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The business of selling used MP3s

sfweekly.com — Carting a crate of used CDs to your local record store so you can make rent is a rite of passage as ancient as it can be tearful. But what about those MP3s and iTunes songs you're ready to unload? Is there a way to sell those off, too, when you get tired of them or just need some extra scratch?

Who dugg this? Made popular Jun 12, 2009

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  • spookyttws, on 06/12/2009, -5/+68I've got millions of copies of my old MP3's for sale. Trust me, they're all legit and are of the highest bit rate. Just so everyone knows, my internet connect isn't great, so once you've paid me I'll be distributing them via Bit Torrent to allow for faster download. I own a few different URL's so don't be alarmed if I send you a link to mininova.com, thepiratebay.com, or demoniod.com. I own all of these websites and don't want to use up too much bandwidth on any single one of them.
  • mds40, on 06/12/2009, -5/+63"Unlike CDs — physical products you hand over to a record store clerk — digital files can be replicated ad infinitum with negligible expense."

    Thanks for clearing that up...
  • Princeamor, on 06/12/2009, -0/+35This is stupid...
  • passedoutghost, on 06/12/2009, -0/+31OMG dude, that sounds awesome! Do you take paypal?!
  • inactive, on 06/12/2009, -1/+26I was thinking "please let this be The Onion".

    So disappointed that it wasn't.
  • superdigg, on 06/12/2009, -1/+20Absolutely the stupidest idea I have heard all day.
  • agentsrecord, on 06/12/2009, -2/+18I sell all of my old MP3s on the Pirate Bay.

    For free.

    This doesn't seem like the right path to make compensation work. I'm highly supportive of musicians I'm a fan of. But this reeks of 'the music industry getting richer while giving the artist less and less money'. Isn't that the system MP3s and the music industry as a whole just broke out of?
  • masterc, on 06/12/2009, -3/+16Don't spam your *****.
    (shameless bury)
  • DiscoUnderpants, on 06/12/2009, -0/+12I suspect this will fail. Its a stupid idea that shows why the business of music distribution has radially changed and will never come back. They are placing artificial limits on supply. Supply of music used to be constricted by the distribution of the physical medium... now it is no longer the case.
  • nicktomyskins, on 06/12/2009, -0/+10You don't get that new music smell when you buy that used music, plus you don't have to deal with those used music salesmen (big time scammers)
  • uberduger, on 06/12/2009, -0/+7Shame, since if he'd not mentioned his band, and had actually said something on topic (rather than 'Generic Music Piracy Copy-Paste #37') then people might have asked him for the name of his band and *then* checked it out.
    And now they won't. Myself included.
  • deeboe, on 06/12/2009, -0/+7This reminds me of a joke Craigslist ad I set up where I was selling used MP3's. Some were slightly used, others not even opened. I was "running out of space" for them and needed to sell them at $0.25 a piece. People just simply did not get the joke. People were asking me to send them pictures, how I would deliver them, etc. Was a funny prank until some douchebag threatened to turn me to the RIAA.
  • sickoo, on 06/12/2009, -0/+6http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/7035/wantsomech ...
  • MasterGrief, on 06/12/2009, -1/+7No
  • NBCLocal, on 06/24/2009, -1/+6I'm interested to see how this works out. I might have missed it, but once this works, won't it open the market to other similar companies? And how will they be able to tell, if I sold my music to this company, and not that company?
  • Zippo, on 06/12/2009, -0/+4Limewire? Bitcomet? Who's the idiot now?
    Christ, I haven't heard of bitcomet in years.

    Time to get with the times, my friend. uTorrent or Transmission is the way to go.
  • Darrelc, on 06/13/2009, -0/+3Because some people like to support the artists they like.

    In anticipation of the "but most goes to label" excuse - 9% of something is better than 100% of nothing.
  • maffiou, on 06/12/2009, -0/+3Am I reading right: The buisness model of bopaboo is to pay the music industry again for second hand resale of your music?
    I can see the music industry being happier with that sort of compromise, but I don't see the consumer going for it...

    When I buy a used car I don't tend to pay the manufacturer again... or even a used CD... Why would digital have a special rule ?

    I think the main problem is there isn't a suitable buinsess model for digital media in the first place, let alone for second hand...
  • skipvt, on 06/12/2009, -0/+3It's a RIAA scam to collect names for future litigation.
  • askantik, on 06/12/2009, -0/+2I don't understand why it should be any different-- you could always just make a copy of the CDs you are selling to the store. Essentially they're paying you for the whole shebang, but all you're really losing is the album artwork.
  • uberduger, on 06/12/2009, -0/+2i tHInk I@m haVinG A baD dAy oR sOMethiNG. SpAM doESn'T usUaLLy buG mE So MuCh.
    Grrrr.
  • Elranzer, on 06/12/2009, -0/+2Digital goods have no resale value (legally or otherwise). Digital media is essentially a service, not a good. It's the same way you cannot return or sell a college diploma (even if you're in debt with no job).

    This is one of the cons of digital media, and one of the reasons why physical media shouldn't go away (and probably one of the reasons why the published would LOVE to switch to all-digital sales). The publishers (of all media... movies, music and video games) HATE the re-sale of used media, since they make no profit on it.

