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[JimH]

I'm looking for feedback and ideas about adding the ability to stream music to other users.

Do you do this now?  If so, how?

If you could, would you?

Would you be willing to do it legitimately?  Right now, the streaming license costs around 10 cents an hour.  This cost could be paid by the consuming party or it could be paid by inserting small ads.

Any thoughts?

[jgreen]

I think serving ads crosses a line.  If you were to bring this feature, I would hope that you would offer an ad-free version for those of us willing to pay for it.  The key is, I block all ad servers, and if that disables the program I will move on.  IMO, you should be thinking about a "pro" version, price point ~$75, that incorporates the audiophile features being requested on the forum.  You'll get plenty of gripes, but everyone will buy it.

Streaming has great mass appeal, but I think it should be a FREE, ad supported, low-end version, with high-end features disabled.  Essentially music match, which, IMO, isn't worth a second look, although plenty of people love it.

On the topic of ad servers, I would like to see space allocated on the forum server for the avatars people seem to love so much, so that third-party hosts are no longer involved.  We can still have the scary falcon and the ominous HAL lens, we just  have to store it somewhere secure. 

[KingSparta]

The key is, I block all ad servers

well i think what he means is like Music Match Radio, there maybe a short 30 second Audio ad between the tracks

And maybe a banner ad from within the program that could not be disabled thru 3rd party ad blockers.

both could be used to pay for the content.

[jgreen]

Tha's what I'm saying.  I trust MC now, I don't trust music match.

[jgreen]

Currently, MC is a "walled garden" for media.  It offers more- and better tools to enjoy media that any other program.  And no ads, although plenty of kooky conspiracy theories. 

When you bring outside ad servers into the program, you've lost that walled garden.  I won't use a program that makes me look at ads, and I have no problem with paying double or triple for a program that protects me from ALL ads.

Sparta, if you're looking to stream your content, I think that's great.  I just don't want my version to show me ads to pay for your content.  If I want your content I will happily subscribe.  A SECURE socket to subscribe to content would be great, although I think there's one in there already, isn't there?

[KingSparta]

why could you not have the best of both?

free content for people who don't mind ads, and for the people who pay no ads?

[jgreen]

Great, just make sure that ONLY the freebie version sends tracking data to the third-party ad servers.  I'm going to block them, and if it crashes my version I'll move on.

IMO, this is going 80 mph away from where I thought MC was headed.  I think this stuff should be in the free version, the jukebox.  Send all the ads you want there.  Make them watch TV all day.
 I use MC for discovering and playing library-based media.  I think with one or two minor tweaks it would be a SUPERB search tool for media professionals--audio, video and still.  That's the $75 version, the one I want.  It could be the $200 version, if that helps get it to market.

[JimH]

jgreen,
No need to get worked up.  This is a question, not a declaration of war.

The problem in streaming music whose rights are controlled by record labels and publishers is that they would like to be compensated.  If you wrote a book, wouldn't you want the right to be paid, even if you chose not to accept money?

If you connect to KingSparta's library and listen to his "70's Disco Dreamland" playlist, that creates about 1/2 of a cent royalty for every song.  Either someone pays or the content owners, musicians, song writers, etc, get ripped off.

What I'm suggesting is much like commercial radio except that the variety would be almost endless and the ads could be much less frequent.  And you could ignore it altogether and have the exact same experience with MC that you have now.

[jgreen]

I guess you could hear me pounding the table.

All I'm saying is, don't make me watch ads if I don't watch Sparta's TV shows.  I think he's got a great niche here, but I'm hardly his target customer.  So I don't want his or anyone's ad servers tracking my use of MC when I'm not using paid content.

And Sparta--bulk up your Auto-Import with additional configs, what goes where, when, etc.  That would make MC a high-end media collaboration tool, currently all the rage at $1,000 per.

[JimH]

I guess you could hear me pounding the table.

... Auto-Import with additional configs, what goes where, when, etc.  That would make MC a high-end media collaboration tool, currently all the rage at $1,000 per.

Now you have my undivided attention.  Could you start a thread on what you mean by this and your earlier comment about media management for pros?

Thanks.

[JimH]

jgreen,
I split your post to a new thread here:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=29341.0

Thanks.

[bigcuedaddy]

Streaming using Windows Media Connect to media player. We talked about this before. It would be a very welcome sight to have MC able to handle DRM streaming. The WMC server program is quite weak in its sorting ability, so bad that it makes WMP look amazing. There are different manufacturers of different players that are not completely compatible. I just wish SOMEONE could work out a solution to have an easy UI with some sorting.  I could stream my LEGAL music from my DRM approved MC at home to my DRM approved MC at work, and vice versa.
     As far as cost is concerned, I assumed that is what we paid the online companies (Napster, Rhapsody, etc) a monthly fee for.

[KingSparta]

this subject seems to be dead

it's a shame really...

i was hoping this would be in connection with podcasting

MC does not currently play podcasts i guess., i downloaded Apple Itunes like 3 mins ago when checking out a podcast XML and it seems to work when you drag the xml into the podcast list.

I would like to see this added to MC

once i figure this XML thing out and i can create my own podcast from my own web site i was thinking about making a plug-in to create the xml podcast form (thats if i can figure it out).

basicly i was thinking you could arache your podcast play list and click on the plug-in, it would then take info from MC fields to generate a XML form with soome basic imput from you.

maybe a option to then upload the files to a ftp site that will also include the xml form.

i know i am dreaming.