Just when I thought the major music labels have begun to understand this new invention called the Internet, I read http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10047311-93.html. While it’s nice that they are finally selling music in most consumer’s preferred format (non-DRM’d MP3), I don’t understand why they are insisting on selling it to you on physical media that you have to buy at a store. Do I have to go to a bookstore to buy an ebook? Perhaps the music companies believe they are in the business of selling a physical product? Or maybe they’re trying to resurrect the concept of the album, making you buy nine tracks you don’t want in order to get the one track you do. According to Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/22/sandisk-major-labels-announce-slotmusic-microsd-cards-preloaded/), they even expect people to carry around metal binders full of microSD cards.

Perhaps retail stores are seeing the trend to legal digital downloads of music, and are beginning to feel like Blockbuster when Netflix took off? In that case, it’s the retail stores that are being shortsighted; there’s no reason for consumers to prefer to purchase digital content at physical stores.