Lets discuss other "digital" distribution options....

[jrm27]

Hello friends:

First, a bit of a disclaimer, the band I am in are TuneCore clients. We've been with them for about a year... maybe a year and a half. We have nothing bad to say. They are a great service, and we have benefited greatly from them. So, this thread is not to take away from their (or similar providers) services.

However, I am trying to think of ways that bands can distribute their music in non-traditional formats in live (and often non-live) settings. We sell quite a few cd's at our shows, however, there is a growing number of people who really could care less about cd's. They just want to be able to get the songs on their ipod (or music player of choice) and call it good. So... I've been trying to put together ideas that will help the customers get what they want in easier fashion.

One idea I toyed around with was simply loading our albums onto a laptop and allowing people to plug their ipod right in at shows. At which point we could just transfer the files straight over to their music library. Since there is no physical product to pay for, that stands to reason that we could see more profit per sale. At that point we could also bring the price per purchase down to make it more attractive, and still make more on the sale since the unit cost is much lower.

Or what about buying up a bulk of small flash drives and loading the songs onto that? Much the same as the laptop download, but it allows the user to experience the music on their own terms, when they want to, wherever they want to (provided there is a digital medium to play it through).

Of course, having the physical CD product is always a great thing for the consumer that wants a CD, so I see no reason to stop that. But how about other mediums? What are you trying that works?

(another disclaimer.. I'm sure there are plenty of problems with the suggestions above, but this is jsut a brain storming exercise!)

-jon

[FireWithin]

what about selling them a data cd containing mp3s?

[indistr]

Hello jrm27, my name is Kevin Hockin and I'm the marketing manager for INDISTR.com. We are an independent digital distribution company that has some very key features as to what you're trying to do. With INDISTR, you can upload all of the music you want (live music or non-live) and set the album price for whichever you'd like for the album as long as it's atleast $2. From there, the customer (fan) goes to your INDISTR profile page and downloads your music at whichever price it was that you set for it, however the minute they purchase the music, you get paid INSTANTLY through Paypal. We pay-out 75% of the revenues to the artists, which is higher than Tune-core (not to talk bad about them, because I think they are great for what they do) and is INSTANT. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions you may have. Kevin@indistr.com.

Also, what band are you in? We may be interested in interviewing you for the site, as you'll see if you go to the site we run a INDISTR life blog, which features artist interviews as well as music industry related features.

Hope this helps, and we hope to see you soon over at INDISTR.

PS. INDISTR is FREE to use, so don't worry, we don't have any hidden charges for using our service.

Thanks again,

Kevin Hockin

[Standard8]

Tunecore pays out 100% with no commission, I guess what you are referring to is that the stores they sell in (Itunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, etc) take a cut.

Sounds like your company might be a useful tool to use in addition to Tunecore. Or perhaps you should set up with tunecore as one of their vendors!

[indistr]

What's up Standard8, you're from Athens? I grew up in Atlanta. Crazy.

Back to the topic, Tunecore is simply a means of paying a minimal 1 time fee to have your music put into the majority of the "big" digital distribution retailers.

INDISTR, however acts just like an iTunes, however we pay out more of a percentage (75%) and pay the artists instantly. Don't think for a second that when you sell a song on iTunes, through Tunecore for $.99, that you receive 100% of the $.99. When Tunecore says they pay out 100%, they mean they pay out 100% after iTunes takes their cut. From my understanding, Tunecore solely makes their money for the cost it takes to have an account.

I hope this clears things up.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Kevin@indistr.com

[PeterTuneCore]

Back to the topic, Tunecore is simply a means of paying a minimal 1 time fee to have your music put into the majority of the "big" digital distribution retailers.

INDISTR, however acts just like an iTunes, however we pay out more of a percentage (75%) and pay the artists instantly. Don't think for a second that when you sell a song on iTunes, through Tunecore for $.99, that you receive 100% of the $.99. When Tunecore says they pay out 100%, they mean they pay out 100% after iTunes takes their cut. From my understanding, Tunecore solely makes their money for the cost it takes to have an account.

Absolutely right! We can only pay the pay rate the stores give. It's the wholesale model: doesn't matter what the stores sell it for, they must pay the contractual wholesale amount. So iTunes can sell your song for $0.99, they still pay the pay rate. They could sell it for a penny, they MUST PAY the pay rate. TuneCore always pays you 100%. It's all in our FAQ.

