Unsigned bands get online store of their own
SOME PEOPLE THINK the music industry is dying, some think piracy is the answer, some think p2p, some, like the RIAA, just don't think.
ThinkIndie, a project of The Electric Fetus, a small independent music store based in Minneapolis, MN has a new business model that bucks the industry trend.
Many people justify piracy because the songs sold online are low quality and locked up, poorly, with DRM. This would be an indication that the big-middleman businesses are missing what the customer wants to purchase. The Electric Fetus listened and designed a business model that addresses such concerns.
Welcome to Think Indie, a place that gives music lovers what they want. The death of the music industry is highly overblown, however, thankfully, the death of the inane low quality low selection big-middleman industry is here.
The rebirth of a music industry that connects music lovers to their favourite bands and artists, while actually paying the artists, is just beginning. Fortunately, big-middlemen missed this idea 10-15 years ago, which is why they are now choking on their cigars.
Change looks like this
Think Indie offers a 300,000 song catalogue of small, local artists that are often unsigned to a label. Talk about an opportunity to develop a following and spread your music beyond the local scene.
ThinkIndie also gets two key items right: 320 kb mp3s and no DRM. Songs cost $1.11 per track and $9.99 per album.
Hear that? The echoes of the large industry crumbling. µ
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CD Baby, anyone?
is this to join the other 9m sites offering inde artists with no DRM?
I looked at this site and clicked to buy a some which was quite good only to be told you can not buy this song from your country. If these are unsigned musicians whats the point on restricing sales (unless our monry isn't good enough in the current recession)
Magnatune has been doing this for a while now, but there pricing structure is variable (customer dependent). The Electric Fetus is nice, has more selection, I would say. Magnatune's way better serves the consumer and our needs (as described in the article), IMHO.
Not sure why they would limit there sales to a particular country. I'm in Canada and cannot purchase anything.
Wanted to buy a couple of songs from The Monks.....
As it would seem that no one outside the U.S.A can listen or buy anything I reckon it's pretty much a waste of time.
Pricing starts at zero cents per track/album and works it way up to $0.89/$8.99 as more people buy.
Many (but, not all) tracks are 320kbps.
Perfect would be FLAC.
Bronze have more fun.
HMV don't sell singles. I tried to buy a CD single in HMV on Saturday in Westfield Shopping Center (largest in Europe, so they say).
I asked the HMVer where the singles were only to be told "We don't sell singles, only albums."
If the shops won't sell us singles, how are we supposed to buy music? Is this a defence against MAFIA?
Neat. I may sign up.
*looks at page*
WHAT? They don't have "Alternative rock" listed as a Genre? I have to dig through "rock/pop" to find what I want?? Not starting off well.
This was a fantastic cut & paste job from the site's press release. Typos and poor grammar completely intact too!
Someone poke me when FLAC files are available to download from anywhere for 60p a track or less, then I might pay attention. In the meantime I'll keep on buying those PVC discs!
And the big difference between this and the first (1990s) incarnation of mp3.com is???
Excellent quote-of-press-release that. :-/
7digital sell (legal) MP3, and have a specific store for indies:
http://indiestore.7digital.com/
There won't really be a change to the music industry or a big drop in music piracy until someone is able to do an iTunes style "store" that is completely free and is combined with top quality audio files with zero DRM...
Radio stations have been offering free music to listeners for about a century thanks to commercials paying the licence fees, and wages of staff and so on. Why should it be any different with doing it on-demand over the Internet?