Apple To Sell Music Videos; Video iPods Not Far Off?




Word on the street is that Apple is in negotiations with record labels to sell music videos. Am I the only one who thinks it is a bad idea to pay for what is basically a commercial for a song? Perhaps my age has something to do with this. I remember watching NBC's Friday Night Videos (pre-MTV for you kids out there) for the latest, hippest clips from the likes of Duran Duran, The Police and The Cars. Obviously I remember also when MTV actually played music videos.

The funny thing is that I really don't miss music videos that much. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who loves music as much as I do. But music videos I could live without. Sure, I tune in to the VH1 countdown, MTV 2 or MTV Hits everyone once in a while. And occasionally I will check out the video section in the iTunes Music Store. But would I pay to see these clips?

Sorry, but my answer is a resounding NO. These are commercials folks. The entire purpose of a music video is to sell records (or CDs or downloads) and merchandise. I realize musicians and labels are looking for as many revenue streams as possible. But this is not something that is going to take the over-30 crowd by storm.

Can Apple revolutionize music videos (and possible movies) they revolutionized portable music with the iPod? All I can say is I might pay attention if the product was as or more interesting than the current iPods. No way do I want to watch a music video on a two inch screen. Nor do I even want to think about downloading a blockbuster movie to only be able to watch it in QuickTime on my Mac. Bring me a revolutionary product and I promise to open up my mind again.

Read more about the possibility of a videos on iTunes.

Posted: Tue - July 19, 2005 at 12:56 AM      

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