Full disclosure, Kevin of INDISTR and I have been talking. He's a great guy! He can tell you more about how INDISTR than I can, of course. But do remember, we're passing along cash, we're not setting any rates. If INDISTR was one of the stores we sent your music to, whatever the agreed-upon wholesale rate wound up being, you'd get it from us when your music sold there, 100%. There's no "better" than TuneCore--"better" is a function not of the distributor (TuneCore) but of the store (iTunes, INDISTR, whomever).

We get out of your way. Sell with any store you want, or not, depending on your needs and whether you think there's a good deal in it for you. That's your call--it's all about choice!

--Peter
peter@tunecore.com

[indistr]

Ahh, the beauty of choice.

The bottom line is, for every artist that exists with full control of their own music, they should be wanting to get their music to their fans/customer base by whichever retailer exist to their liking, ESPECIALLY if you're an independent. I'm not saying whore yourself out and put yourself on the really low quality, non caring for the industry sites, but for the most part you want to be recognized and make that point of purchase to your fanbase.

So, this being said, get into the big digital retailers via Tunecore (because they offer the best deal for getting to those sites by paying out 100%) TRUST ME, and also run with an independent distribution outlet that leaves you in total control, such as INDISTR. It's a win-win for everyone.

Thanks for the insight Peter, we appreciate it!

[Netvalar]

If the venue you are playing at allows it you can run a live webcast charge nothing for the live aspect and record it the recordings then could be sold as any other recorded material you have. Of course you could disagree with me on the live part and charge for that too.

[fretwizz]

what about selling them a data cd containing mp3s?
You're missing the point.

CD's are passé.
People don't want their music delivered on a CD.
They want it direct into their player.

iPods and MP3 players do not have CD drives.

[jrm27]

live webcast is an interesting idea! Good one.

[uzybear]

You're missing the point.

CD's are passé.
People don't want their music delivered on a CD.
They want it direct into their player.

iPods and MP3 players do not have CD drives.


really? i just think you're wrong; do you charge $20 for cd's? maybe try $5? if people have ipods they have PC's and if they have that they have a disc drive; you put the disc in, itunes does the work of turning that nice redbook into some overcompressed fucking AAC


i guess you could sell a password to download from your website, or even flash cards or something

[indistr]

really? i just think you're wrong; do you charge $20 for cd's? maybe try $5? if people have ipods they have PC's and if they have that they have a disc drive; you put the disc in, itunes does the work of turning that nice redbook into some overcompressed fucking AAC


i guess you could sell a password to download from your website, or even flash cards or something

If people have ipods they have PC's????

I've had an iPod (various models) for the last 5 years, and have yet to own a PC. I've owned a mac for 8 years.

[sabriel9v]

You're missing the point.

CD's are passé.
People don't want their music delivered on a CD.
They want it direct into their player.

iPods and MP3 players do not have CD drives.

If someone is so lazy that they can't even rip the cd to their itunes, screw em. They're already not going to use your physical product.

[sabriel9v]

If people have ipods they have PC's????

I've had an iPod (various models) for the last 5 years, and have yet to own a PC. I've owned a mac for 8 years.

...He meant people with ipods usually own COMPUTERS :rolleyes:

[slight-return]

If people have ipods they have PC's????
.


I believe uzybear, is using "PC" as "Personal Computer" (as oppsed to a 'frame, a mere terminal, dedicated devices, etc) as opposed to a brand, or even more nebulously, a general market segment that arose from (but is not back compatible with) "PC" branded IBM products.

It's not uncommon with ye olde schoole (ugh, I still have ForTran coding sheets) guys, and I'm hearing it out of newer-school guys where there is a bunch interoprability and the HW is larely abstracted
I think it's the middle-school (:) wait, that came out wrong) guys that has "PC" married to IBM brand products

I haven't owned an IBM PC in years, and my first PC was a ][

[jrm27]

yep, I owned an ipod for years before I had a computer.

[Flovern]

You could sell an Artist Card. Check out DiscRevolt.com. I've used them for my cards. You upload a band or cd image that will appear on the front of the cards, upload your music to their site (MP3s) then you sell the cards at shows and people can go to your site and upload the tunes they want. The card has a code that they type in (like a prepaid music card) and off your go.

[fretwizz]

"....you put the disc in, itunes does the work of turning that nice redbook into some overcompressed fucking AAC..."

