When I read an article, I tend to start dissecting and analyzing before I’m finished the entire piece.
For instance, I’ll read a headline and spend way too much time coming up with all sorts of questions and theories about the subject. Reading the article from start to finish, or at least most of it, would answer many questions and debunk or confirm any theories. But I get so caught up in…
That’s what I did yesterday when I saw this headline: “Flash Drives: The Newest Option for Digital Music.”
A band called The Mars Volta* is selling its latest album on USB sticks (for $30!). “Why would anybody think it’s a good idea to sell music on flash drives?” I asked the wall. Given the decrease of CD sales, the expense of making a physical CD, and the small cut artists get from CD sales, I couldn’t figure out why this band was going backward – offering music through a physical medium – rather than going forward by making the most of the straightforward digital download format.
Then I read the story, and the answer was looking up at me with plaintive eyes:
At this point, the releases are offered more as collectibles to build fan loyalty than as sources of revenue…The cost of putting an album out on a USB drive is pricier than releasing it on a CD, partly because bands aren’t placing bulk orders and partly because flash drives cost more than discs…Those who buy the Mars Volta USB stick get a new extra on the 29th of each month, ranging from bonus tracks to wallpaper.
The flash drive is for fanbase fans, loyal followers who’ll buy almost anything a band has to sell. Merch, merch, merch, and the promise of perks. Makes sense now.
One of the perks of buying The Mars Volta’s music stick – I think it’s supposed to be a perk – is that users can add more music. And artists can put the album on there, plus video, pictures, and links. But can’t you do that in iTunes and other online stores? If I’m not mistaken, some bands offer album art and liners notes in PDF, and sometimes a video or two, with a digital album download. Why resort to a new physical medium (because CDs still and will exist for the time being) for music when the industry is trending toward the digital download?
And there is this: according to the story, putting music on a USB drive costs more than “releasing it on a CD” because of the non-bulk order nature of the new gimmick. Selling music on flash drives isn’t innovative at all, and it costs more money. Not, in my opinion, worth the effort. However, I’m not in the music biz, so there’s a very good chance I don’t know what I’m talking about. But good luck with that!
*I listened to some of their music on MySpace. Not my cup of Darjeeling.
Update: “Half of all music sold in the U.S. will be digital in 2011 and sales of digitally downloaded music will surpass physical compact disc sales in 2012, according to a new report by Forrester Research Inc.” (Source)
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