Figuring Out How to Actually Sell Music

It was only since I started downloading music without paying that I realized I'm not willing to pay the same high price for every album. It's been an admittedly weak way to justify not paying for music, but the conclusion nonetheless is true. I download more music than I could have ever bought, mainly because I'm not a huge fan of everything I download, and there are numerous records I download that I would never pay more than $10 for. I also use downloading as a way to sample music more thoroughly and at my own convenience than if I were to stream a song or two. On the whole, downloading music without paying retail prices has allowed me and I'm sure countless others to be bigger and more dedicated music fans.

So when I learned that Amazon was investing in Amie Street, a music website that sells music at a dynamic price that changes based on measured demand, I knew that at least someone in the music industry was doing something right. Not to get ahead of ourselves, Amazon hasn't even started selling music online yet, even though it has made its intentions well-known and will probably start doing so in the next month or two. After hearing the story on KCRW's "On the Beat" podcast, I made my way over to Amie Street to get a better idea of what their system was like. At the moment, there really is a dearth of music someone can download. Only a very limited number of bands and musicians are listed so far, which will keep Amie Street from being a significant retailing presence until Amazon breathes some much needed life into it. But to give you an idea of pricing, The Barenaked Ladies, one of the few groups that a lot of people may know with more than albums available for sale on the site, have their most recent album for sale at $.98 per song. If you scroll down on the Barenaked Ladies Amie Street page, you'll see some other, cheaper CDs like their Christmas/holiday album, most of whose songs you can buy for only $.18 each.

I don't know how far this dynamically priced online music retailing will go, but as a concept it is definitely something worth pursuing. Check out the "On the Beat" story here for more details on this and how Google may get into online music retailing as well. Plus "On the Beat" is a fantastic way to keep up on the goings on in the music industry.

Sonic Youth makes some new friends

To be really blunt about it, any band or musician who's not looking for new ways to distribute and sell their music is a complete fool. Going with a traditional, non-independent record company, though it's been seen as the ultimate break to get a contract, has never really been all that safe. And that's especially true today as record stores and the entire mechanism of selling physical copies of music have been suffering at the hand of diminishing CD sales.

So when Thurston Moore announced that it was going to distribute a Sonic Youth singles/hits compilation through Starbucks' Hear Music label, a few purists were apparently shocked and disgusted that a band that has always represented unbridled artistry in music could partner with such a blatant symbol of commercialism. Though I haven't seen any complaints myself, Billboard seemed eager to mention that there were plenty.

It seems like such a betrayal because unlike the Universal Music Group or so many large record companies, Starbucks is incredibly visible. In most cases,when people
buy music from a major label, they don't see themselves as buying the label's product. They just know they are buying the CD in their hands and rarely if ever notice the fine print saying who recorded, distributed, and owns the rights to the music. That's a sharp contrast to when people buy something from Starbucks where it's practically impossible to ignore the company colors, logos, and name all over the shop and its products. So it appears much more capitalistic when Sonic Youth plans to distribute its music through Starbucks.

Then there's the undeniable fact that the traditional paths that musicians use to promote their music are drying up. Terrestrial radio has been homogenous and unwilling to take any risks for at least the last ten years. The record store, especially the smaller, independent ones aren't faring very well financially. And due to the higher royalty rates Internet radio stations will have to pay starting today, it may become even more difficult to hear look for and hear new music.

Starbucks' Hear Music label has been wildly successful compared to the abovementioned sectors of the music industry, becoming part of a lifestyle brand under the Starbucks name. I can't say that I am a supporter of the idea of a Starbucks lifestyle brand, but It appears to be an effective way to introduce and distribute music to people that would be interested in discovering something new. In that case, it's hard to say that it's a bad thing from a purely musical standpoint.