Since the conception of the MuSMo project in 2006, we have been carefully reviewing a lot of digital music services (Web and Mobile). Some of the services are listed on our home page – we promise to provide an updated list soon. With the current financial tsunami, 2009 will be an interesting year for all start ups:

1. B.R.I.C.: There is a world of innovation beyond the usual suspects. BRIC, an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and China will step up its drive in innovating brand new digital music services. Unlike most Western & developed nations, BRIC services are not sheltered under copyrights/IPR. In many cases, the BRIC nations have understood and embraced the “pirate culture”. This might surprise a few, but in countries traditionally known for Copycats/Clones, their services often include a few more tricks (to combat the supposed figure of 98% pirate nations). Is this the coming out year for BRIC services?
2. Business models: No one is totally absolved from the current financial tsunami, and with many Sugar Daddies (e.g. Vcs, PEs, Angels, IPOs etc) now out of the frameworks, it is time to go back to the basics – Building a sustainable profitable service business. This might sound cliché, but there are plenty Web 2.0 services with no visible or possible monetization model. Scale & amass users first, think about monetization later will not hold in today’s climate.
3. Innovation & Copyrights: These 2 are intimately related and will increasingly act as a double edged sword. This is also related to point 1., and why we see greater innovation to occur in the B.R.I.C., innovation protected by a loose IPR system and under the gazing eyes of executives in large copyright owners in the Western developed nations (thanks to the language barrier).
4. Experience: As a trend, we will all be continuing to push the boundary of digital experience. Learnings and exporting service experiences from the traditional brick & mortar sector helped established the digital service platform in the last 10 years. The time is ripe now to tackle concerns in the digital realm.

Critics of the music industries have accused many record labels and publishers of recognizing too late the value of digital.  The problem, however, is not only finding the right way to step into the digital arena, but in defining what music is nowadays.