2004 may have been a good year for the digital music sector, but was it such a good year for digital music fans? A new study from market research firm Shelley Taylor & Associates has reached pretty damning conclusions about most of the legitimate download platforms, accusing them of short changing consumers and record labels. The report also suggests that the weaknesses of the download platforms encourage many consumers to return to using the illegal P2P networks.
The report says that many sites are in themselves confusing to use, while the tendency for different download platforms to supply tracks in different incompatible formats makes the whole digital music space confusing for consumers to enter.
"As a result, users' initial enthusiasm is being deflated as they realise they have been conned - there are more limitations imposed on legitimate digital downloads, media players and portable devices than advertised," the report says.
The report also rates individual download platforms. Those run by
British retailer HMV and Sony’s Connect service received most criticism, though there was criticism too for industry leader Apple iTunes - French retailer Fnac’s service came out top.
"[Apple and iTunes] need to watch their back and continue to develop, especially since they've never been good at the e-commerce and shopping. Key Fnac features that are lacking in iTunes include discounts for buying multiple tracks and the ability to download music videos and purchase concert tickets".