The connected car will shift the music landscape. Experts argue that in little as four years' time, we will see "near saturation" in the U.S. market. This development has real implications for the future of music. Once cars become a Wi-Fi enabled, voice-controlled credit card on wheels, it shifts the paradigm.

The Connected Car

The first implication is that drivers will be able to install Pandora and MOG apps into the dash of their cars. This we know. The second element is what makes this interesting. For the first time, drivers will be able to buy songs on the radio as they're hearing them, have them loaded in to their hard drive, and sync them with their digital devices. This is huge. 50% of radio listening happens in the car.

Previously, drivers would hear songs, not know what they are, and fail to buy them. If, by chance, they caught the name of the band at the end of the set, they could visit a store and buy it. In the future, drivers will be able to command their car, "Buy this song." It will be loaded in and they will be able to sync it to their digital devices. It doesn't get more convenient and instantly gratifying than that.

The connected car will have a Financial GPS solution. Rather than being billed one song at a time, music will just be another line on your monthly statement.

The Future of Music

Prepare for an all-out war in a connected car near you. The music space will heat-up with competitors once the puzzle of getting in cars is figured out. Once the connected car becomes a social norm, traditional radio will be just another app. Once the connected car becomes a social norm, it will be a mobile iTunes.

The future: You drive by a venue, you're alerted that your favorite band is playing, you buy a ticket in-car, and attend a show you wouldn't have otherwise.

Music meets the connected car. It will change the game and create a new one.

(Editor's note: This video is from 2009, but it is still a good overview.)