Why cloud storage is the future of the music industry

This week, Amazon became the first internet giant to offer a service called Cloud Music. To unfamiliar people, the term sounds like a whole new genre of rock and roll, but in the near future it's likely that many of us will be using cloud services.

So what exactly is that?

From a market perspective, "cloud" is a fantastic word, meaning that all computers, not just your own, are connected to the Internet.

Companies like Amazon and Google maintain large networks of computers in rows in secret warehouses around the world. These machines store the user does not want to exist in their own computer data.

Imagine all your photos on Facebook; all files saved on Dropbox or Mozy; or all mail on your webmail. These files are stored somewhere in the cloud, not on the PC.

The concept of cloud storage is gaining in popularity in many ways, but in the area of ​​music, just like the new service Amazon introduced, is the next frontier in the development of the cloud.

However, this shift is accompanied by legal and technical challenges. This has long existed and gives the tongue to skeptics who call cloud music "the next big thing."

There are arguments against these arguments. Imagine it as Cloud Music 101.

Cloud music is good?

Its convenience.

Today, most digital music services, such as Apple's iTune, force users to store their music on their own hard drive. Some music fans collect a lot of music, occupy dozens of hundreds of GB of storage space, which slowed down their computer speed. If the hard drive is broken, all the music is gone. Plus, music is pinned to a place. Continuing with the previous example, you can sync iTunes music with Apple's handheld. But only if you have to associate your iPhone or iPod with your computer. On other computers, you can not easily access those music; and it can be difficult to save to other devices as well.

In a consumer-centric world, music enthusiasts need to be able to help put all their music files in the cloud and get them wherever they are.

"Our consumers told us that they do not want to download music to their working computers or cell phones because they find it difficult to move the music to other devices.Now at work, at home, or at home On the go, consumers can buy music from Amazon MP3, store it in the cloud, and play it anywhere. "

What's wrong with this?

It needs internet connection.

If all your music is in the cloud, you need to get them online. This is a bit of a hassle for mobile devices, as high-speed Wi-Fi connections are not yet widespread, and cellphone data connections are already crowded.

Opponents think that cloud music will only slow down the speed of mobile networks.

Amazon's Android app allows users to download music from the "cloud" to their mobile devices, however, which allows users to listen to music offline.

What is Amazon's cloud music service? Amazon was the first giants to enter the field of technology companies. This service allows people to upload music files to the "cloud" and play music through a browser or Android application.

Currently this service can not be used on the iPhone.

From the very start, users get 5GB of free storage, which can be increased if paid.

How is it evaluated?

Most are positive. Here are some examples:

"This morning we took a moment to turn this up and except for some missing features, the service was amazing and simple enough to get started."

The blog also mentions: "You really can connect Dropbox to iTunes to sync and play music on the go, but that's a lot of energy, and the service is even more user-friendly."

CNET also recommended this service, although the site also mentioned the hope that Amazon's cloud service will perform equally well on non-music files. "For music lovers, Amazon's cloud drives and cloud playback are not 100% acclaimed for us. Affordable, simple interface, and if you're going to be a fan of Amazon and its music store, that's great "

Some consistent complaints are that the cloud drive is not compatible with Apple devices; the interface is bland; files can not be synchronized automatically.

Are there any other alternative services?

There are some small companies doing cloud music services too.

Among them are: Grooveshark, mSpot and MP3tunes.

Of course, there are also some music autoplay services, like Pandora, that provide online radio, but do not allow users to upload their files.

What will happen next?

There are rumors that Google and Apple are interested in cloud music service. However, there are reports that the extension of music copyright has been postponed.

What are the challenges of cloud music?

Mainly legal issues. The record company certainly hate cloud music.

"The reasons for opposition from the music industry include the possibility that users may store illegal or pirated content, and more importantly, easy access to companions' collections through cloud storage," the New York Post wrote.

The tech commentary provides more details on this: "Record companies have been hit by services that allow users to download music repeatedly, offering such services as stand-alone licenses instead of simply selling albums."

Sony claims the possibility of "retaining the use of legal channels."

Amazon is how to respond?

The company said "the cloud" is like a personal hard drive.

"It's the same thing to store music in the cloud as it is to save music to a personal external hard drive or iTunes," Amazon told Ars Technica, a technology partnership site at CNN.