues have come from ringtones, sales of which are in decline. Every study of actual user behavior shows that users are overwhelmingly sideloading. Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central Blog at: http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/.

Re: Ad-Supported Bluetooth Content In Sth Africa

Marc Cohen — Fri, 18 May 2007 12:04:41 -0000

Not a perfect implementation but a good start. Using Bluetooth eliminates the problem of who pays for delivering the content and ads, which is a significant issue in ad-supported content to mobile phones. Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog: http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: McCartney iTunes Delay Due To 'Exclusive', DRM-Less Next Week

Marc Cohen — Mon, 28 May 2007 17:21:43 -0000

Now we will find out if DRM-free tracks will really increase sales. I, for one, don't think so. I think the only thing it will increase is prices. Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: 3UK Ups Price Of Music

Marc Cohen — Mon, 07 May 2007 11:46:13 -0000

This is a very interesting development. I beleive they must want to decrease their downloading traffic. The number of tracks they sell must decline but they may be able to preserve revenue and profits.

Re: For The Next Zune, Microsoft Builds Its Own Factory First

Marc Cohen — Wed, 16 May 2007 23:07:13 -0000

I really can't believe that MS is making Zunes. Making their own Zunes will not bring any competitive advantage. This is really misplaced resources.

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: Peter Gabriel Tries Ad-Supported Music Downloads; Launches We7

Marc Cohen — Sat, 05 May 2007 21:28:21 -0000

Advertising supported music will work because the basic value proposition of free content in exchange for exposure to ads is proven. The We7 model, however, will not work. No one will put up with an ad before every track, especially an ad that is static. There are other models that will work. Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: @ D: Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft

Marc Cohen — Thu, 31 May 2007 13:44:52 -0000

Microsoft is working really hard at being #3 in the on-line ad market, but don't seem to be interested in beinf first in new media advertising markets. With the eco-system they already have in place they could dominate ad-supported downloaded music. Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: @ Mobile Content World: Ad-Supported Is Good -- But Consumers Have To Buy Something

Marc Cohen — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:53:39 -0000

Like all things I don't think mobile content will be all free or all paid. Advertising supported content offers options. All other media offer this option and content on mobile phones will be offered the same way.

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: YouTube Ad Overlays Response - Some Users, Rivals Complain; Others Cautiously Optimistic

Marc Cohen — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 20:59:23 -0000

Re: Universal Music Group To Trial DRM-Free Music; iTunes Not Included

Marc Cohen — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:17:04 -0000

Re: Five Percent Of Americans Sideload Music, Two Percent Download OTA: Report

Marc Cohen — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:01:39 -0000

I think that cellphones should be the source for free ad-supported music. This would drive usage up significantly. The cellphone is uniquely suited to support this application. We cover this approach extensively in the Ad-Supported Music Central Blog at: http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: Online Ad Spend To Overtake Newspapers By 2011: Report

Marc Cohen — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:33:52 -0000

Overall media time may be declining but how people are spending that time is changing. Time spent with recorded music continues to grow and this is creating a large new advertising opportunity.

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: Virgin USA's Ad-Supported Minutes Service Delivers 9M Minutes

Marc Cohen — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:53:50 -0000

The pre-paid market is ripe mobile advertising. I think ad-supported content, especially music, will be very successful on pre-paid handsets. The demographic are heavy duty music listeners and the handset is an ideal platform for advertising supported music.

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: Streaming Ads Driving Users Away From Content: Report

Marc Cohen — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:35:31 -0000

I don't trust this survey at all. It asked consumers about their behavior it did not observe their behavior. What people say is very different from what they do.

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog at http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Re: Free Music Download with embedded pop-up ads in MP3s

Marc Cohen — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:59:05 -0000

Advertising supported music will work and grow the music industry with the right model. However, the Qtrax model of presenting ads visually into an audio medium is not the right model.