When I talk to people about the future of selling music, I tend to bring up the importance of selling more music in new ways. If you give people more music than they actually need, and at a decent price, many will buy it. eMusic does it, but the majors haven't yet jointed the party.

One scenario I have laid out many times is getting music installed on your computer at the time of purchase. Make it easy to get a lot of music. Bulk purchases have a lot of potential if the right partners can be found. Even if the per-track price is lower than normal, the net impact will be very positive. In effect, it's time to capture the value in music gluttony. Selling a song at a time is getting the industry nowhere.

And that's exactly what Universal Music Group is going to do. Smart move. A step in the right direction.

Billboard's Antony Bruno has the article. He says playlists will have themes -- "No. 1 songs, Rock Titans, Blues Masters, etc." -- and will cost $50 for a 100-song playlist and $25 for a 50-song playlist. All files will be DRM-free.