While many may agree that the Cloud has offered huge conveniences for consumers to access content, it has also opened a new avenue for content distribution.  In many media and entertainment industries, content distribution was always restricted to carriers (eg. ISP,s CDs, DVDs, etc.).  With cloud-based content, some may argue that there is simply no need to ‘own’ discs, papers, or hard drives that contain content if it’s available easily through different devices.

Cloud computing does, however, expose a new range of questions regarding rights and ownership. When content is accessed across country borders, whose laws are governing this transaction? Are there any liabilities if the cloud provider’s service is being disrupted and content cannot be accessed? When consumers are adding content they have previously purchased to a cloud based ‘locker’, should content owners be compensated for any of those transactions?

When accessing cloud-based content and information, the device that acts as the information gateway is suddenly in a powerful position; device manufacturers may decide to block access to certain cloud content services or charge for it. They may insist on receiving parts of any revenue that content creators may generate through these devices.  Device platforms may also not support certain technologies and, therefore, directly influence how cloud-based content is distributed to the consumer.

The consumer’s relationship with their devices (and, therefore, their relationship to content) has been changing rapidly over the last few years.  With the continual innovation of more capable and compact mobile technologies, consumers tend to be much closer to their devices and, in many cases, have them nearby at all times. Consumers have become accustomed to having instant and constant access to information and entertainment as a result, and this places content owners under pressure to constantly ensure their output is available once it has been created. Unlicensed sources may be preferred if their legal alternatives do not yet offer the access to desired content. This may suggest that there has been a huge power shift between consumers and creators of content – with new devices occupying the space between them.

While lack of control may be perceived as an obstacle in cloud-based distribution, this isn’t a subject matter that’s out-of-the-ordinary with content owners.  In fact, consumers have been able to easily share digital content since the advent of network computers. Nevertheless, new and open channels of distribution can also be seen as opportunities to access new consumer bases and find new revenue streams for media, entertainment, and other content-based industries.

Discuss this topic as well as many others at transmitCHINA 2011 presented by BlackBerry, September 14-17 in Beijing.

Organized by Topspin and Songkick we’ll be having food and drinks (White Russian optional) from around 8.30. For more info check Ian’s blog post. See you there.

You can listen to all this here: www.heutepopmorgen.com

You can listen to all this here: www.heutepopmorgen.com

If you are going to the SXSW confernce in Austin next week and you have a Last.fm profile your life is getting a lot easier now: we have developed a tool that recommends you bands that are playing at SXSW based on your music taste. Everyone who’s been before knows that it can be tricky to find all your favourite gigs down there since there are 1500+ bands performing. Also, join the group: www.last.fm/group/SXSW+Music

I’ll be there too so I hope I see you in Texas!

heute:pop:morgen playlist 27/02/2008
1. NEON NEON ‘Trick For Treat’ (hot chip Rmx)
2. Metronomy ‘My Heart Rate Rapid’
3. Pedro ‘I Am Keeping Up’
4. The Terrordactyls ‘Devices’
5. Simone White ‘Haven’t Got A Dollar To Pay Your House Rent Man’
6. The Mountain Goats ‘How To Embrace A Swamp Creature’
7. Frightened Rabbit ‘Keep Yourself Warm’
8. The Accidental ‘Illuminated Red’
9. Bat For Lashes ‘I’m On Fire’
10. Maps ‘Stay Another Day’
11. Malcolm Middleton ‘Week Off’
12. Adele ‘Hometown Glory’
13. Jeffrey Lewis ‘Waiting For A Change’
14. LCD Soundsystem ‘All My Friends’
www.heutepopmorgen.com

heute:pop:morgen playlist 20/02/2008
1. The Mountain Goats ‘How To Embrace A Swamp Creature’
2. The Orb ‘The Dream’
3. Downliners Sekt ‘Panic! Sonic Monk’
4. Rapid ‘My Heart Rate Rapid’
5. The Teenagers ‘Homecoming’ (Gentelmen Drivers Rave Mix)
6. Does It Offend You, Yeah? ‘Epic Last Song’
7. Simian Mobile Disco ’3 Pin Din’
8. The Black Ghosts ‘Something New’ (Live Re-Version)
9. Cadence Weapon ‘Real Estate’
10. The Accidental ‘Illuminated Red’
11. Elliott Smith ‘Riot Coming’
12. Gravenhurst ‘Black Holes In The Sand’
www.heutepopmorgen.com

This actually a really cool thing from the Beebs: They have developed a widget (for Mac OSX and Yahoo! Widgets) which allows you to listen to BBC Radio 1, Radio 2, 6 Music or 1Xtra which then also ads the tracks that are played into your Last.fm account. The scrobbling probably only works for their non-specialist show, ie only when they are using their special playout software and not CDs or vinyl.

The probably best option is that I have the option of NOT having it scrobble everything automatically – surly I don’t want every track that I hear on one of the BBC station to show up in my profile. Just listening to BBC Radio 1 now (first time for quite a while) and it’s not easy to get used to all the talking when you’re normally only listen to Last.fm or your own mp3s.

I said on here before that I’m still a believer in ‘traditional’ radio where other people (who I don’t even know) decide what I should be listening to; if it’s someone I trust I’m happy to listen to his/her music selection. If I can scrobble that even better: I can then keep track on what was played and it’s easier for me to find the tunes later on and buy them.

Now I just want to be able to skip the tracks on the radio…