by Ron Miller

Cloud Music Services Struggle for Profitability

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Even though cloud music services like Spotify and Pandora are attracting big audiences, it's not translating into big profits -- and record company greed might be the problem.

Read my full commentary on Internet Evolution.

Record Company Stupidity Strikes Again

Image via Wikipedia

Once again, the major record labels have looked a gift horse in the mouth -- and spit in its face. When record companies squandered a chance to sell digital music via the new Google Music service, all I could do was throw up my hands in disgust and wonder if this industry was really interested in making money.

Read my full commentary on Internet Evolution.

Google Music Faces Tough Fight Against iTunes - Internet Evolution

Image by clintonjeff via Flickr

With Android already on millions of devices, Google Music will have a waiting market. Should Apple be concerned?

Read my full post on Internet Evolution.

HP Wants to Be a Mobile Playah So Bad

Image via CrunchBase

HP has made some strategic mobile purchases of late and it's crystal clear they have focused on the mobile market going forward.

Read my news and analysis on DaniWeb

Pink Floyd Turns Tables, Screws the Record Company

Image via Wikipedia

In a classic case of 'man bites dog,' Pink Floyd won a court ruling last week that its record label EMI could no longer sell individual digital songs as it violated a 1999 contract stating albums must sold intact. 

Read the full post on DaniWeb.

Microsoft Ads Mess with Fuzzy Zune HD Feelings

Microsoft's Zune HD might not be a serious iPod Touch challenger, but it's a huge leap forward from the original Zunes. That's why including pre-roll ads in front of their free apps makes so little sense.

Read the full story on DaniWeb.

Picture courtesy of Microsoft Press Pass

It's Not the Medium, It's the Distribution Method

When you look at the Web's influence on media companies over the last 15 years, it's clear, whether we are talking about news, music or television programs, as the distribution channel has shifted to the web, these media companies have struggled mightily to adapt.

Read more at DaniWeb.

Photo by Andrew Stawarz on Flickr

Record Companies Need to Stop Being Stupid

Surprisingly, CD sales are still much stronger than online sales, but they should pull even by the end of next year. This post talks about some proactive steps record companies could take to staunch the bleeding.

Read my ideas on DaniWeb.

Photo by stevecadman on Flickr.

Zune & iPod: A Tale of Two MP3 Players

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Last week Apple and Microsoft released their fourth quarter MP3 player sales figures, which Apple chooses to call its first quarter for some odd reason, and the numbers were a startling contrast. On one hand you had Microsoft with a 54 percent drop off in sales from the fourth quarter last year. On the other, you had Apple, selling a record number of iPods (again).

Read the post on DaniWeb.

British Man Invented Precursor to the iPod in 1979

Link: British Man Invented Precursor to the iPod in 1979 - TechTreasures by Ron Miller

According to a Gizmodo post published on Sunday, a British man claims he invented the iPod (or at least a prototype of what would become a portable music player) way back in 1979, the same year the Walkman cassette player first went on sale in Japan. Up to that point, the idea of portable music was an over-sized boom box you carried on your shoulder...