Music

It is an understatement that Apple (and particularly Steve Jobs) has redefined the delivery of music to consumer with iTunes. Not only has the digital delivery service changed how music gets in the hands of listener but also what gets listened to. Apple's ability to dictate what music sold is not malevolent or conspiring, but the charts do point the direction of music to some extent. That song you hear on Grey's Anatomy during the wistfully emotionally scene with the camera zoom-out will undoubtedly be a number one on iTunes minutes after the show. The popularity meter will rocket that song to further purchases by those who can see quite plainly what is popular.

The move to DRM (digital rights management) free material is fantastic (for all digital media, including video games). At the same time, the music companies have the ability of flexible pricing which does allows iTunes to profit from nuanced marketing and the consumer to benefit from occasionally great deals on content. Overall I think that iTunes has made it that much easier for people to get and share music and that is a good thing. The Times does well to highlight the dynamic between Apple and the record companies in the classic context of producer vs. distributor through the lens of the new music climate.