Recently in the past weeks, I had been approached by bands asking about where, how, and the what-to-do-next questions on CD replication and distribution.
My presumption is that these questions were asked not because these bands don’t believe that the CD industry is dying but perhaps because they lack faith in online distribution. Or at least, they don’t understand the commercial and economic advantages of it completely.
I don’t blame them. This is Cebu and we are in the Philippines.
From what I have observed, it appears to be a bit more difficult to just digest the concept overnight of considering online distribution more than pressing CDs if one’s perspective and intention to sell music is limited only to a national audience.
But let me try and display in words the new basic platform in today’s behavior in music buying.
It is a fact that today’s fans do not buy albums in the same way as they did in the past decades. This is because today’s technology allows bands and fans to share or sell singles first before ever bringing the entire album out.
This not-so-new trade becomes an easy deal between the artist and fans.
While it is important in any endeavor to set goals (and foresight is king), it is also important to acknowledge that things change all the time. Because of the internet and media players like iPods and mobile phones, the buying habits of people changed with it.
The constant here however, is adhering to the idea of bringing forth one song at a time. Yes – one song at a time just as how the singles in the 60s and 70s were done in vinyl records.
Unless if you have a huge fanbase, music buyers generally remember songs not albums. Sometimes, they don’t even care about the artist at all.
So why spend money on pressing CDs if you can launch the entire album online? This way, you are making multiple ends meet – (1) you have an album, (2) you don’t spend that much, (3) it removes the trouble of shipping costs and labor, (4) and most importantly, you are allowing your fans the option to buy on a per song basis – a huge plus.
Another advantage with singles is that if you’re an unsigned band, you can now freely move around for gigs without having to carry CDs with you. Just play and tell the audience your songs – I repeat SONGS, not album – can be found online.
Or how about bringing a laptop in your gigs and have someone take charge. Tell the people who may be interested in your songs that they can have a free MP3 transfer to their media players.
Another option is by giving out CDs with say 3 of your songs for free in your gigs. Put the URLs in the CD jacket so people could check out the rest of your music online. Of course this involves cost.
There could be more innovative ideas. Be bold. Be brave. Be creative. Be always open to options. If one idea fails, move on to the next. If it succeeds, embrace it. I think this should be the indie mantra.
The consumer’s general priority today is to know first the value of what they hope to buy.
Globalization is about retail. Singles are retail goods from the album. Sell them piece by piece. Heck you can give these singles for free if you want to. Your fans will love it and you'll get the biggest smile at the end of the day.
Some may think that perhaps giving out your songs for free may seem like you are stealing your own music. Perhaps your fans will do the same. But just because people can steal music doesn’t mean you cannot sell them anymore.
Showing posts with label music downloads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music downloads. Show all posts
Friday, October 10, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Which Is Better? CDs or Downloadable MP3s?
The very first medium used in music distribution and sold to the public was just music sheets in the 1800s. These sheets were sent out to entertainment production outfits and performed in variety shows called vaudevilles. More than a century later, music’s physical medium had evolved into plastic formats we commonly refer to as compact discs.
More than a decade today, it’s evolved into intangible digital downloads.
Now, a band from Cagayan de Oro emailed me a couple of weeks ago asking about my opinion on the pros and cons between CDs and downloadable MP3s. I decided to post a huge portion of that email below (verbatim):
Which would you rather prefer?
Artists selling their albums at a more expensive price with a superior CD quality (i.e. pressed CDs/printed CDs)?
or
Artists selling their albums at a least expensive price but with a lesser CD quality (i.e. CDRs/burned CDs) but with an album full of songs that would use up the entire 80min CDr?
My take for this one is that in the advent of MP3 players and Ipods, people usually just rip the CD's songs to MP3 formats and play it in their mp3 players, leaving the CD in their cabinets gathering dust. So in my opinion, less and less people will be using the CDs. So having a superior quality CD is no longer important if this would be the case. People would just rip it, transfer it in their Mp3 players.
