Since the introduction of the portable media player, the way we listen, buy, and store music has evolved. And, no one company has played a bigger role in this evolution than Apple. The fact is, Apple’s iTunes online music store is now the number two music retailer in the U.S., trailing only WalMart in overall sales. However, Apple is not planning on staying number two for long. According to a recent Forrester Research Inc. report, digital music download sales will surpass CD sales by the year 2012.
Investing toward their quest for digital music sales supremacy, Apple developed iTunes Tagging—a free service designed to make music discovery, purchase, and listening fun and simple. In order to use iTunes Tagging, consumers must first employ an HD Radio (see sidebar) receiver equipped with a special “Tag” button. As listeners come across songs they like played over an HD Radio broadcast, they simply hit the Tag button to mark the song(s) they are interested in adding to their music collection. This allows users the chance to later preview and purchase the song.
However, there is one more item you must possess to use iTunes—an iPod. By plugging in your iPod, the tagged song data saved from your HD Radio receiver will transfer over. Once transferred, the tagged songs appear in a playlist on the iPod titled “Tagged.” From there you simply sync your iPod with your computer and initiate iTunes. A simple click allows you to preview the song(s) you tagged and then provides you the option to purchase the tagged songs you desire from the iTunes music store.
The iPod has completely changed the way we store, listen, and buy audio media. With iTunes Tagging, being connected takes our purchasing experience to another level.
HD Radio
If you refuse to listen to AM radio channels because of the grainy, muffled quality, then you will feel right at home with HD Radio. The clarity of HD Radio is CD-like, enabling crystal-clear reception compared to the traditional FM broadcast they’re derived from. In fact, HD Radio even makes AM channels sounds like FM. While maintaining the highest level of sound quality is key to its success, the digital HD Radio also allows for multicasting—the ability for the radio station to offer more than one broadcast within its operating bandwidth. This means that your local rock station may also offer talk radio and/or alternative music, for example, by enabling HD Radio users to select between HD1, HD2, and HD3 channels within the same radio band.
One beauty of HD Radio is that it is not subscription-based like satellite radio. Receiving HD Radio requires users to purchase and install an HD Radio receiver. However, HD Radio broadcasts might not be available in your market, so check out www.ibiquity.com to find out who is broadcasting in your area before purchasing a receiver. There are several audio manufacturers that are offering iTunes Tagging–enabled receivers such as Alpine and Dual for the mobile audio market, and home units available from JBL, JVC, Polk Audio, and Sony.
