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Summary:  An iTunes Pro application is a way to explore advanced music collection features that may not be appropriate for a mass audience while generating revenue developing ideas.  Some possible features include asset management tools like richer metadata and detailed stats, composition features like support for audio loops and multi-track song formats, recording features for voice notes, rehearsal features like a backing metronome and karaoke-style audio filters to block out parts, and advanced rights management for artists.
 
At least one of the readers of my previous post, on Apple’s software strategy, wasn’t quite sure what I meant when I suggested that a pro version of iTunes would be a big hit:
 
MacHuh says “The guys suggestion that there should be a pro iTunes app shows his lack of technical understanding. iTunes is media player. How do you make a Pro and Non-Pro media player?” (from MacDailyNews)
 
So here’s my point.  iTunes is not just a media player.  I mean, it’s not like just a big play button.  It's an asset management tool, an archival tool, a way to collect, organize, and explore your music.  And that obviously has pro levels to it.  What does a professional archivist want?  Maybe multiple levels of backup with detailed backup history.  Or a professional DJ or musician?  Fine control over live playback, volume, pitch, pace...
 
In fact, there are a whole bunch of features people want — I’m sure Apple has about a zillion suggestions people have submitted.  Building a pro version lets Apple build those features, generate revenue, and develop ideas before deciding which ones should trickle down into the consumer version.  Price it at $100 and the 5% of people who really love iTunes will choose to buy it.  (The remaining strategic question is whether iTunes Pro would be Mac-only or also have a PC version, but that’s a bigger issue I’ll skip for now.)
 
There are alternative ways to deal with all the feature requests.  Here are the options:
  1. 1. a. Ignore the feature requests, and b. hope 3rd parties fill in the holes.
  2. 2. Put all the features you can into iTunes.
  3. 3. Develop a plug-in architecture and rely on 3rd parties to develop the features.
 
And these are the reasons I still think an iTunes Pro makes the most sense:
  1. 1.Relying on 3rd party software developers to fill the gap may mean important features are neglected or poorly supported, and gives other software developers a foothold to begin competing with iTunes itself.
  2. 2.Overloading iTunes with all the features slows down development, creates a bloated confusing interface, and draws resources away from high-priority features (all without producing any additional revenue to offset the added cost of development).
  3. 3.A plug-in architecture creates a set of 3rd party plugins that have to be supported as iTunes evolves, thus constraining the development path.  Plug-ins never quite get an optimized user interface because of the constraints of the plug-in architecture, and having multiple vendors creates an inconsistent user experience.
 
What would iTunes Pro do?  Here are some possible features.  Someone might argue, of course, that some of these features belong in the standard iTunes, and I’d wholeheartedly agree, but a pro version is a platform for developing the ideas before they trickle down.  If you’re interested in other design ideas for iTunes, check out the “iTunes 6 Critique” podcast episodes from my Design Critique podcast I do with co-host Tim.
 
Asset Management / Archiving
  1. ✓Support a wider range of audio formats.
  2. ✓Provide detailed stats on the music library, e.g. number of songs by year (the geek in me would love to see this.)
  3. ✓Provide alternate views and visualizations of the library (an album view, for example).
  4. ✓Track album/CD release dates.
  5. ✓Allow for richer metadata, especially for classical music: conductor, performers, location, date of performance, studio, label, ...
  6. ✓Add a nice tagging interface, and for that matter, let it pull suggested tags from other users.
  7. ✓Allow cross-linking between songs for archiving and research.
  8. ✓Help fill in empty metatags and correct mistaken tags.
  9. ✓Allow for detailed annotations on songs, and tags and annotations that are tied to specific points in the song.  Similarly, allow lyrics that are synchronized with the song timeline.
  10. ✓Enable people to search for a song by whistling or singing a key melody.
  11. ✓Allow more complex search queries for playlist construction.
 
Performance Features
  1. ✓DJ features for overlapping songs in the playback queue.
  2. ✓Easy matching of songs with similar BPM, and live speedup/slowdown to match BPM.
 
Composition Features
  1. ✓Support for managing audio loop libraries.
  2. ✓Rights management: tracking rights owners and various levels of permission to use.
  3. ✓Easy mashups.
  4. ✓Keep multi-track songs so that individual tracks can be copied, pasted, turned on/off, sent to different speakers, and mixed with other songs.  Why lose the data of multiple tracks by flattening a song?  Why lose the ability to play a track in a specific position in space by placing a speaker there?
 
Recording Features
  1. ✓Provide voice recording for voice notes.  Many users will want to simply have a way to collect and organize casual voice notes and audio samples without having to open another application and without having to deal with the overhead of, for example, GarageBand.
  2. ✓Provide for music recording, as a way of collecting music ideas.
 
Rehearsal Features
  1. ✓Help practicing musicians with features like a backing metronome, display of sheet music, and instrument tuning.
  2. ✓Provide audio filters that filter out voice or various instruments, allowing for a "karaoke" version that can be performed with.  Allow for synchronized lyrics or sheet music.
 
Fan Features
  1. ✓Help music fans track concert schedules.
  2. ✓Provide ways to look up band websites, biographies, etc.  Perhaps build a wiki-type tool for sharing band information.
 
Social Features
  1. ✓Last.fm has some great "social" features that could be integrated to share music data.
  2. ✓Share listening history.
  3. ✓Find people with similar music.
  4. ✓Share and view ratings and tags.
 
iTunes Pro Store
  1. ✓Provide an enhanced store for professionals that let them access professional audio clips and a variety of other media for the working artist.
  2. ✓Integrate more complex rights management features, e.g. varying levels of rights for remix, performance, broadcast, etc.
iTunes Pro
Tuesday, July 25, 2006