A few clicks on a web page is a lot easier than stuffing
around with discs.

Discs are already passé.
They are slow and cumbersome.
The latest wave of camcorders and audio recorders
are all solid state memory and/or using cards.
MacBook Air has solid state drive option.

We will soon be looking back on discs as relics of the past.

[sabriel9v]

You could sell an Artist Card. Check out DiscRevolt.com. I've used them for my cards. You upload a band or cd image that will appear on the front of the cards, upload your music to their site (MP3s) then you sell the cards at shows and people can go to your site and upload the tunes they want. The card has a code that they type in (like a prepaid music card) and off your go.

I think DiscRevolt is a rip off. You could just as easily forward fans to your myspace and they could see a snocap store set up or you could forward them to your tunecore account. Bands pay for DiscRevolt cards only to find out it just provides a link to something they could have shown anybody for free.

[Dean Roddey]

Actually many people do like CDs still. I'm one of them. I'm one of the most technical people on the planet, but I really don't want to have to worry about constantly backing up my whole music collection so as to avoid losing it if I have a disc failure. Most people aren't going to run a RAID configuration on their work-a-day machines, and even that doesn't guarrantee anything. iTunes is a quite buggy application and it screws people on a pretty regular basis, even without hardware problems.

[richardmac]

Actually many people do like CDs still. I'm one of them. I'm one of the most technical people on the planet, but I really don't want to have to worry about constantly backing up my whole music collection so as to avoid losing it if I have a disc failure. Most people aren't going to run a RAID configuration on their work-a-day machines, and even that doesn't guarrantee anything. iTunes is a quite buggy application and it screws people on a pretty regular basis, even without hardware problems.

I agree that many people do still like CD's. I also think it's probably silly to assume that someone's not going to buy one because they'd rather have the mp3's magically transported to their iPods. If they're not buying the CD, it's because they don't want the music.

But iTunes being buggy? No. I manage hundreds of Macs (have for years) and iTunes is extremely stable compared to other apps such as Microsoft Entourage, for example. But I can't speak for the Windows version.

[Dean Roddey]

But iTunes being buggy? No. I manage hundreds of Macs (have for years) and iTunes is extremely stable compared to other apps such as Microsoft Entourage, for example. But I can't speak for the Windows version.

I was speaking about the Windows version, but given that 90+ percent of all PC users are Windows users, that would basically make the Windows version the far and away dominant version of the product. S if it's buggy, then iTunes is defacto buggy for the bulk of its users.

I also think it's probably silly to assume that someone's not going to buy one because they'd rather have the mp3's magically transported to their iPods. If they're not buying the CD, it's because they don't want the music.

Or the do want it, and just got it for free more likley these days.

[strathound]

yep, I owned an ipod for years before I had a computer.

Damn, I'm getting old.

[strathound]

If I want to listen to music these days, I typically do it via my iRiver Clix and Napster. But I still buy CDs from bands at gigs. I like the physical product. If it's a band I really like, I'll bring a Sharpee and get it autographed. I love that. If I showed up with your show and you had nothing to autograph, I'd be seriously pissed.

[indistr]

i don't see the distribution of physical CD's going away any time soon, however as we've already seen, the sales of them will definitely continue to slow down. CD's will have more of a sentimental "value" in my opinion. Also, as the record industry continues to freak out over losses in sales and bullshit royalty stakes, the Majors are just going to be turning more and more into management companies. I'd bet they are really trying to work more and more into royalty contracts on touring, only because that is where a lot of the revenues are today.

The times are changing. I can't believe it's 2008, and this whole industry is not even close to being figured out. You'd think after 1999 or whatever year it was the napster killed music, that everything would be figured out within the next decade, but apparently I'm mistaken.

[Dean Roddey]

The times are changing. I can't believe it's 2008, and this whole industry is not even close to being figured out. You'd think after 1999 or whatever year it was the napster killed music, that everything would be figured out within the next decade, but apparently I'm mistaken.

This assumes there's something to figure out, right? I think we've figured out that people have mostly stopped paying for music or assigning it any value. Once that happened, what else is there to figure out except whether you want to be in a business where you have an ever decreasing chance of making a decent living, even if you hit pretty big, or getting into something that will allow you to pay the rent and put the kids through school?

That seems like the choice to me, more or less.