I am asking this question because we have plans in releasing a new album. And we are thinking of using this line of positioning. More Songs for a lesser price but using CDrs only. Cds would be sold maybe around P150-200/CD. Compared to pressed CDs which are now being sold at P280-300/CD.
Answer : I don’t see the point why one should give out music of inferior quality. The listeners ergo the fans want good quality music. Period. Give them what is for them and what makes them happy. Why compromise the quality when you can provide the best?
Today, I think what is most important to the music fans is not the album but the songs. If you are a music collector, I’m sure you have experienced buying an album with 14 songs worth and only 1 or 2 fit in your eardrums. (Labels have learned this painfully over the years and yet they lose nothing because it's always charged back to the artists against their royalties).
A perfect example here is Extreme’s worldwide hit “More Than Words” in the late 80’s. When the song hit the airwaves, the album moved into music players and up the charts. The bad news was that the consumers discovered the chartbuster as the only good track in the album. In fact, the rest of the tracks didn’t “gel” with the single.
Buyers of that album returned the merchandise to the stores and the store owners shipped it back to the label's warehouse (some record stores even posted a note on their wall saying WE DO NOT ACCEPT RETURNS OF EXTREME ALBUM - it must've been that bad).
You see, before you even think about putting more songs in a CD, deciding between a pressed format and a burned CDR, think about the quality of your music inside and out first. Since ultimately, it's the fans who have the control in deciding on buying your songs (IF they like it), you now have an opportunity to understand how your music should be presented to them.
I understand that your band is also acting as your own record label. Since this is the case, one of the ways to build a strong and huge fanbase is to give your fans what they like to hear, not what you want them to have. You are right - a CD may collect dust in the end. But still, do not compromise quality.
Now people would just say why not purchase the song via download? I think if you download 1 song, it would cost you around P20-30/song. And as an artist, i still can't find a way to reconcile how we would be able to monitor the downloads and be assured that we are getting the right numbers from the dowloading service providers. But if we are selling the CDs, then we would be able to keep hold of our physical inventories and our number of units sold. And if we would be consuming the 80min CDr, then that would give us around 17-18 songs which if you would compute it by the price of the CD that we are selling, it would cost you something like P11-12 per song. So still very much cheaper than what the downloading service providers are giving.
Answer : The quality between CDs and music downloads are, unless all fans have trained ears, practically the same. In fact, no matter what medium – vinyl, CD, cassette tapes – the consumer’s experience is enjoyed because of the song, not because of the medium. The medium is just the material aspect being made available to the public at a time.
Whichever medium you choose to distribute, the consumer ultimately decides whether they like your song or not. It’s another decision for them whether to buy your songs or not. And then another decision whether to buy the entire album. Bottom line is it’s not your role to worry about how much the consumer can spend.
I sense that the issue here is more about financial investment. In which case, and if I am correct about this presumption, I’d recommend that you sell your music via TuneCore.com. Believe me, it works. Just make sure you read the FAQs religiously.
If you worry about inventories, believe me, it’s probably the most boring and the most gruesome task in any distribution business. That's what labels are for. It's one of their main services. Unless you are willing to compromise your time for creativity, you wouldn’t like it.
Another thing is that by producing CDs instead of just having it available for downloads, we are giving graphic designers/Artists a chance to promote their works by giving them an opportunity to design our album's packaging.
Answer : Hmmm… this is a good point to consider. Or maybe it would be more fun if the artists that work for you work on a voluntary or for-the-love-of-it basis instead of promising them promotional benefits. It can be difficult not to build expectations around your goals and vice versa so if you can, try to keep everyone away from this probable negative outcome.
So there… I guess my general answer is that it’s really up to you. When the CD medium was first introduced, there was resistance but eventually it caught up. Now, they are fast becoming obsolete (but maybe I’m wrong).
The evolution of music was from paper to tapes to vinyls to tapes to plastic compact discs to MP3s...
Today, professionally pressed CDs cost about P35,000 - P60,000, and maybe even more - just to make for 500 pcs excluding shipping cost (since you are in Cagayan de Oro).
