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Myspace to Sell MP3s From Unsigned Bands
soldrinero writes "Yahoo! news is hosting a story about a new competitor to Apple's iTunes Music Store. Nearly all the other iTunes competitors have been strongly controlled by the music industry, shackled in DRM, and giving little back to artists. The new MySpace music store will feature vanilla MP3 downloads at prices set by the individual bands (3 million of them!), all or nearly all of whom are unsigned musicians with no industry affiliation. Is this the example we have all been waiting for of how the Internet will obviate the business model of the recording industry?"
No, it is well known in most advertising circles that word of mouth advertising is the most effective around. Especially, when dealing with the rebels, a real advertising campaign smacks of effort (he tries too hard, whatever !). If you're thinking of anything other than teen-pop (of the Hillary Duff flavour), that's probably half your market. And it does work too, very well.
All in all, myspace is looking for ways to leverage the community network. And IMHO, iTunes has proved that the first requirement for a store is a player :)
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur
While this might be true in the short term, think about how many are actually good at it that the music industry ignores? This will catch up with the music industry who often with money propel people to the top of charts that couldn't sing without electronic assistance if they tried.
Similarily, TV. A group of people could create a series of SciFi, comedy even sitcomms without a billion dollar budget and multimillion dollar CEO.
The entertainment industry fears this like the devil.
On the other hand i could see the Record Industry just sitting and watching to see which band seems to be doing the best and then bum-rush them with a contract for them to sign so the RIAA can cash in (as we know they so love to do) on this fresh artist (that already has a decent fan base). Basicly they are letting Myspace do all the hard work of promoting the band and they will swoop in at the end snag up the band and then squeeze every last penny out of them and us when the band release the studio record through them.
now if myspace really wanted to appeal to artist they should set up a recording studio and allow there artists they support to release records under their label.
it be a win for both seeing how the artist get a cheaper studio to produce in and release under and mysapce makes some extra cash flow....yeah i know it probly won't happen but its just an idea.
Through listening to various podcasts, such as "Insomnia Radio" and NPR's music show and some others, I've actually increased my music purchasing of these indie bands - especially when they were on the iTunes store.
Most of the bands that I hear through indie Podcasts have Myspace pages, and that would make it a *lot* easier to pick up their songs as MP3's - especially if they were decent quality (like 192 or above).
So I'd say that while the amount of music won't be as high as, say, Britney, for some bands it could be a take off point - though the real winner would be Myspace through good old Mr. Longtail.
Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.
52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
And when this service makes a dent in RIAA-controlled sales, how long will it be before the RIAA runs whining and crying to CONgress "They're taking away our PROFITS!!!" -- with the express idea of course of getting Congress to legitimise them as the only legal purveyor of music?
This is a big step, because it cuts out the Labels entirely. I'd love to see this grow, and I think with the popularity of MySpace, it's a real possibility. I won't buy an DRM encumbered music, because you're really only renting it. There's no guarantee that you'll be able to play that music in the future. For example, if you at any point stop paying your subscription, you won't be able to play that music on any other device, so at that point you'll only own that music for the life of the device.
This isn't the first legal music site that doesn't use DRM, though. eMusic also uses restriction-free MP3. It's a subscription model, rather than pay-as-you-download. They also don't carry most of the popular current bands, so if you're looking for the latest song on pop radio, you won't find it. They do carry lesser known artists, and their classical and jazz sections are actually very broad, including a lot of well known artists.
Netflix does the same thing, only they sign unsigned movies that play at Sundance and the like, and give them non-exclusive DVD distribution deals.
The real key? Once on Netflix, they get pushed as a new release over the recommendation mechanism. So, heard of or not, they get exposure and an audience quickly.
MySpace has nothing like that to push unsigned bands, except to offer a sales/download link from all pages using the song. Also, Netflix hand picks each indie film, whereas MySpace is not hand picking indie bands and their songs.
Honestly, I don't see the advantage here from the band's perspective. Selling a Vanilla mp3 is not hard for even the least qualified web tech using any e-commerce storefront. There's no DRM to fool with, so all you have to do is take an order, and offer a random url download or e-mail the MP3 directly to them. But, since its on the honor system, why not just let everyone download all the mp3's, and put up a paypal link as a "Tip Jar".
I8-D
I know what you're saying, but once it's sold, certain metrics can come into play. Now numbers of sales and downloads can be measured, which will help potential consumers and listeners ascertain what is good/bad/will be popular. When your giving something away, who cares how many are using the product? When it's being sold, these numbers start to take on a new significance.
