by JAY WATTS III

Nobody believed there was money in digital music until the iPod convinced the masses it was necessary to have 20 GB of music on them at all times. Microsoft, rarely first on the scene but always the loudest, has shouted an enthusiastic me-too, becoming the latest to enter music player market fray with Zune.

It’s similar to the iPod, but there are differences that could entice people who’ve yet to splurge on a digital media player. The Zune holds 30 GB of music, video and pictures, but it also has an FM radio tuner and Bluetooth for Zune-users to trade files with each other. The latter sounds intriguing, but it looks like sharing will come with a major caveat.

Based on Microsoft’s hyperactive CEO Steve Ballmer’s comment on how iPod users’ libraries are “stolen” (www.youtube.

com/watch?v=RaCbvBwVaJU), digital rights management (DRM) will play a big role in how Zune works. DRM is an umbrella term for any technology used by publishers to manage and protect copyrighted material in the digital world.

It’s highly unlikely that trading music files, even among friends, will be free, and I’m not sure what will become of the music I downloaded legally, albeit without paying, through Limewire and torrents. Zune bloggers are claiming that songs protected with DRM, if attained via a trade with another Zune user, can only be listened to three times or for three days, whichever comes first. There are over a dozen Zune developer blogs, likely to drum up interest in the product, and the indication is musicians and labels will determine if their music files contain DRM or not.

A music trend I like can be witnessed at oneupstudios.com and theadvantageband.com. Both groups recreate their favourite video-game music, and should appeal musically to anyone.

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