exploremusic

[Note:  Yes, HMV is a sponsor of ExploreMusic but I’d write the same thing if they weren’t.]

Apple’s iTunes music store has grown into the 800-pound gorilla in the room.  They are by all measures the largest single retailer of music in America.  And they deserve to be.  The software works well.  Selection is generally very good (although iTunes Canada often lags far behind what the UK store offers) and I can’t say I’ve had any technical or billing issues with them.  And believe me, I buy a LOT from iTunes.

There are competitors to the iTunes store—Canadians are (as usual) shut out from many of them—but wherever these competing stores exist, they haven’t been able to steal away much market share.  The new-look legit Napster, eMusic have never been able to come close.  Even the mighty Wal-Mart—which, for a while, had an online music store that undercut iTunes pricing—was driven from the marketplace.

So it’s game over, hasta la vista, good night, right? 

But monopolies, no matter how benevolent, are never preferable to solid, serious competition.  Competition drives innovation and keeps prices low.  That’s why it’s good to see HMV getting into the digital marketplace.

I was a major and faithful customer when HMV Canada sold CDs through their website.  Selection was excellent (these were pre-iTunes days, mind, but far superior to any bricks-and-mortar store) and service was swift.  I remember ordering an obscure Brian Eno CD on a Tuesday and finding it in my mailbox THE NEXT DAY.  It was a sad day for me when they shut down the online CD store.

But HMV is now back in the online game, picking a direct digital dogfight with iTumes.  HMV Digital (www.hmvdigital.ca) launched into beta mode today.  Here’s what they’re offering.

HMV Digital:  Millions of tracks in MP3 format, all (from what I can tell) encoded at a generous 320 kbps.  Only Canadian retailer that’s 100% MP3.
iTunes:  Many more millions of tracks in the AAC format.
Advantage:  iTunes, based on a larger library.  For now, anyway.

HMV Digital:  No Digital Rights Management (MP3s can’t be locked down)
iTunes:  No DRM on files designated as “iTunes Plus.” A limited number of files are still protected.
Advantage:  A tie, although you could give a slight edge to HMV.

HMV Digital:  “My Downloads” section that centrally stores purchased music allowing customers to access this music from wherever they are or to retrieve lost files in case of a computer meltdown.
iTunes:  Nothing of the sort.  Every time you buy something, iTunes asks if you want to back up your purchases locally.  If you don’t back up and you have a meltdown, your files disappear forever.
Advantage:  HMV.  BIG props for this.

HMV Digital:  An online music preview player featuring 30-second snippets of songs.
iTunes:  The same.  This is standard across the industry for copyright reasons.
Advantage:  Dead heat.

HMV Digital:  Compatibility with all digital music players.  MP3 files can play on any device.
iTunes:  Non-DRM AAC files purchased through iTunes can be converted to MP3s in iTunes, but you can’t sync devices other than iPods with iTunes.  You need to export the files to another program for loading into your non-iPod.  (Palm Pre owners:  You’re exempt.  Sometimes.)
Advantage:  HMV, if only for removing the AAC-to-MP3 conversion step.

HMV Digital:  Easy-to-use user interface.  Once you check out, you’re prompted to save your purchase (in a RAR zip file) to your hard drive.  I bought the Friendly Fires CD—189 MB—and the download took 30 minutes.  Was that my system or the HMV servers?
iTunes:  Pretty zippy.  I bought the Dex Romweber CD and was listening to it in less than three minutes.  But am I the only one who liked the format of the iTunes 8 store better than iTunes 9?
Advantage:  iTunes, obviously, but I’m sure HMV will work to improve download times.

HMV Digitals:  Written bios to help with recommendations and choices.  I like the button that connects you to information on future releases.
iTunes:  iTunes Genius
Advantage:  A draw.  Again, some people like the convenience of the Genius while others will prefer to do their reading and research before purchasing.

Pricing seems to be about the same.  Whatever iTunes charges $1.29 for, so does HMV.

The winner?  For now, it’s still iTunes.  But keep in mind that Apple has been working on their digital store since 2001 while HMV Digital is still very much in beta. 

Competition is good.  Let’s see where all this is headed.