[indistr]

It may be decreasing in some areas, but certainly not all of them. The key now, is looking for alternatives to keep the industry alive. Incentives, etc. will be the next big thing. I remember when Jaws Attacks put a 3 song demo up on INDISTR and told all of his fans that if they purchased it and kept the receipt, they could get into the next show for free, with the receipt. It worked amazingly well for them. It's just being creative, and finding a solution to the problem.

[Dean Roddey]

How is that any different from giving away the CD to get them to come to the show? Either way, you are giving away one of the things you used to be able to make money on.

[indistr]

So you charge a little more for your album, work out a deal with the venue, put out a double disk (charge more), etc. There are ways to still market and make money in music, if you think there isn't (which is apparently what you're trying to imply), than you're wrong. Granite, there is not as much opportunity as there used to be, but there still is some.

[Dean Roddey]

I believe that there's a way to make money, it's a question of whether it's enough money to be worth it for anyone except 19 year olds who are willing to live in a van on the road and with their parents at home.

[PeterTuneCore]

I believe that there's a way to make money, it's a question of whether it's enough money to be worth it for anyone except 19 year olds who are willing to live in a van on the road and with their parents at home.

This ties back to my original post long ago: the first thing any artist has to define for themselves is "success." I know some people for whom selling a single song is a failure: they hate the idea of selling music at all. I know others who would like to sell just enough albums to cover replacement guitar strings. Still others simply want to know their music is "good enough" that people will lay out cash for it. Many are only happy if their success is measured in mansions and Bentleys.

None of these things, not even the give-it-away-free ethos, comes overnight. If a small amount of money isn't enough success, then you don't trash it, you build it or decide it's sucking up more resources than it's worth and go into some other business. It's that simple. I wish everyone whatever level of success they desire.

The point of TuneCore is to keep the barriers to entry so low, so inexpensive, that those who desire more traditional success at least have a shot at it, and those who succeed can know they got a fair deal and 100% of their earnings, so success will come all the faster and without strings attached. What more can any industry offer?

--Peter
peter@tunecore.com

[sabriel9v]

Here's my question, when does one decide to digitally distribute their music? My band recorded some tracks a couple months ago at a friend's studio and we have yet to see the final mixes. I'd like to get our stuff on tunecore and snocap, but I don't if the quality is good enough. What do you guys think? You can check out our myspace below and hear for yourself.

[Standard8]

Damn, I'm getting old.


lol, I thought the same thing

[Standard8]

Here's my question, when does one decide to digitally distribute their music? My band recorded some tracks a couple months ago at a friend's studio and we have yet to see the final mixes. I'd like to get our stuff on tunecore and snocap, but I don't if the quality is good enough. What do you guys think? You can check out our myspace below and hear for yourself.

Damn.... your bassist is really good. "New Song".

[PeterTuneCore]

Here's my question, when does one decide to digitally distribute their music? My band recorded some tracks a couple months ago at a friend's studio and we have yet to see the final mixes. I'd like to get our stuff on tunecore and snocap, but I don't if the quality is good enough. What do you guys think? You can check out our myspace below and hear for yourself.

That's a tough one, because it's so up to you. I say, put something out when you're satisfied, period. If you're not satisfied, then it'll eat at you, it'll worry you folks will get the wrong impression.

Now a different question is, "I have a single ready, but the rest of the album is not." In that case, it's a strategic decision: will you get advance buzz and keep your fans happy with fresh music by releasing a single--awesome! Or, you could kill your own buzz if the single flops. Again, up to you. But many folks release singles. I've even written about it here.

If you put up a single, remember: you can't ADD tracks to it later and thereby turn it into an EP or full album. It's the same as if you released a CD single in a brick-and-mortar store: you'd have the single up, then release the whole album, and then decide if you want to pull the single down.

The choice is yours, as I'm so fond of saying. :)

--Peter
peter@tunecore.com

[Standard8]

The choice is yours, as I'm so fond of saying. :)

--Peter
peter@tunecore.com

Better than the choice being "Dan's" or "Stanley's". :thu:

[uzybear]

If people have ipods they have PC's????

I've had an iPod (various models) for the last 5 years, and have yet to own a PC. I've owned a mac for 8 years.

uhhhhhhh............sorry, i meant "computer".................drrrrrrrrrrrrrrr silly

[uzybear]

I believe uzybear, is using "PC" as "Personal Computer"

lol, guess i didn't need to explain myself ;)

[uzybear]

A few clicks on a web page is a lot easier than stuffing
around with discs.

