arstechnica.com — High-profile artists have forgone putting their albums on the iTunes Store lately as they complain of an unfair distribution system that only helps to reduce album sales. Is cherry-picking only hot singles a trend with staying power, or can full-album sales make a comeback?
Aug 28, 2008 View in Crawl 4
digit01Aug 29, 2008
Totally the record-tards faults. Look we have all seen the video of how to make a pop start in a few minutes. That is all that these "top" record companies do. They throw enough crap out you and advertisements to make you think it is cool. Granted there are some good main stream bands that can give a good concert show--but what happened to the bar/club shows? We have been fed the same BS for years that make us think unless the band is in the light then the music isn't worth crap.Well in the past three years I have discovered many "local" band that are truly amazing and some even have been signed on to a private label. So with all that I think like many people here. "If the bands would produce something worth while in the whole album then I's buy the whole album."
jazzmessAug 30, 2008
I think the solution for artists, if they're genuinely talented, is simple: Do like Jonathan Coulton does, and give all your new songs away free. Thus people can listen to the song first, and THEN decide if they think it's worth paying for. Of course, you have to actually make good music for that business model to work... (no wonder Kid Rock is worried!)
technopunditAug 30, 2008
I have a solution:Bypass the music part, and just deliver the booze and drugs to music and radio execs directly.
tratAug 30, 2008
So 'artists' want all or nothing? Nothing then *surfs to thepiratebay...* Maybe those assh**es should make more than one great track on a album and not focus to much on the radioslaves...
tweeAug 31, 2008
What about CBS radio? They own a ton of radio stations, including the Free FM talk stations and KROQ. Clear Channel sucks.
fugaziedAug 31, 2008
True, the album was a good way for the music industry to throw on extra B sides and charge 8 times more. Luckily bands started making good albums eventually.
muzikoverdoseSep 1, 2008
That dimbulb went platinum? That breaks my heart. The world needs Bill Hicks now more than ever....
macanudoSep 29, 2008
Recording contracts are typically set up like loans to artists. Additionally the artist pays for every cost including marketing, promotion and gas for them to go on tour out of that loan. They must sell beyond a very high threshold in order to make any profit. That is why many artists are in debt to their label even though they sell well (especially if they live like rock stars).If I were an artist who wanted to do get all the profit and spend all the effort in promoting myself (as many already do) then yes do it all yourself. Apple could give an artist the chance to sell through a well known store and receive higher profile exposure than they could get on their own. Also Apple doesn't bill for promotion on iTunes, all they ask for is exclusive additional content. Admittedly all this is online as oposed to physical promotion but still...It would be a far more attractive deal than anything the record labels offer.
aerynvalaJan 5, 2009
I have no idea, I'd stopped listening to music by then.