exploremusic

Dammit.  I thought we were going to get it on Wednesday.

One of the more annoying things about online music stores is the short 30-second preview they offer of a song.  Based on that snippet, we’re supposed to decide (a) if we like the song; or (b) if it’s the song we’re looking for.  The problem is that there’s no consistency with these snippets.  Sometimes you get the hook of the song while other times, you get a droning instrumental bit that tells you nothing.

Rumours were floating before Apple’s annual music event on Wednesday that the length of the song preview would be extended to 60 or even 90 seconds.  Hell, if they added just one feature to iTunes, that would be the one I’d choose.

But it was not to be.  Why?  If I had to bet, I’d say that the music publishers put the kibosh on the plan.

At this point, online music stores can play 30 seconds of a song without having to pay any royalties to those who own the rights to the song.  Boosting the preview time would require extensive negotiations not only with record labels but the music publishers.  And while there are just four major labels, there are THOUSANDS of music publishers.

Read more about the problem here.