SEO Copywriter. Just Say ON
Actually, I don't find iTunes easy to use at all. I spent a good two to three minutes trying to figure out how to add a podcast in iTunes. Eventually, I gave up and downloaded Juice. My podcast was downloading in Juice in less than I had spent mucking around with iTunes.
The only people I know who use iTunes are those that have iPods. The only reaosn I have iTunes is the damn thing comes pre-installed with Tiger.
Plenty of confusion here...people have already commented to clear up the DRM confusion, let's take a look at the industry:
1. The label signs the artist.
2. The label pays for expensive studio time.
3. The rep from the label contacts the program directors at radio stations to get airplay. Sending your demo tape to a station will not get you on the air...reps who offer tickets at concerts and coop opportunities for bigger artists get airplay (because payola is technically illegal).
4. The label pays for CD duplication, printing, distribution.
5. The label sends your CD to the music outlets.
6. The label arranges concerts, merchandising, etc to make you rich (because we all know artists make nearly nothing on the music itself).
In this day and age, computers and very inexpensive technology have somewhat eliminated the need for expensive studio time...but you can't cheap out on a real producer and real mastering engineer. Regardless, let's assume you have a decent recording. Instead of radio airplay, you go for popularity on myspace. You have no costs for CD duplication, printing, distribution or the need for agreements with music outlets. You arrange tshirt/mug/hat printing from an online business.
So...we're basically outdating the labels and the radio stations.
Exactly. DRM free music stores that sell unsigned artists aren't new, but they didn't have any mainstream reach. MySpace is probably the first that is big enough to actually make a dent.
I wonder what is going to happen to these unsigned songs when the band is signed and wants to use these songs in their first album. Will MySpace own the music?
emo kids have never been a joke to me. People are quick to joke about sentiments they used to have when younger, to further the gap between what they are now and what they once were. Everyone was fourteen once though, I've never seen what the problem with emo was.
Promote Charity on Myspace, Show Your Colours!
Just yesterday, my son (17) said that there still was music being made as good as classic rock, it's just that it is all underground by bands that no one has heard of. The kids are finding this stuff on MySpace and letting each other know about the good music...the word gets around. There are a lot of unsigned bands out there; it will all depend upon how good their music is. If they strike the right chord with other MySpace users, there is plenty of room to be successful in selling their wares.
Was MP3.com really that small? I know I bought loads of stuff from it before it got borgified.
FatPhil
Also FatPhil on SoylentNews, id 863
Most people just don't understand, though. The majors sign some very average bands (not usually bands that are completely awful) and some bands that have established track records. BUT the independent labels - you have to be a pretty good and proven band to get signed to any decent indie. I played in a pretty good band which released 4 albums and sold thousands, most of them at live shows. We still couldn't get signed to a label that we liked. The only bands I've seen signed are the ones who fell into it ass backwards and the ones who worked very hard for a long time. So the OP is correct. Most bands, including many good ones, have little hope of getting the kind of distribution that they crave. This is also the reason why people should seek out good "independent" and DIY bands if they are looking for good music. Once these bands receive some support and recognition, they can go a long way.
Nah, most know what an MP3 is. At least in concept at the most basic level. What they don't know is the difference between an MP3, WMA, M4A or M4P file. You're very right in saying that they don't know what DRM is, in the sense of calling it DRM anyways. Anyone who's actually encountered it (which you won't if it's working correctly) knows about it, though most don't know what it's called. I'd question the ability of MySpace to educate anyone, but I think it could help, especially if they take a slightly more aggressive stance ("When you buy music from iTunes, it has what's known as DRM that prevents you from playing it on anything but iTunes or your iPod. When you download from MyTuneSpace, it has no DRM which means you can play it wherever you want, however you want, and with no fear of it not working on your player.")
It's got potential. While I generally avoid MySpace at all costs, I've had a couple occasions where there was music written that I'd have been willing to pay a nominal fee for. The real problem here is that most bands are probably going to try charging too much, so hopefully MySpace will either have a cap or at the very least some guidelines, because overly high prices (ESPECIALLY among the typical myspace audience) WILL ensure a massive failure.
How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
This being mp3s and targeted at the P2P crowd, rest assured that they already now what to do with it.
The one thing that makes music distribution over the web difficult is the integration with the local computer for DRM purposes, which is where the iTMS really shines. Without the DRM issues, it's just another webstore that's been coded by thousands and used by millions. No problem there either.
The AC who posted this originally was right. You should read and adhere to these guidelines.
From http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/docs/HOWTO/Advoca cy.