While downloadable MP3s are apparently becoming the new music business model. No frills, no shipping hassles, less cost, etc. All you have to do is simply trust the website you are working with... now that's another issue isn't it?
More than a decade today, it’s evolved into intangible digital downloads.
Now, a band from Cagayan de Oro emailed me a couple of weeks ago asking about my opinion on the pros and cons between CDs and downloadable MP3s. I decided to post a huge portion of that email below (verbatim):
Which would you rather prefer?
Artists selling their albums at a more expensive price with a superior CD quality (i.e. pressed CDs/printed CDs)?
or
Artists selling their albums at a least expensive price but with a lesser CD quality (i.e. CDRs/burned CDs) but with an album full of songs that would use up the entire 80min CDr?
My take for this one is that in the advent of MP3 players and Ipods, people usually just rip the CD's songs to MP3 formats and play it in their mp3 players, leaving the CD in their cabinets gathering dust. So in my opinion, less and less people will be using the CDs. So having a superior quality CD is no longer important if this would be the case. People would just rip it, transfer it in their Mp3 players.
I am asking this question because we have plans in releasing a new album. And we are thinking of using this line of positioning. More Songs for a lesser price but using CDrs only. Cds would be sold maybe around P150-200/CD. Compared to pressed CDs which are now being sold at P280-300/CD.
Answer : I don’t see the point why one should give out music of inferior quality. The listeners ergo the fans want good quality music. Period. Give them what is for them and what makes them happy. Why compromise the quality when you can provide the best?
Today, I think what is most important to the music fans is not the album but the songs. If you are a music collector, I’m sure you have experienced buying an album with 14 songs worth and only 1 or 2 fit in your eardrums. (Labels have learned this painfully over the years and yet they lose nothing because it's always charged back to the artists against their royalties).
A perfect example here is Extreme’s worldwide hit “More Than Words” in the late 80’s. When the song hit the airwaves, the album moved into music players and up the charts. The bad news was that the consumers discovered the chartbuster as the only good track in the album. In fact, the rest of the tracks didn’t “gel” with the single.
Buyers of that album returned the merchandise to the stores and the store owners shipped it back to the label's warehouse (some record stores even posted a note on their wall saying WE DO NOT ACCEPT RETURNS OF EXTREME ALBUM - it must've been that bad).
You see, before you even think about putting more songs in a CD, deciding between a pressed format and a burned CDR, think about the quality of your music inside and out first. Since ultimately, it's the fans who have the control in deciding on buying your songs (IF they like it), you now have an opportunity to understand how your music should be presented to them.
I understand that your band is also acting as your own record label. Since this is the case, one of the ways to build a strong and huge fanbase is to give your fans what they like to hear, not what you want them to have. You are right - a CD may collect dust in the end. But still, do not compromise quality.
Now people would just say why not purchase the song via download? I think if you download 1 song, it would cost you around P20-30/song. And as an artist, i still can't find a way to reconcile how we would be able to monitor the downloads and be assured that we are getting the right numbers from the dowloading service providers. But if we are selling the CDs, then we would be able to keep hold of our physical inventories and our number of units sold. And if we would be consuming the 80min CDr, then that would give us around 17-18 songs which if you would compute it by the price of the CD that we are selling, it would cost you something like P11-12 per song. So still very much cheaper than what the downloading service providers are giving.
Answer : The quality between CDs and music downloads are, unless all fans have trained ears, practically the same. In fact, no matter what medium – vinyl, CD, cassette tapes – the consumer’s experience is enjoyed because of the song, not because of the medium. The medium is just the material aspect being made available to the public at a time.
Whichever medium you choose to distribute, the consumer ultimately decides whether they like your song or not. It’s another decision for them whether to buy your songs or not. And then another decision whether to buy the entire album. Bottom line is it’s not your role to worry about how much the consumer can spend.
I sense that the issue here is more about financial investment. In which case, and if I am correct about this presumption, I’d recommend that you sell your music via TuneCore.com. Believe me, it works. Just make sure you read the FAQs religiously.
