Music-On-Demand
Encyclopedia
Music-On-Demand is a music distribution model conceived with the growth of two-way computing, telecommunications and the Internet
in the early 1990s. Primarily, high-quality music is made available to purchase, access and play back using software on the Apple Macintosh, Microsoft Windows
, set-top boxes and mobile devices from an available distribution point, such as a computer host or server located at a telephone, cable TV or wireless data center facility.
In 1992, computer modem speeds were limited to less than 28 thousand bits per second (28 kbit/s), compared with uncompressed music on compact disc
(CD) that required 150 thousand bytes per second. As a result, additional bandwidth
is required to accommodate delivering audio at CD quality standards: 16-bit frame, 44.1 kHz sampling rate
, stereophonic (two channel audio). This prompted telephony, CATV, cellular and satellite providers to consider changing standards, assisting in creating the information superhighway
, in terms of building higher capacity for existing telecommunications infrastructure
s.
Early attempts at designing and developing music-on-demand technology, in accordance with the laws of the United States such as the Home Recording Act of 1992
, include Access Media Network
(AMN) by inventor Dale Schalow. Schalow, born in Virginia, was an independent audio engineer and programmer in Los Angeles, California, who helped record albums and music scores for David Bowie, Tin Machine, Cypress Hill, House of Pain, Beastie Boys, Interscope, and Warner Brothers. A multiplexed music-on-demand model was deployed using PCM audio sampling devices, Apple IIci, the KERMIT
computer file transfer protocol, and SCSI
storage systems by Schalow to validate processing 16-bit multi-channel audio from point-to-point in a professional recording studio environment, including his own independently-operated Dascha company and 38 Fresh Recordings. The model conceived was introduced by Schalow to Apple Computer in 1992 after he submitted an entry into the "I Changed the World" contest, essentially describing how an Apple computer helped shape and change the world forever based upon its usage. Apple acknowledged the "Accessible Music Network" (AMN) by awarding Schalow Honorable Mention and sending him a simple gray T-Shirt with the Apple logo on it. Stand-alone software created by AMN for consumer-based access was then developed for the Microsoft Windows
computer operating system, as well as set-top box design prototypes conceptualized with 3D prototype imaging that required a telephone connector located next to a coaxial
cable TV connector to converge low speed data uplinking with high speed downloading interactive communications.
Presently, music-on-demand is still the center of controversy with a focus on illegal music downloading, peer-to-peer
file swapping and the lag of legislation for rapidly changing technology on the Internet. Record labels represented by the RIAA, as well as publishers and song writers, have vigorously defended copyrighted materials and have been successful in enforcing current laws for protecting their intellectual property. As of 2006, the new music industry has seen a rapid growth in overall revenues for legal digital music sales that has resulted in hitting and surpassing one billion dollars annually.
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
in the early 1990s. Primarily, high-quality music is made available to purchase, access and play back using software on the Apple Macintosh, Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, set-top boxes and mobile devices from an available distribution point, such as a computer host or server located at a telephone, cable TV or wireless data center facility.
In 1992, computer modem speeds were limited to less than 28 thousand bits per second (28 kbit/s), compared with uncompressed music on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
(CD) that required 150 thousand bytes per second. As a result, additional bandwidth
Bandwidth (computing)
In computer networking and computer science, bandwidth, network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth is a measure of available or consumed data communication resources expressed in bits/second or multiples of it .Note that in textbooks on wireless communications, modem data transmission,...
is required to accommodate delivering audio at CD quality standards: 16-bit frame, 44.1 kHz sampling rate
Sampling rate
The sampling rate, sample rate, or sampling frequency defines the number of samples per unit of time taken from a continuous signal to make a discrete signal. For time-domain signals, the unit for sampling rate is hertz , sometimes noted as Sa/s...
, stereophonic (two channel audio). This prompted telephony, CATV, cellular and satellite providers to consider changing standards, assisting in creating the information superhighway
Information superhighway
The information superhighway or infobahnwas a popular term used through the 1990s to refer to digital communication systems and the Internet telecommunications network. It is associated with United States Senator and later Vice-President Al Gore....
, in terms of building higher capacity for existing telecommunications infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
s.
Early attempts at designing and developing music-on-demand technology, in accordance with the laws of the United States such as the Home Recording Act of 1992
Audio Home Recording Act
The Audio Home Recording Act of 1992 amended the United States copyright law by adding Chapter 10, "Digital Audio Recording Devices and Media"...
, include Access Media Network
Access Media Network
Access Media Network is a business automation and technology organization unifying speech, music, audio, images and movies with two-way communications. The core definition of the AMN, founded by Dale Burleigh Schalow in 1992, was a premise for consumer-based music access, originally called...
(AMN) by inventor Dale Schalow. Schalow, born in Virginia, was an independent audio engineer and programmer in Los Angeles, California, who helped record albums and music scores for David Bowie, Tin Machine, Cypress Hill, House of Pain, Beastie Boys, Interscope, and Warner Brothers. A multiplexed music-on-demand model was deployed using PCM audio sampling devices, Apple IIci, the KERMIT
Kermit (protocol)
Kermit is a computer file transfer/management protocol and a set of communications software tools primarily used in the early years of personal computing in the 1980s; it provides a consistent approach to file transfer, terminal emulation, script programming, and character set conversion across...
computer file transfer protocol, and SCSI
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
storage systems by Schalow to validate processing 16-bit multi-channel audio from point-to-point in a professional recording studio environment, including his own independently-operated Dascha company and 38 Fresh Recordings. The model conceived was introduced by Schalow to Apple Computer in 1992 after he submitted an entry into the "I Changed the World" contest, essentially describing how an Apple computer helped shape and change the world forever based upon its usage. Apple acknowledged the "Accessible Music Network" (AMN) by awarding Schalow Honorable Mention and sending him a simple gray T-Shirt with the Apple logo on it. Stand-alone software created by AMN for consumer-based access was then developed for the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
computer operating system, as well as set-top box design prototypes conceptualized with 3D prototype imaging that required a telephone connector located next to a coaxial
Coaxial
In geometry, coaxial means that two or more forms share a common axis; it is the three-dimensional linear analogue of concentric.Coaxial cable, as a common example, has a wire conductor in the centre a circumferential outer conductor and an insulating medium called the dielectric separating...
cable TV connector to converge low speed data uplinking with high speed downloading interactive communications.
Presently, music-on-demand is still the center of controversy with a focus on illegal music downloading, peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
file swapping and the lag of legislation for rapidly changing technology on the Internet. Record labels represented by the RIAA, as well as publishers and song writers, have vigorously defended copyrighted materials and have been successful in enforcing current laws for protecting their intellectual property. As of 2006, the new music industry has seen a rapid growth in overall revenues for legal digital music sales that has resulted in hitting and surpassing one billion dollars annually.