Archive for January, 2007
Make Your Songs Downloadable!
I checked out a new band today and absolutely fell in love with them and I decided that I wanted to get their music for my iPod and I decided to get it NOW. I noticed that their CD was available to buy through PayPal, but there was no downloadable option.
I think this is a huge mistake for a band. You need to make your music as accessible as possible to your fans. Sure, I might actually go to the trouble of ordering the CD, but I wanted to hear it NOW. Actually, I wanted to hear the music tomorrow on a road trip that I’m taking. But now I won’t get to hear it and as a consumer, that makes me a little disappointed. And I’m not going to buy a CD and have it delivered when I’m probably not going to be at home to receive it.
I KNOW I can rip the CD and burn it into iTunes. I’m no dummy…. but that doesn’t solve my dilemma of wanting the music for my trip.
I think a lot of music fans are like me and want to be able to get music when they want it – we all tend to be very spontaneous in our decisions about things like that and having to order a CD pretty much kills any and all spontaneity. What’s spontaneous about waiting a week or so for a CD to be delivered? In a week, I would’ve forgotten that I’d ordered it! As a music consumer, I think it’s absolutely necessary to get your music out their in any and all formats that you can offer. Don’t make your fans wait for music – give it to them now. And they’re bound to become even bigger fans and they’re bound to get their friends to download the music as well. And that = sales. And that’s what it’s all about. In this case, the band in question has missed out on the sale that I would’ve been and they probably missed out on the sales that would have resulted in me telling my friends about them. And as a result, I went and found some other new music and downloaded a CD that was available for download.
This IS the digital age, and in my opinion, there is no excuse for a CD not to be available for download. Indie bands have the option of getting their CD on CDBaby.com, which will in turn, get the music listed on iTunes, as well as other pay-for-download sites. Or offer your own pay-for-download site – it’s not really that difficult and you could probably even set it up pretty easily through PayPal.
I don’t understand why all bands aren’t doing this. It’s actually cheaper to give out digital files than it is to press CD’s. And I feel like bands that don’t offer digital files to buy are missing the boat.
What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear some feedback from both musicians and music fans… I could just be ranting here after all…
Music Sales Fall Again – Guess What The Industry Blames?
Great blog post from The Viral Garden:
Music sales fall again, industry blames file sharers, again
Online Consumers are Re-Energizing The Music Industry
(Washington, D.C.) Digital music consumers listen to more music, enjoy more new music, talk more about music and attend more concerts, according to a survey released today by the Digital Media Association (DiMA).
Nearly 60 percent of consumers report that they are listening to more music since they started using an online service. The 1008 consumers surveyed enjoy Internet radio, subscription music services, and pay-per-download music services, including AOL Radio, Yahoo! Music, iTunes, Rhapsody, Zune, Urge, Napster, Pandora, Live365 and others.
The vast majority of online music service users report that enjoying music over the Internet has expanded their musical tastes, allowing them to discover new artists and explore new music genres. About 25 percent reported having discovered a lot of new artists, while more than 60 percent of consumers surveyed say they have discovered some new artists. Nearly 7 in 10 online music consumers are enjoying new genres of music since listening to online music services.
According to the survey, online music listening has increased music fans’ overall music discussion with friends and co-workers, with more than 35 percent now talking about music more. And, more than 75 percent of online music consumers report they have recommended a particular service to a friend or co-worker.
T
he survey also found that listening to and purchasing music over the Internet increases concert attendance. A full 15 percent of online music fans say they now attend more concerts.
“These findings demonstrate that real music fans – and today’s music tastemakers – are online,” said DiMA Executive Director Jonathan Potter. “This makes the 2006 holiday sales jump in music devices and sound recordings exponentially more important to artists, songwriters, producers and music publishers, as online music’s impact extends way beyond immediate revenues. Consumers of innovative online music services are reviving the music economy as they enjoy more music and more new music in every way possible, and most importantly, as they introduce their friends to the music and online services they enjoy.”
The survey reports that about half of digital music fans are spending more than $200 per year on music, and nearly 30 percent are spending more than $300. “Prior to the digital age, someone who purchased six CDs per year – valued at just over $100 – was considered a significant music consumer,” said Potter. “Online music consumers’ spending habits, combined with what they are doing to promote and expand music enjoyment, is great for the entire music industry – artists, songwriters and producers.”
To view survey details visit www.digmedia.org
About the Survey
The survey was conducted online by InsightExpress. 1008 survey participants were randomly recruited over a 5 day period and according to targeted sampling guidelines. The confidence level is 95%.
About DiMA
The Digital Media Association (DiMA) is a national trade organization devoted primarily to the online audio and video industries, and more generally to commercially innovative digital media opportunities. At the forefront of business and policy debates affecting the growth and development of these enterprises, DiMA is recognized by public and private sector leaders as the national association that best understands the complex policies and issues surrounding digital media, including copyright, competition and consumer rights. For more information visit www.digmedia.org