Whose song will Apple sing?

As the company nears the release of a music-download service for Mac users, it would be wise to consider a 'bill of rights' for consumers

Recently I stumbled upon a rock group called The Donnas, a foursome that combines the power of mid-1980s metal bands with the party-hearty punk sound of the Ramones.

Intrigued after hearing a couple of tunes from their most recent album, "Spend the Night," I visited The Donnas' Web site for more information and to sample more music.

After checking out a few more songs in Real Audio streaming format, I noticed a button that said, "Download Now!" Clicking on it brought up this message:

"Sorry, this download is not available to Apple Macintosh users." Another link explained that only computers that supported Microsoft Corp.'s Digital Rights Management software (DRM) could play the encoded tracks.

Because Apple Computer Inc. has until now refused to embrace DRM -- software coding that controls how, and whether, you can copy a digital file -- the major music labels and the large download services have snubbed the Mac.

But last week, the Los Angeles Times reported that Apple within weeks will introduce its own downloadable music service for Mac users. A yet-to-be- released version of iTunes will provide access to the service.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs reportedly has demonstrated the service personally to "top executives" at each of the so-called "Big Five" record companies -- Sony Music Entertainment Corp., Universal Music Group Inc., Warner Music Group Inc., BMG Corp. and EMI Group Inc.

All but Sony were said to be willing to license their huge music libraries to Apple's service -- and that could change.

Apple's only comment has been that reports of the service are "speculation," but several other publications, including Billboard magazine, have confirmed the Times report independently.

"There is no alternative for Mac users, which indicates that Apple is taking the bull by the horns -- so to speak -- in order to force inclusion in an arena that plays an important role in the multimedia-enhanced PC era," said desktop PC analyst Toni Duboise of ARS Inc., a research firm based in La Jolla, Calif.

With Apple putting much effort into building its image as the ideal "digital hub" by developing media-manipulating applications like iPhoto, iMovie and iTunes, it practically had no choice but to fill the void of a definitive music download service for Mac users.

Duboise thinks such a service also makes sense for Apple because it represents a "beyond-the-box revenue stream" -- adding to Apple's bottom line without requiring the sale of Mac hardware.

At the same time, said Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies Inc. in Campbell, Calif., a top-notch music download service could become a selling feature -- making the Mac more attractive to potential buyers.

By launching its own service, he said, Apple can ensure the quality for which the company is known.

"Steve Jobs' way of thinking is that the Mac is the superior platform, so everything on it should be superior," Bajarin said.

Pricing, as well as details of how stringent the digital-rights management will be in Apple's music service, will not be known until the company makes its official announcement. It is, however, possible to make some informed guesses:

Existing commercial download services -- PressPlay, MusicNet and Listen.com -- generally charge a monthly subscription fee simply to listen to streaming audio (the song is not downloaded). To download a file you can burn to a CD costs 99 cents per track. Most expect an Apple service to follow these conventions.

As for copy protection, the Times reported that Apple would forsake the familiar MP3 format, which lacks the ability to embed DRM, in favor of a DRM- capable format called Advanced Audio Coding (AAC). Whatever the extent of Apple's DRM, it must be firm enough to quell the record companies' fear of piracy.

As part of the MPEG-4 standard approved last year, AAC is part of the latest version of Apple's QuickTime software. According to information on Apple's Web site, AAC provides higher-quality audio and better compression -- meaning smaller files -- than MP3.

If you already have QuickTime 6 installed, you can visit Apple's AAC audio gallery Web page and judge the format's quality for yourself.