If you worry about inventories, believe me, it’s probably the most boring and the most gruesome task in any distribution business. That's what labels are for. It's one of their main services. Unless you are willing to compromise your time for creativity, you wouldn’t like it.
Another thing is that by producing CDs instead of just having it available for downloads, we are giving graphic designers/Artists a chance to promote their works by giving them an opportunity to design our album's packaging.
Answer : Hmmm… this is a good point to consider. Or maybe it would be more fun if the artists that work for you work on a voluntary or for-the-love-of-it basis instead of promising them promotional benefits. It can be difficult not to build expectations around your goals and vice versa so if you can, try to keep everyone away from this probable negative outcome.
So there… I guess my general answer is that it’s really up to you. When the CD medium was first introduced, there was resistance but eventually it caught up. Now, they are fast becoming obsolete (but maybe I’m wrong).
The evolution of music was from paper to tapes to vinyls to tapes to plastic compact discs to MP3s...
Today, professionally pressed CDs cost about P35,000 - P60,000, and maybe even more - just to make for 500 pcs excluding shipping cost (since you are in Cagayan de Oro).
While downloadable MP3s are apparently becoming the new music business model. No frills, no shipping hassles, less cost, etc. All you have to do is simply trust the website you are working with... now that's another issue isn't it?
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Questions About Free Music Downloads
My good friend Tonet, a music fan herself popped me a series of questions about The Charlatans' move to having their music downloaded for free. Thanks bai for approving my request to post this.
Here goes:
pinayangel899: bai question
ian_zafra00: go :)
pinayangel899: the charlatans released their new album...
pinayangel899: and you can download it for free
pinayangel899: what do they get out of it?
ian_zafra00: based on ur question, nothing
ian_zafra00: better and larger fanbase i guess
pinayangel899: eh diba malaki ren ang gastos ng recording
ian_zafra00: good question
ian_zafra00: well nowadays recording really comes cheaper everyday
ian_zafra00: if the band has their own equipment already and if they have a good software, PC, professional speakers and microphones... they can do the recording anywhere
ian_zafra00: i guess that solves their problem on the cost of recording
ian_zafra00: so now they can afford to give it away for free
ian_zafra00: that's just my guess bai
ian_zafra00: based sa questions mo
pinayangel899: another thing...if its a really good album, sayang naman if they're just giving it away.
pinayangel899: honestly, nasabi ko "what were they thinking?!"
pinayangel899: weird lang. ikaw, would you do something like that? full album? curious lang.
ian_zafra00: i dont have the exact answer to that question but this is my guess
ian_zafra00: perhaps the band isn't aiming for albums sales anymore
ian_zafra00: they're sort of "pirating" their own music in the hope of translating it to ticket sales instead of CDs
ian_zafra00: because the truth is that even when the artist sold 4 million copies, the label would still claim that they had to recoup the cost
ian_zafra00: so what's the point of sale?
ian_zafra00: bands go for live performances these days i suppose
ian_zafra00: and they can sell CDs there for the CD collectors
ian_zafra00: i suppose that's the new music business model every band and their management is adapting
pinayangel899: sabagay. pero parang here in pinas, it's hard to do that. or siguro hindi pa ready ang pinas for that.
ian_zafra00: i wouldn't know... nobody tried
ian_zafra00: or maybe nobody wanted to at least risk the possibility of bankruptcy
ian_zafra00: because finding a good band can be difficult too
pinayangel899: madaming reasons. madami din factors.