Discs are already passé.
They are slow and cumbersome.
The latest wave of camcorders and audio recorders
are all solid state memory and/or using cards.
MacBook Air has solid state drive option.

We will soon be looking back on discs as relics of the past.


i don't disagree, but it's a question of what is easiest for the artists to do, and cdr's are really cheap; and it's easier to sell physical items at a show than a download, but i hear ya

[uzybear]

If I want to listen to music these days, I typically do it via my iRiver Clix and Napster. But I still buy CDs from bands at gigs. I like the physical product. If it's a band I really like, I'll bring a Sharpee and get it autographed. I love that. If I showed up with your show and you had nothing to autograph, I'd be seriously pissed.

bingo; i always say: as we become more digital, we realize more and more the value, of actual physical stuff, face to face conversation, cd-covers with birds on fire getting eaten by monsters on moon...............ya know ;) good stuff

[Karma1]

It does seem that cd's are becoming less popular, and possibly on the way out. However, I have a new album coming out soon, and I'm putting it out on cd. I've found that being able to hand someone a physical cd has been a very important tool for my networking and promotion. I've met some influential people in the music business and being able to give them a cd, is like an expanded business card and gives them instant access to your music and information about you. To me, it makes more sense than telling them where they can go to download your music. I recently ran into Carlos Santana and happened to have a copy of my last cd with me (on which the last song is dedicated to him and Jimi Hendrix as my biggest influences as a guitarist). I don't know if he listened to it or not, but having that cd to hand to him made it more likely.

I'll admit that I'm old school, but so is a segment of the music-buying public who are not keeping up with the latest digital technology. I'd probably look at it differently if I was 19 and marketing exclusively to the iPod generation. But I do currently have my music available for downloads on iTunes as well as other sites, and am trying to cover all the bases. This may be the last album I put out on cd format, but I'm not quite ready to let go of it yet.

[sabriel9v]

That's a tough one, because it's so up to you. I say, put something out when you're satisfied, period. If you're not satisfied, then it'll eat at you, it'll worry you folks will get the wrong impression.

Now a different question is, "I have a single ready, but the rest of the album is not." In that case, it's a strategic decision: will you get advance buzz and keep your fans happy with fresh music by releasing a single--awesome! Or, you could kill your own buzz if the single flops. Again, up to you. But many folks release singles. I've even written about it here.

If you put up a single, remember: you can't ADD tracks to it later and thereby turn it into an EP or full album. It's the same as if you released a CD single in a brick-and-mortar store: you'd have the single up, then release the whole album, and then decide if you want to pull the single down.

The choice is yours, as I'm so fond of saying. :)

--Peter
peter@tunecore.com


Thanks Peter. You kind of helped me out, but I'm still torn. You're talking to someone that thinks his first album should be on par with Dark Side of the Moon. I've got super high expectations for myself.

[Dean Roddey]

The thing is though, we always (hopefully) continue to grow in our abilities and tastes. No matter how much you polish it now, you may still come to be embarassed by it later looking back. And you may polish all the emotion out of it in the process.

Even today in this age of uber-produced pop, I think that good content delivered with emotion goes a long way, even if it's far from perfectly produced. You won't be breaking into Brittany's fan base maybe, but that's probably a good thing. Actually, by today's standards, DSotM is pretty primitively produced, but it still gives me the chills.

[PeterTuneCore]

Thanks Peter. You kind of helped me out, but I'm still torn. You're talking to someone that thinks his first album should be on par with Dark Side of the Moon. I've got super high expectations for myself.

This isn't industry advice now, it's just me: don't let "high expectations" keep you working on stuff so long it never sees the light of day. Go and release a single, take the plunge! You can always do it again later and call it a "revised" version, or the 2010 version, or the "director's cut" version, or...whatever you'd like.

I've seen too many people never get off the starting blocks. It's a trap! Don't fall into it

--Peter
peter@tunecore.com

[thedolaon]

That's a tough one, because it's so up to you. I say, put something out when you're satisfied, period. If you're not satisfied, then it'll eat at you, it'll worry you folks will get the wrong impression.

Now a different question is, "I have a single ready, but the rest of the album is not." In that case, it's a strategic decision: will you get advance buzz and keep your fans happy with fresh music by releasing a single--awesome! Or, you could kill your own buzz if the single flops. Again, up to you. But many folks release singles. I've even written about it here.

