We Want Media

As stated in my most recent post, Apple and other vendors of digital music and technology are in a bind in France. French legislators have passed a new bill that will force online music vendors to make their digital files compatible with any music device (i.e. the ubiquitous iPod).

Apple and critics have been up in arms about this, saying that the bill "goes against everything that's good about creating competitive technology and allowing the marketplace to do its will." Rather than convert their devices interoperable devices, Apple is considering leaving the French market.

France's proactive push to level the playing field might be an unfair jab at Apple innovation, but monopoly of a media market is a battle Apple lost over 12 years ago against Microsoft. Nonetheless, it's an interesting one to watch--both sides supposedly support a competitive free market. Who should regulate competition: government or business?

The answer to that last question is this: Digital music consumers will decide the fate of iTunes and similar online music sites. French consumers know what they want, and neither lock-in nor legislation can regulate buying power.

Note to Apple: Don't exit the market, step it up and give the consumers what they want.