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21 iTunes per iPod

This is one of those times when I wish people would use their head for something other than a helmet.

iTunes per iPod: "APRIL 28, 2004 - Today is the one year anniversary of the iTunes Music Store. As of April 15, Apple had sold roughly 60 million iTunes and 3 million iPods (sources below). That's about 21 songs per iPod. For perspective, the smallest iPods hold 1,000 songs, and some hold 10,000 songs. So, when people fill up those iPods, where does all the music come from?"

Indeed, if you do the math this way, it may work out to about 21 iTunes per iPod (although that math probably doesn't hold up when you consider how many iPods may not even be working anymore... the iPod has been around for several more years than the iTunes music store), and yes, that probably means there is a lot of illegal music on a lot of iPods. But. Anybody who owns an iPod (or almost anybody... I know some people who simply don't know what to do with the things) knows that if they want to get a lot of music on their iPod in a hurry, all they have to do is rip their entire music collection into iTunes and sync it to their iPod. Yo. Filled iPod in a hurry (mine is already full of music just like this, though I bought my iPod about a month ago, and I've purchased I've purchased only 100 songs or so via the iTunes music store). I recognize that this site isn't exactly saying that there are only 21 legal songs (on average) per iPod, but that is the implication, and it's just plain old broken rhetoric. Furthermore, given this number (21), Apple should expect (and already know) that it will only continue to rise as people become more and more savvy with their experience online. My guess is some people don't even go to the iTunes music store. Thousands of teenagers without credit cards (or PayPal accounts) are ripping CDs all day long, whether legally or not. Unfortunately, the message behind the broken rhetoric is a good one.

...the incredible capacity of computers, iPods, and iPod imitators means everyone is going to listen to much more music than they actually buy.

This has always been true, whether it be true via radio, cassette tapes, reel to reel, or Jimmy's poorly sung version of Louie Louie from the back of the van on our last trip to Carlsbad. Furthermore, Voluntary Collective Licensing deserves a look (though I doubt very much that many corporate bobbleheads will buy in to it, even if given no other option). Would it work? I don't know. But the current "system" of digital rights management isn't really working either. I'm happy to see some people looking in to alternatives. I just wish those people wouldn't resort to easily debunked rhetoric to make their point, because it makes their point easy to dismiss as well. Don't do that. Look below the surface. What do we really want from the music industry? We want affordable music. What do the musicians want? They want to be compensated. What do the corporations want? They seem to want it all. In which case, we may have to ask them to step aside.

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