If you put up a single, remember: you can't ADD tracks to it later and thereby turn it into an EP or full album. It's the same as if you released a CD single in a brick-and-mortar store: you'd have the single up, then release the whole album, and then decide if you want to pull the single down.

The choice is yours, as I'm so fond of saying. :)

--Peter
peter@tunecore.com

I'm utilitizing this idea now! I have a single up on my page now and with it is a remix a DJ really wanted to do. And an idea came to my head. I'll have a 'Single + Remixes' mixtape for download. I've talked to around 5 DJs and they're working on their remix for my song. I thought was cool and when you said that, i'm like, i'm doing that.

I also read the second thing you posted, I can't have that one single up there forever i need to put something else up there now lol!

[PeterTuneCore]

I'm utilitizing this idea now! I have a single up on my page now and with it is a remix a DJ really wanted to do. And an idea came to my head. I'll have a 'Single + Remixes' mixtape for download. I've talked to around 5 DJs and they're working on their remix for my song. I thought was cool and when you said that, i'm like, i'm doing that.

I also read the second thing you posted, I can't have that one single up there forever i need to put something else up there now lol!

That's it right there--choice! Whatever's good for you, just let us know.

--Peter
peter@tunecore.com

[lotspoop]

I'm still a full supporter of the concept of an album/CD. mp3's are convenient but you lose the integrated cohesive feeling of an album. I've been buying used CD off amazon alot recently. They're cheap and it's a good way to get into an artist and see what they do at different time periods. I like to see an artist evolve which is something you can't really do with a list of mp3s on my computer. Plus I like the album artwork, the lyrics and even the credits to see who did what on the album. For example I'm working on my Parliament/Funkadelic collection and mp3s just wouldn't cut it. I need the CD's. But they're of course an older band with an established discography and reputation.

If it's a new band, sure I'd buy a CD. But mp3 are also nice little ways to "sample" a band to see if I like them. With that being said I haven't bought any mp3s yet though I probably will at some point. Or I may just buy the CD.

[bluesway]

hey man....i saw some of your ideas and thought i'd supply some info.


One idea I toyed around with was simply loading our albums onto a laptop and allowing people to plug their ipod right in at shows. At which point we could just transfer the files straight over to their music library. iPods are proprietary to the computer you're using to manage them. the ONLY way this would work is if someone manually set their iPod up for disk use in their computer...you'd then be able to pass it into the iPod as if it were an external hard drive.....you can't add anything to anyone's music library through their iPod; only through their computer. so, this probably wouldn't be a very good market approach...wouldn't bear much fruit. i guess you could have people ORDER the mp3 and give you their email address, then you could send it to them after the show, but that's a pain in the ass, isn't it?


Or what about buying up a bulk of small flash drives and loading the songs onto that? Much the same as the laptop download, but it allows the user to experience the music on their own terms, when they want to, wherever they want to (provided there is a digital medium to play it through). at that point, it would just be cheaper for you to make simple CD-Rs of your albums saved as data disks to put into your fan's computer. the flash drives are just another way to save data...just like a CD....and they're much more expensive than CDs....which cost about $.04 each at costco. i guess it would work, but..... it wouldn't work.

people can just bump their CDs into iTunes with a click of a button. Likely, anyone who has bought your CD ALREADY put it in their music library. the way to sell directly to iPods is the internet...no one will go any other way for that....and the speed with which they can do it makes it unnecessary to reinvent that particular aspect of getting your music out, i think.

i just wanted to directly answer some of your ideas....and i fully understand it's a brainstorm. for security and financial reasons, though, it wouldn't work

[bluesway]

you know, there seems to be this universal assumption that CDs are DYING. THEY'RE NOT.....at least not totally. they're just going to be a niche market from now on. there are STILL many people out there who will buy a CD over a download any day of the week. they like holding a physical product. don't be shocked if in the next ten years, we see waves of CD sales in mini-resurgences. (i mean, hell, some people STILL buy vinyl.....the CD is NOT the cassette tape and it won't meet the same fate...it's just TOO compatible with the 'new kid on the block' mp3)

that's just how i see it.

g

[Anaon]

Maybe it depends on the style of music you are talking about? I don't know...

I don't believe in the death of CDs... I think that both cds and mp3 formats will co-exist together...

