How do you get around the fact that to create a great drum part, you need to be a great drum programmer..? Or to create a great bass line, you need to be a great bass programmer, or to make great horn parts, you need to be a great horn playing emulator?

Computer assembly tools (though they would be welcome) can do nothing to improve your own chops. The best factory ROM styles have a level of playing on them that few on this forum have EVER demonstrated themselves capable of performing.

The dearth of QUALITY user styles (on a par with the ROM) seems to bear this out, IMO.

I posted this on Roland-arranger today. I think it explains how something like this could be an enormous benefit to a company. Whether Roland does this or someone else beats them to the punch, I don't know, but imagine the style makers' response to this technology being available, and especially to the FIRST one to implement it...
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quote; (or, if you prefer, read the whole section of the thread about it from here: http://www.roland-arranger.com/smf/index.php?topic=936.msg5640#msg5640 )

Why an alliance...?

Surely if Roland adopted this for ONLY their keyboards, the first thing that would happen would be every single talented style house would immediately place making Roland styles as it's #1 priority.

The hell with anyone else! Let them put their OWN houses in order...

Right now, the style makers try to make cross-platform styles (mostly unsuccessfully, IMO) because this is the only way to maximize profits to the point where it is economically viable. But if EVERY style sold to a Roland owner was protected, and the rest weren't, I know what I would do as a style maker... DROP ALL THE OTHERS. At least until they adopted the same system.

That alone would surely benefit Roland without adding a single sound or OS improvement. Styles, styles, styles drives the market. A lesser arranger with a greater choice of ROM quality styles would dominate the market, IMO. And one with a continually evolving choice of styles (I believe that, with work, styles that rival WS arps and loops could easily be developed if the money to make the work worthwhile were available to the younger programmer) would be groundbreaking.

I know it's outside the box, but things like this could regain Roland's position, without the slightest cooperation from any other manufacturer.
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What I'd like to know, Donny, is how could this HURT a manufacturer that adopted it? I am not talking about removing style creation tools, for those that want to use them. And I am not talking about the ability to share USER created content. But a way for the professional style creator to protect their work is essential if we want to avoid HAVING to buy a new arranger, just to get the new styles (or wait for inferior conversions for legacy models), and have a never ending supply of styles at affordable prices that rival the ROM ones.

I think it is the only thing that could possibly change the status quo, and few are happy with THAT, IMO...