Hold the alt key and then pres the numbers (no spaces) 0162 in that order and you get ¢! Voila there are other symbols you can get as well the only other one I know is the one for degree (as in bake at 375º) and it is alt 0186

The theme or story of an album is always lost on me, even those that I buy. (Trans-Siberian Orchestra does have stories to their albums so they are an exception.)

I do buy singles through iTunes at .99 per song. I’m not sure what the breakdown is between the artist, the writer, and the recording company. I love this freedom inasmuch as I most likely will not love every single on an album even of someone that I’m most fond of. You have the option of downloading the entire album of that person for usually about $9.95 or so. I know it’s disheartening to the artists and all those involved on that end, but they’re going to have to realize that CDs are going the way of 8-track and cassette tapes. They’re simply becoming dated.

On iTunes “American Pie” is only available as part of an album. Is that due to issues of artistic integrity? Or is it just a way of applying premium pricing to the one grand-slam hit of an otherwise only moderately successful artist?

They should (and those who have a good contract lawyer already do) have the right to release special recordings which can only be *sold* as a whole unit.

But you really can’t control how people enjoy your product. If they only want to hear the middle bit, they’ll only listen to the middle bit, even if you made them pay for the whole thing. As practical matter they’ll treat it like a real expensive single.

There’s nothing you can do about that, no matter how fancy your DRM schemes … the guy who only wants to listen halfway through is always gonna have the choice of turning off the stereo.

Just be thankful anyone’s listening at all.

Dupree is right about losing money on single sales: the record deals are based upon full CDs/albums vs. singles. The Behind the Music show on T.L.C. broke the record deal costs down the best I’ve ever heard or read.

“Left Eye” said most new artists get deals where they “make” $0.04 – $0.06 (what happened to the cent sign and who remembers the symbol?) per CD they sell. The record companies “give” the artists money which is really a loan to make a CD/album. It’s with interest, then the record producers, musicians, and studios have to be paid from that. Musicians do late night studio sessions because that’s when the cheapest rates apply. So, when the record sales come in, the money goes to the record company FIRST, who takes their cut, with interest. The artists may NEVER see any money. So, the artists have to go on tour to make money, but then Uncle Sam takes about 40% off the top, then the state they reside, then they have to pay off everyone else before they see anything.

“Left Eye” said the year they sold millions of CDs, they only made $60,000.

The best explanations of what the artists are up against, in order, have been from T.L.C., New Edition just because their story is ALL of the errors people make, and Issac Hayes.

I spend a lot of time and tons of sweat crafting the audio I do. When I’ve arranged something to have significance when heard in proper order, it’s very frustrating (to put it mildly) when someone listens to the middle and stops.

I do however, understand and support the right of people to have their favorite songs. Here’s where I fall: artists should release enough items suitable for individual listening to keep the fans happy. They should also have the right to release special recordings which can only be consumed as a whole unit.

Artists periodically release “event” level recordings in which they’ve done something that means a lot to them. These recordings should be sold that way.

NOW… if artists were releasing better quality music, collections in which it’s difficult to decide which single is better than the next, this would be much less of a problem.

I dug out Stanley Clarke’s “If This Bass Could Only Talk” CD a few days ago, and if a person doesn’t hear the whole thing, in order, you just can NOT appreciate what a fantastic collection of music it is.

Consumers want what they want…and, as we’ve seen, in the case of music, if they can’t buy it legally, they’ll download it illegally. The entreaties of the record labels to not do so have largely fallen on deaf ears; what makes the artists think they’ll be any more successful in convincing the consumer that they really don’t want to have it “their way”?

Which is not to say that the artists don’t have a point. Some albums really do have to be appreciated as a whole, particularly “concept albums.” (Examples: The Who’s Tommy, Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Marillion’s Brave.) I’m just saying they’ll have an uphill battle trying to convince the modern consumer to see things their way…and stridently digging in their heels, as Dupri seems to want to do, is likely to backfire on them.

I think artists, especially rappers of all people, should be accomodating to what consumers want if we’re the ones that’re paying for their gi-normous cribs they live in and ridiculously priced cars they drive and empowering them to live the lifestyles they live.

Sure artists have their choices but we (consumers) have ours too. The “buying a book by the chapter” argument is an apples and oranges argument. In my opinion, consumers care less about an artist’s concepts and themes than they do about simply hearing music that’s appealing to their tastes.

Just my $0.02 worth.