[jrm27]

Interesting... just saw this article over on Digg. It said that 48% of teens didn't buy a CD last year (who knows how accurate), however, the comments to the story are quite interesting. What do you think?

http://digg.com/music/48_of_teenagers_bought_zero_0_CDs_in_2007

[PeterTuneCore]

Interesting... just saw this article over on Digg. It said that 48% of teens didn't buy a CD last year (who knows how accurate), however, the comments to the story are quite interesting. What do you think?

http://digg.com/music/48_of_teenagers_bought_zero_0_CDs_in_2007

Polls like this always make me uncertain, because the next day another poll comes out with different data.

One thing is clear: there's a trend towards media proliferation through all-digital, non-physical means: be it movies, music, words, it's getting into the hands of consumers with nothing physical to put on a shelf. How much, and to what degree? The jury's still out, I think.

--Peter
peter@tunecore.com

[Anaon]

Polls like this always make me uncertain, because the next day another poll comes out with different data.

One thing is clear: there's a trend towards media proliferation through all-digital, non-physical means: be it movies, music, words, it's getting into the hands of consumers with nothing physical to put on a shelf. How much, and to what degree? The jury's still out, I think.

--Peter
peter@tunecore.com

I'm actually searching more about digital solutions and I didn't know Tunecore before reading this board...
I think of registering but maybe should I have my album released before...

[PeterTuneCore]

I'm actually searching more about digital solutions and I didn't know Tunecore before reading this board...
I think of registering but maybe should I have my album released before...

If you want, but it's not necessary. Putting it up for sale on iTunes or another digital store is releasing it. Unless it needs mastering or something, I wouldn't wait. Why wait? People want great new music!

--Peter
peter@tunecore.com

[Anaon]

:) Oh it's just that I only have one complete song actually. I'll wait for the whole album to be complete to registrer ;)

Do you know if you have a lot of french members?

[PeterTuneCore]

:) Oh it's just that I only have one complete song actually. I'll wait for the whole album to be complete to registrer ;)

Do you know if you have a lot of french members?

Several hundred, I think! I always hope for more, since I speak French (poorly) and spent a year in Paris recently that I'll cherish forever.

--Peter
peter@tunecore.com

[Anaon]

Several hundred, I think! I always hope for more, since I speak French (poorly) and spent a year in Paris recently that I'll cherish forever.

--Peter
peter@tunecore.com

Ok, I ask you because it seems not really famous here in France but well, we always are late compared to you :lol:

[mikezawitkowski]

i don't see the distribution of physical CD's going away any time soon, however as we've already seen, the sales of them will definitely continue to slow down. CD's will have more of a sentimental "value" in my opinion. Also, as the record industry continues to freak out over losses in sales and bullshit royalty stakes, the Majors are just going to be turning more and more into management companies. I'd bet they are really trying to work more and more into royalty contracts on touring, only because that is where a lot of the revenues are today.

The times are changing. I can't believe it's 2008, and this whole industry is not even close to being figured out. You'd think after 1999 or whatever year it was the napster killed music, that everything would be figured out within the next decade, but apparently I'm mistaken.

Check out this article about the transition from "sentimental value" of CDs to the iPod...
http://www.demonbaby.com/blog/2007/10/when-pigs-fly-death-of-oink-birth-of.html

[Guitzilla]

I Don't buy Cds anymore. I have almost 3000 of them now and I can find no more room for them. I buy all of my music through Itunes. Is the quality less than with a CD. Yes, but not noticable when I am driving or working out,which is when I listen to music 90 % of the time . It is a compromise that I must make, and it works out perfectly for me.

[Deeprig9]

Check out this article about the transition from "sentimental value" of CDs to the iPod...
http://www.demonbaby.com/blog/2007/10/when-pigs-fly-death-of-oink-birth-of.html

That's a very thoughtful and well-written blog. The guy is a very intelligent and gifted writer. But he's wrong on several issues, and by wrong, I mean that his personal bitterness to the industry leads him to admitted assumptions about how artists themselves could make a living, and his foundation on that issue is flawed, so no matter how perfect the framing, the roof, the plumbing, the interior design is made, the house falls in the next thunderstorm.

[lambcast]

Hi jmr27,

Having your music in every location and using every service you can manage is very important to personal success with your product.

We are about to launch a tool in which will make things much easier for direct digital sellers and music services as well. You can see a preview at www.retailzip.com.

At the end of the day, the more places your product can be accessed the better.

Regards,

-William G. Blanchard
The Retail Zip Company