Neil Young Experiment?

[agarwalro]

Neil Young files for trademark on a new audio format among other things. Put together they look like the makings of a (potentially) higher quality audio service than what the market currently offers. Here is the Rolling Stones article and the USPTO filing.

According to the filed documents, Young applied for six trademarks last June: Ivanhoe, 21st Century Record Player, Earth Storage, Storage Shed, Thanks for Listening and SQS (Studio Quality Sound). Included in the filing is a description of the trademarks: "Online and retail store services featuring music and artistic performances; high resolution music downloadable from the internet; high resolutions discs featuring music and video; audio and video recording storage and playback." The address on file corresponds to that of Vapor Records, Young's label. (Young's representatives declined Rolling Stone's request for comment.)

I don't need another online ecosystem (audio format, proprietary player and branded store) in my life. It will be interesting to see how this develops into a full blown product. It might have the side benefit of realizing a market that causes the current players to up the quality quotent.