Don't Search, Listen and Google Music

I live in a small town in Texas, which is about 45 minutes away from Fort Worth. My commute to work is around 20 minutes of solid thinking time by myself in my car. Recently, I purchased a Droid Incredible and I download and test music apps for easy listening. What seems to be the best option is subscription services like Rhapsody so I can stream and download songs to my phone for a small monthly fee. Otherwise, I am at the mercy of Last.FM and Pandora’s picks for my playlist. It can be dangerous to expose my good mood to music I would rather not listen too.

One option I have been waiting for is Google Music. I love using Google for their Gmail, Reader, and Docs. However, after reading updates from the rumor mill, Google Music plans to be Google’s answer to iTunes. According to TechCrunch, Google Music will be a browser-based web store with the option of having a cloud “locker” to access and stream music from any computer and phone for an additional  fee. This means you would have to purchase an album, purchase locker space, and hope that the full song preview does not kill your appetite to fork over your money.

I think that at this point, Google Music is going to take a bit longer to launch than I have hoped for. Right now, I pay eleven dollars a month to stream Rhapsody from my phone and any computer. Over the last few months, Rhapsody rolled out a download feature for subscribers to their iPhones and Droids for no extra fee. I think that Google has a good plan to combat iTunes but not such a good plan to compete with the subscription and free music providers. Here’s to hoping Google Music will rethink their strategy.

Keeping Concerts Alive

The whole process of going to a concert has always fascinated me. I go to so many that I have to budget and plan just to see a few major headliners each year. This last year I went to see Green Day for the 6th time. Tickets for the seats were around $60 for the closest seating area and around $30 for the lawn at the Superpages Center in Dallas. Upgrades to "VIP" seating was an extra $25 for seats directly in the middle of the seating area, food and beverage service, and reclining padded seats. For a fan like me, the extra $30 to $55 dollars seems like a great deal. For someone who might be seeing their first concert, it can seem like a money pit.

Ticket sales have declined with the economy, but the prices continue to climb. There's always something more you can purchase with your ticket. The Dallas House Of Blues offers VIP wristbands that can give you perks like food, drinks, and meet-and-greets. You don't even have to be someone special or smooth to get back stage, you can just pay more money to get access. While the perks seem like endless possibilities for profit, the venues are also out to get your money. While food and beverages are always high, you can also pay to cut in line and get in the venue before everyone else.

For fans like you and me, there's not much we can do to counteract this kind of gouging, except maybe sneaking in our own snacks and beverages or skipping the concert all together. Bands that are just starting out have a harder time touring independently now more than ever. This is a problem that the music industry seems to ignore and creates panic in artists to pick up the slacking ticket sales.