Talk has been swirling for months prior to this past Saturday’s release of the Apple iPad as to whether the touch-screen tablet could be or definitely won’t be the savior of print media. (If it’s the former, paid newspaper apps clearly aren’t the way to go.)

But there’s been surprisingly little talk about what this revolutionary(?) device could mean for another struggling industry: music.

With so many labels and artists faltering because of the free exchange of their product, the arrival of a new device for conveying and possibly capitalizing on that flow of content should be a call to arms for the industry. Shouldn’t it?

Instead, it seems that the music industry is either behind the curve or waiting to see how this iPad craze shakes out. (So far, some 300,000 people are shaking it out.)

Back in January, we suggested that the iPad could enhance the music-consumption experience for end users and also empower self-managing musicians.

So far, the marketplace isn’t there yet. But there are a few early adopters.

1. Music Makers

Epicenter highlights the free Rj Voyager iPad app. Made especially for the electronic group Kids on DSP (which, by the way, seems like an obscure choice), the Rj Voyager allows users to manipulate the group’s songs through the iPad’s touch interface.

Here’s a demo (imagine your finger where the cursor is):

Wired credits the app to Michael Breidenbruecker, formerly of Last.fm and now with reality app design firm RjDj.

In addition to everything else it is, the iPad could be the quintessential active (as opposed to passive) music playback device. The tilt sensor has clear potential for adding filter sweeps and other effects. The ambient-light sensor could put on ambient music when your lights turn low. And of course the multitouch screen has massive potential for virtual synthesizers and touch interfaces yet to be conceived.

We put the question to Breidenbruecker: Will the iPad’s larger screen help people interact with music, rather than just listening passively?

“Absolutely,” he agreed. “I think the genre will see a big move forward on the iPad. I don’t think everyone is interested in fiddling around with music like musicians are doing. Instead, we will see totally new formats and also music-related games gaining traction … we want to offer a solid technology platform for this.”

Now that’s more like it!

I have no doubt that in the very near future, people — especially kids — will be making music on the iPad and devices like it.

Just as ProTools made the PC a home-recording juggernaut, the iPad will pave the way for a whole wave of tablet musical engineers.

Already on the way: Midipad, a Multi-touch iPad midi controller. (That’s the image at the top of this entry.)

Because even more compelling than people composing music on an iPad is the possibility of hyper-intuitive, touch-screen apps that facilitate home recording. Want to move a track? Just touch it and drag it. Think about it.

2. Music Players

Not great news here. Though, naturally, the iPad will carry iTunes, CNET reports that the device won’t be able to stream music until “at least the third quarter.” CNET writes:

It will be a disappointment for iTunes fans who have been speculating as to when Apple might use music site Lala–which Apple acquired in December–for its streaming expertise to launch a cloud-based music service.

Meanwhile, CBS, of all companies, is the first major conglomerate to launch an iPad app. Called, dinosaurically, “Radio.com,” the app provides streaming music (much of it from Yahoo), news and sports content.

Not exactly an auspicious start for iPad music consumers, but as streaming functionality is added and more and more people get their hands on these little machines, the music industry will be forced to adapt.

Or it can settle for what it already does best: Dying.