Can The Xbox 360 Elite Change The Music Download Industry?

[Jeremy Charette]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.shinyshiny.tv/2007/04/xbox_360_elite.html' target='_blank'>http://www.shinyshiny.tv/2007/04/xbox_360_elite.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"It's now 2007, six years after the iPod first launched its crusade on our ears and wallets, and many are discovering that since their fourth generation 'pod has bitten the dust and they've since bought a competitor, all those DRM-infested tracks they've bought over the years are incompatible with their shiny new Zens and iRivers. Enter Microsoft, and their Xbox 360 Elite, and I truly believe they could capture the disheartened, yet prime-for-the-taking, music market. Viva la revolution! Someone mock a Che Gates t-shirt up already, you have at least one eager customer in queue!"</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/controllerelite.jpg" /> <br /><br />Well, I'm not sure the Xbox 360 Elite is going to change the music download industry, but it could help shake things up. The death of DRM is going to open up the marketplace, allowing iTunes users to play their tracks on devices other than the iPod, and allowing iPod users to get their music from places other than iTMS. Microsoft already has the infrastructure in place to compete in this space with the Xbox Live Marketplace, they just need to find a way to bring that experience to the PC, and link it to the Xbox 360 and the Zune. The excitement is just beginning!

[Vincent Ferrari]

The Xbox 360 is the best living room device on the market. It's a great console, good video player, and so on. The problem in gaining the dominance it's capable of isn't the console, it's the company behind it.

Microsoft is way too deeply embedded with Hollywood to let the Xbox really hit its potential. Just look at how the Zune is hobbled by its DRM and how they throw DRM onto any track you share simply because that's what it took to allow sharing with Hollywood.

Then look at the various DRM mechanisms in Vista.

Honestly, the only thing holding MS back is MS but I'd be happy to be proven wrong in this case (I really like the 360 and would hate to see it fail because it shot itself in the foot)

[Jeremy Charette]

I can't disagree. Microsoft is behind the eight ball when it comes to relationships with content providers, and is playing a game of catchup with Apple. This stems from their former tact of being a platform provider, rather than a content distributor. They're making progress, but they haven't quite got the formula figured out yet. I'd like to see longer video rental times, lower rental prices, and a MUCH broader selection of content on XBLVM. I'd also like to see support for subscription video and audio services on the Xbox 360, though that may be coming with support for PlaysForSure.

[RichL]

The problem is that Xbox Live/Zune marketplace doesn't offer as good a user experience as iTMS. Who can be bothered with the concept of "points" when iTMS clearly lists the price in a currency that you're already familiar with?

Having said that, the Xbox 360 is starting to look like a great media device. I can't wait to stream all of my H.264 video through it when the Spring update comes. :)

[Jason Dunn]

Who can be bothered with the concept of "points" when iTMS clearly lists the price in a currency that you're already familiar with?

While I can't deny that no one can think in points like they can think in dollars, if you're an Xbox 360 user, points are a very "natural" way of thinking about buying content and it's not a problem for me personally...