Monday Funday: If Social Media Were Around for the World Wars
It's in the Clouds- Amazon launches "Cloud Drive" (and music service)
Well it is now official. Amazon.com has launched the Amazon Cloud. This is FREE cloud based storage (much like dropbox), but with an emphasis on media it would seem. Amazon is offering all users 5 GBs out of the gate with the option to upgrade your storage to up to a Terra-byte of storage. (Note: if you buy an album from Amazon MP3, they will upgrade you to 20 GB for free)
The cloud is accessible from any computer and features Android mobile capabilities for streaming the music from your Cloud via QR code. One interesting thing to note about this storage solution is the caveat that all Amazon MP3 downloads do not count against your storage allotment. This is an interesting sales point and is yet another spur in Apple's side (along with the obvious exclusion of an Ipad/iPhone app).
My reaction:
On first look, the service is pretty bare bones. I have made several attempts to upload all of my Amazon MP3 purchases and it seems to want me to do so one file at a time <ugh>. This coupled with the fact that I am already an avid user of dropbox and am also an iPhone user may hamper my willingness to convert to the Amazon cloud. Once they enable me to better use this on my devices- it is a done deal though. This said, I never pass up a good deal and FREE is the best deal- so I have acquired my 5 GB of storage and plan to make good use of it despite the minimal launch functionality.
Music in the Clouds?:
Let's face it folks, Amazon beat everyone else to the punch on the Cloud-Based music idea. Even though, the idea is NOT new and several other companies have made runs at operating such a service dating back to 1999 with services such as "Myplay." The big hangup with moving music to the cloud has always been the legality of such a move and the Major's reluctance to play nice in the sandbox regarding such an idea. I am unsure whether Amazon got major label buy-in, or is operating with the blessing of their huge, well armed legal team under the idea that once the music is purchased, users may do what they want with it for their own personal use (which is what I agree with). In any case, this marks a changing paradigm in the music industry. Forget about being able to store your files in the cloud... being able to store your music and easily access it is going to be monumental.
Is this what music has come to?
Hatsune Miku is a bloody holograph. She is a holograph that tours, releases music, and runs to the top of the J-Pop charts. Originally created as a promotional tool to help show off Yamaha's "Vocoloid in a Box", Miku has now become a household name in Japan- playing to thousands of fans. Her name means "future first-sound" in Japanese and I am quite certain that may be a correct moniker for this "girl". The music is reminiscent of late 90's "Happy Hardcore." Listening to it, I expect to see DJ Muppet Fuc#er behind the decks... but am astonished to see this holograph carry the tune to these massive crowds.
Is this a sign of things to come? Or is this just a freaky phenomenon that will stay on the small island nation of Japan? Who knows. The various opinions about Miku are a mixed lot. Some would say she is a "terrible omen not only for musicians but also the continued existence of the world as we know it." Another perspective looks upon the phenomenon in a more positive note... "forget the tantrums, entourage, and ridiculous riders," and, in an industry where 25 is over-the-hill, she'll stay 16 forever. Ultimately, who knows what this will yield for the real music world. All I know is this "girl' is for real in the eyes of thousands and may change the very fabric of what we consider to be a pop star. The next few years will certainly be telling on whether "she" is a phenomenon or a flash in the pan.