So, what should the ideal music store of the future look like?
At the very least, it should provide unsecured MP3 downloads; reams of information about artists and music, including trusted reviews and recommendations; numerous opportunities to sample before buying; concert schedules and tickets; and access to lyrics and sheet music.
Bundling editorial content with an online music store is a no-brainer and could either include exclusive material that pushes the service toward a hybrid magazine format, or tie in with existing publications, such as Verve or Rolling Stone.
Other add-ons might include short articles that discuss the tools and techniques used to make particular songs. Artists could sell paid advertising links in these articles to the vendors of the equipment they use. In turn, those companies would get to reach a very targeted and receptive audience with some useful and trusted information about their products.
How revolutionary might all of this get? One idea that's been discussed recently proposes creating a real-time pricing scheme for music, with song prices based on their popularity. Hot new singles might spike up to $3 or higher during the first hours or days of their release, while unpopular titles would be substantially discounted. Demand pricing could increase sales for otherwise overlooked works, or at least lower the cost of trying out something new, while rewarding top sellers.
I don't know if this would work. But it sets the bar pretty high for innovation. By comparison, Apple's music store is rather modest.
