Hey, iTunes, Move Over

Apple may have a lock on digital music, but competitors ranging from online retailer Amazon.com to social network imeem are trying to worm their way in

by Peter Burrows

There's no doubt that Apple (AAPL), with its elegant 99¢-per-download formula, is the dominant force in digital music. But it's next to impossible to find an industry expert who thinks that Apple's current approach will remain the only game in town forever. Now there are signs rivals will help shape the future of digital music as well.

Some of the most immediate pressure is coming from Amazon.com (AMZN), which launched its Amazon MP3 store on Sept. 25. The store offers a few things Apple doesn't. First, there's pricing. Amazon MP3 sells 1.8 million of its 2.5 million-plus tracks, including 100 of the most popular, for 89¢, rather than 99¢. Also, it sells music only in the basic MP3 format, without any antipiracy "digital rights management" (DRM) software.

To now, the store includes music only from EMI, Vivendi's Universal, and thousands of indie labels, but industry insiders expect holdouts Sony BMG and Warner Music Group (WMG) to follow suit next year. This is key because MP3 tracks will play on almost any digital device, including iPods. By contrast, EMI is the only major label that has given Apple rights to sell its catalog in DRM-free form—and even those songs won't play on many devices because they're based not on MP3 but on a lesser-used alternative called AAC.

The upshot: People who want an iPod but don't want to be tethered to iTunes—or who want to buy songs that can be played on whichever device they choose—suddenly have another option. Amazon has long dominated online CD sales. With its one-click checkout and battle-tested recommendation engines, it is one of the few companies that can give Apple a run for its money in creating a compelling shopping experience. Plus, it's got 72 million active users who can now comfortably log on knowing they can find more DRM-free music than anywhere else—if not in digital form, than in a CD. "That's a big advantage," says Bill Carr, Amazon's vice-president for digital music.

All Eyes on imeem

Carr won't divulge any sales numbers, but doesn't dispute buzz that Amazon MP3 is off to a fast start. "We're very excited about where we are right now." Indeed, some industry watchers think Amazon has plenty of clear sailing ahead. "I won't be surprised at all if Amazon has 20% market share (of the download business) by the end of 2008," says Paul Verna, a music analyst with eMarketer.

While Amazon aims for a piece of Apple's download-to-buy pie, others are making progress building new digital music businesses. More than 19 million people now share their music at the fast-growing social networking site imeem. It all seems to be legal, thanks to pioneering licensing deals the four-year-old company has cut with three of the four major labels.

Rather than insist on a high per-song royalty and a load of antipiracy strictures, these deals let imeem's users freely share their copyrighted songs. That's because the labels don't make their money off the music itself, but by getting a cut of the advertising that imeem drums up for the site. Imeem CEO Dalton Caldwell says that roughly half of its revenue goes back to the content owners, on a pro rata basis. The more times a label's songs are played, the more they get paid.