    It's kinda the reason why Sony is moving to an all-digital distribution of PSP games, which should come as no surprise as Sony is also in the business of selling music and movies (they're the head member of the IRAA and MPAA, afterall).
  • inactive, on 06/12/2009, -0/+2This whole licensing thing has been an issue long before mp3's were even traded online. The record companies fought for years to shut down shops that re-sold CDs, arguing you are paying for the right to listen to the music not the product itself.
  • j035u5, on 06/12/2009, -0/+2so they give you money to sell something you don't necessarily own, and don't even suggest you delete your copy? well at least they should get plenty of traffic! I can't see how it can be legal though, its pretty similar to flogging copied cds out of the back of a car.
  • robotwarlord, on 06/12/2009, -1/+3Ditto
  • uberduger, on 06/12/2009, -0/+1I've got to the point where I no longer hate the spammers/spambots - I hate the kind of people who are stupid enough to click on the links they post.
    If nobody clicked on the spam, it would go away. It's quite literally a case of 'ignore it and it will go away'.
    *Quiet rage*
  • SubSickAlien, on 06/13/2009, -0/+1Their aim is to get people (who are not aware of the state of the music industry) to sell their "used" mp3s. This will only work for several years until it all falls apart.
  • j035u5, on 06/12/2009, -0/+1not really, as it costs them nothing to do except time. if one person ever clicks on it, even if they close the window straight after, the spammer has made a profit. Digg just needs to find where the spammers live and take their internet away.
  • robinthehood, on 06/12/2009, -0/+1WTF?
  • uberduger, on 06/12/2009, -0/+1Fair point. I was talking literally though - if NOBODY clicked on it! Time is money, you know :)

    EDIT: But I like your last point though. If I ever somehow got hold of the address of one of these spammers, I'd love to go and ring their doorbell and punch them in the face.
  • tehknotte, on 06/12/2009, -0/+1no because you can just download np3s.
  • sgxyay, on 06/12/2009, -0/+1I can understand doing this for DRMed stuff where the license can be activated for one person, and deactivated for the seller...lots of high-end software allows this, and isn't Impulse going to roll out some system for this?

    But for unprotected mp3's this is retarded. They could be making money on something that isn't even in their system that they have no way of paying the artist/label/owner.
  • BobSlefty, on 06/12/2009, -0/+1You're wrong. I CAN imagine it and I imagine it's crap.
  • bdbr, on 06/12/2009, -0/+1Digital music depends entirely on verification, and sites that sell digital music won't want to get in the business of verifying their sales because they'd rather have people buy from them at full price.

    The RIAA fought against the sales of used physical media, too. Anyone with first-sale rights will probably do whatever they can to stop any following sales.
  • bmatherlyjr, on 06/12/2009, -0/+1This is how this is going to work:

    Store Owner: "RIAA can we open a store and buy back used digital files?"
    RIAA: "Yes, little store owner you sure may, but you must promise to DELETE, FORMAT or otherwise DESTROY the evidence of any existence of said file"
    Store Owner: "Wait, if I destroy the file how the ***** do I make a profit?"
    RIAA: Silly little man (woman), you asked if you could open a store to buy back used digital files, we allow you to do that because secretly while your buying back songs, you will be paying us a cut for each song you have back in your procession, regardless if you actually keep the song for yourself or destroy the song. Besides you never said anything about profiting from the digital files, of course we are going to say NO! Your lucky we don't sue your ass, if you even asked such a stupid question.
  • gigitrix, on 06/12/2009, -0/+1Snake oil, designed to perpetuate the confusion of the average consumer regarding digital music.
  • teethandeyes, on 06/12/2009, -1/+1This is a ridiculously stupid idea.
    Between MP3 blogs and Torrents, why would anyone even think about paying for MP3's?
  • parttimejobs20, on 07/18/2009, -0/+0What is this...is there any buyer?
  • lashtal, on 06/12/2009, -0/+0Do they even realize how absurd the idea is? But the worst of it all is people who will actually sell used mp3.. Damn.. I like the word 'used'.. In real life anything that is used must have some signs of tear and wear like scratches, fingerprings, etc.. And whats with 'used' mp3s? Are they going to overlay some noise in files to justify the term?
    So ***** crippled ways to do business.
  • nikkiewart, on 10/12/2009, -0/+0http://digg.com/music/VK_largest_library_of_mp3
  • blessetje, on 06/12/2009, -0/+0I believe it's going to be difficult to have a way to control this so it can be legal. But right now I can't think of any possibilities.
    I don't wanna be pessimistic and say it will fail. Nevertheless they really have some thinking to do to figure this one out.
  • billraydrums, on 06/12/2009, -1/+1Well then, I guess you told me!! Oh whatever will I do.....My widdle feewings, they are crushed.

    I'm just glad I have something to promote rather than my own dickiness.....Did I mention you guys are dicks? :D

    You weren't gonna even look at it anyway, that's been determined.

    Have fun, Aspberger boy.
  • DorqueRench, on 06/13/2009, -0/+0Who pays for downloaded music? That's just silly.
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