While reading a Bob Lefsetz mailbag email with reactions to Lala, I couldn't help but notice the contrast between the reactions of the music industry and the tech industry. (Bob does not post reader mail to his blog, he compiles commentary and sends it to his email list. So, sorry, no link to the reader mails I'm talking about.)

Like I mentioned a few days ago, nearly all the initial press -- tech writers, for the most part -- was positive. They found the user interface to be graceful and easy to use. They like the idea of buying a webstream for $0.10. They appreciate the fact that Lala is free of ads so the site can offer a better music experience. They like the social features and the way the site encourages discovery.

Lefsetz readers, who for the purposes of this post represent the music industry, pretty much hate Lala. They don't like the idea of putting their music collection in the cloud (even though the files are merely copied, not transferred). They sang the virtues of the file over streaming -- freedom, ability to listen offline. And many wondered why they should support a service that (currently) only works at a computer. I'm very surprised, frankly, that they are so worried about losing their online collection and purchased webstreams (a measly ten cents apiece) if Lala shuts down -- losing one's hard drive is the real worry.

All in all, their comments reminded me of the CD vs. download debate at the beginning of the decade. (I want to own my music! I want the ease of downloads! Compressed files sound like garbage! I want something tangible!) Since then, people have become more comfortable with buying some/all titles on CD, some/all via downloads, some/all on vinyl, etc. There is no one single way to buy music, and the best way to buy music is the way that matters to you.

The moral of the story is consumers have many different preferences for purchasing, listening, cataloging and storing music. Such is the plight of today's music services. They can either try to do all things for all people, or they can cater to a few listening habits and work those niches. Reactions and product reviews (namely SanDisk's slotMusic) should be read with this in mind. What sounds great to one group can fail with another. A product that gets lambasted by one group can find favor with another group.