IDM Mailing Archive

i've heard this notion brought up before, and i thought i'd post about it: is there anybody out there (labels, or artists) that's selling music in a purely digital (mp3?) format? like for example - having a server that people buy a subscription to gain access to all the releases on mp3 (high quality of course). perhaps you could offer special releases for "free" (on vinyl, or tshirts, etc) to subscribers that you mail to them, as an incentive to subscribe rather than just get the releases 2nd hand filesharing. i know tracker groups do this in a way, although the ones i always followed gave their music away. of course there alot of issues with this model, and there might be a better one. but it would seem like something that would involve little risk to set up, as opposed to printing tons of cds. plus it might address the fact that more and more people listen to digital formats when it comes down to it. and it allows them to feel satisfied that their money is going to the artists more directly. - cutups

quoted 9 lines but it would seem like something that would involve

> but it would seem like something that would involve > little risk to set up, as opposed > to printing tons of cds. plus it might address the > fact that more and more people listen > to digital formats when it comes down to it. and it > allows them to feel satisfied that > their money is going to the artists more directly. > > - cutups

one problem i see is that most people tend to d/l the same things. for instance, take a look on soulseek at most peoples' shared files and you're probably likely to see things extracted from the same narrow pool of interests with perhaps a few unexpecteds. i love music, i make music, blah blah blah... but when it comes down to it, if something has ONLY been released on mp3 i won't usually check it out unless it's a friend or it's got some unusual amount of hype attatched to it. a couple of days ago i decided to go the other way on this and check out some of the mp3 labels online, and without naming names and setting aside issues personal taste, it seems to me that there's a reason this stuff hasn't been released. i can enjoy something that is a little amateurish or derivative in a live setting because in that environment i can be engaged and reactive, but when i'm just listening at home i'd rather listen to something that's worth it's salt. 2cents, gregory __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Autos - Get free new car price quotes http://autos.yahoo.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

I hear you on that issue. I think of course, to be successful you'd have to make a good poduct, no doubt. As it is, releasing mp3s costs nothing, and so artists who may not be that great can do it as easily as artists that are good. But set that aide - if there were mp3s for sale of tunes that you would have bought on cd (or vinyl, or whatever format you buy) would you buy them? Or does it feel like you are paying for something with no substance? Or other issues. I can see many, but i'm trying to work out, the potential issues that come up - cutups

quoted 8 lines i can enjoy something that is a little amateurish or

> i can enjoy something that is a little amateurish or > derivative in a live setting because in that > environment i can be engaged and reactive, but when > i'm just listening at home i'd rather listen to > something that's worth it's salt. > > 2cents, > gregory

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At 10:02 PM 7/15/2002 -0400, you wrote:

quoted 10 lines I hear you on that issue. I think of course, to be successful

>I hear you on that issue. I think of course, to be successful >you'd have to make a good poduct, no doubt. As it is, releasing >mp3s costs nothing, and so artists who may not be that great >can do it as easily as artists that are good. > >But set that aide - if there were mp3s for sale of tunes >that you would have bought on cd (or vinyl, or whatever format you buy) >would you buy them? Or does it feel like you are paying for something >with no substance? Or other issues. I can see many, but >i'm trying to work out, the potential issues that come up

Well, what's the advantage to buying only mp3's, when you can purchase the cd and make your own mp3's?? Sure, you get the mp3's instantaneously, but why not do a joint service? mp3's AND the cd? Or, if you purchase the mp3's, you can buy the cd at a drastically discounted rate. Personally, it seems sort of stupid to buy/download mp3's only to then burn them on to a CD either as a backup, mp3 copy, and especially ironic to then burn an audio cd from them :) Especially if the mp3's cost the same as the cd... And what I find even more interesting is that most "idm" does its best when its looked at from a "whole album" point of view. There really aren't any hits in idm, at least not enough to warrant looking at artists on a song by song basis. So you wouldn't even buy individual mp3's, but rather an entire album, which gets us back to where we started :) derek ------- eggytoast.com ------- with lather thingy --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

quoted 5 lines And what I find even more interesting is that most "idm" does its best when

> And what I find even more interesting is that most "idm" does its best when > its looked at from a "whole album" point of view. There really aren't any > hits in idm, at least not enough to warrant looking at artists on a song by > song basis. So you wouldn't even buy individual mp3's, but rather an > entire album, which gets us back to where we started :)

Actually IDM _would_ have 'hits' if DJs played it (more often): radio, clubs or elsewhere... IDM doesn't have singles and hits by and large because everybody just buys albums altogether. The nature of music is in indiv. songs. How many compilations are out there again? I think looking at artists on a song by song basis is the way to go, except in a live context, where the art of showmanship makes it more engaging (+ pragmatic). If I'm listening to recordings I'd just as well hear only the ones that 'stick' with me rather than sit through 5-6 so-so tracks in between. Anybody who has an MP3 player of their own knows this. Given the option, five nines of the human pop would always listen to individual tunes as opposed to albums, because there are remarkably few records that really hold up to extended review track after track. On the other hand, I find that the more I listen to an 'album' of music, the more I find certain songs more difficult to listen to than they would be in an isolated context, simply because they don't compare as well to the 'standouts'. Selling MP3s is a ridiculous concept unless each customer has an individual crypto key to open and hear the tracks they buy. This being inconceivable w/in the current market structure, I still think the OG business model of making money on ticket sales, merch and the occasional hardcopy is the way to go. More tangents for everybody, Tom --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

At 10:43 PM 7/15/2002 -0400, you wrote:

quoted 16 lines And what I find even more interesting is that most "idm" does its best when

> > And what I find even more interesting is that most "idm" does its best when > > its looked at from a "whole album" point of view. There really aren't any > > hits in idm, at least not enough to warrant looking at artists on a song by > > song basis. So you wouldn't even buy individual mp3's, but rather an > > entire album, which gets us back to where we started :) > >Actually IDM _would_ have 'hits' if DJs played it (more often): radio, clubs >or elsewhere... IDM doesn't have singles and hits by and large because >everybody just buys albums altogether. The nature of music is in indiv. >songs. How many compilations are out there again? > >I think looking at artists on a song by song basis is the way to go, except >in a live context, where the art of showmanship makes it more engaging (+ >pragmatic). If I'm listening to recordings I'd just as well hear only the >ones that 'stick' with me rather than sit through 5-6 so-so tracks in >between.

Ah, this point is where you and I differ. I don't *like* buying albums where there are even 2 or 3 so-so songs. That's why my cd collection is easy to store and organize (it's only around 300ish instead of 3000ish); I'm just more picky about what I buy. I really hate buying a CD where I'm forced to skip half the songs because they're boring, dull, or annoying, and why would I want to support an artist that only makes music I like 1/4th of the time? :D Arguably, the reason you support an artist is because you want to both thank them for their current work and support their future releases. If they're not making music you enjoy, what's the point? But, like I said, I'm probably pickier than you about it and haven't been purchasing as much IDM because there's been more filler albums lately. I've always been against artists releasing "hits," even back when I listened to more popular music, and I'd hate to see idm go the path of the "killer track with filler." derek ------- eggytoast.com ------- with lather thingy --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org