pinayangel899: yeah isa pa yan
ian_zafra00: surprisingly A&R's don't sign up bands that had been in the music scene for a long time
ian_zafra00: A&R's may think that it's either the band has no market value or there really is something wrong with them because they haven't succeed in any way
ian_zafra00: that's why many bands would opt for indie
ian_zafra00: unlike before na limited lang talaga ang mga A&R's ngayon, andami na bai
ian_zafra00: and they compete between labels too
ian_zafra00: unlike before when A&R's would just go to bars to look for fresh talents, ngayon they sign up bands because of their already established fanbase
pinayangel899: easier for them
ian_zafra00: yes
pinayangel899: less work for promotion
ian_zafra00: yes
pinayangel899: napansin ko ren yun
ian_zafra00: but then technology has been good to all of us
ian_zafra00: so hence the recording comes cheaper
pinayangel899: si clem owns a macbook
pinayangel899: he does his demos dun
ian_zafra00: bands don't need advanced royalties anymore to record
pinayangel899: i asked him if he plugs his guitar sa computer
pinayangel899: hindi na daw pero ang ganda ng tunog pa din
pinayangel899: pero pwede nga yung sinasabi mo with his computer
ian_zafra00: yes
ian_zafra00: record labels are basically entities that grant loans to artists (that is if they qualify) in the form of advanced royalties
pinayangel899: ang hirap din pala if you're signed up
pinayangel899: kasi parang mas madami yung hati hati tapos mas mahal ata ang tax.
pinayangel899: tama ba?
ian_zafra00: uh... maybe
ian_zafra00: the money is supposed to be used for recording
ian_zafra00: kasi before (and because of this system)... bands believe that the major record companies are the only ones who can do the record for them
ian_zafra00: not anymore
ian_zafra00: because everything else comes cheap
ian_zafra00: the charlatans is a relatively established band with a good following and i think that's where the band is investing themselves into
ian_zafra00: they want to satisfy their fans
ian_zafra00: because one of these days, they want to go them and play
ian_zafra00: and that's probably where thay can earn later on
ian_zafra00: just my guess
ian_zafra00: bai question
pinayangel899: sabagay yeah
pinayangel899: ano yun?
ian_zafra00: would you mind if i post this in my blog?
pinayangel899: which one?
pinayangel899: ah
pinayangel899: no
pinayangel899: ok lang
ian_zafra00: this entire talk
ian_zafra00: what no? hahaha
ian_zafra00: or ok lang?
pinayangel899: ok lang
pinayangel899: i dont mind
ian_zafra00: sige sige thanks bai
pinayangel899: http://www.xfm.co.uk/news/2008/download-charlatans-new-album-for-free
pinayangel899: may interview ren kasi
ian_zafra00: sige sige thank you talaga :)
ian_zafra00: this is gonna be a big help to some bands
Here goes:
pinayangel899: bai question
ian_zafra00: go :)
pinayangel899: the charlatans released their new album...
pinayangel899: and you can download it for free
pinayangel899: what do they get out of it?
ian_zafra00: based on ur question, nothing
ian_zafra00: better and larger fanbase i guess
pinayangel899: eh diba malaki ren ang gastos ng recording
ian_zafra00: good question
ian_zafra00: well nowadays recording really comes cheaper everyday
ian_zafra00: if the band has their own equipment already and if they have a good software, PC, professional speakers and microphones... they can do the recording anywhere
ian_zafra00: i guess that solves their problem on the cost of recording
ian_zafra00: so now they can afford to give it away for free
ian_zafra00: that's just my guess bai
ian_zafra00: based sa questions mo
pinayangel899: another thing...if its a really good album, sayang naman if they're just giving it away.
pinayangel899: honestly, nasabi ko "what were they thinking?!"
pinayangel899: weird lang. ikaw, would you do something like that? full album? curious lang.
ian_zafra00: i dont have the exact answer to that question but this is my guess
ian_zafra00: perhaps the band isn't aiming for albums sales anymore
ian_zafra00: they're sort of "pirating" their own music in the hope of translating it to ticket sales instead of CDs
ian_zafra00: because the truth is that even when the artist sold 4 million copies, the label would still claim that they had to recoup the cost
ian_zafra00: so what's the point of sale?
ian_zafra00: bands go for live performances these days i suppose
ian_zafra00: and they can sell CDs there for the CD collectors
ian_zafra00: i suppose that's the new music business model every band and their management is adapting
pinayangel899: sabagay. pero parang here in pinas, it's hard to do that. or siguro hindi pa ready ang pinas for that.
ian_zafra00: i wouldn't know... nobody tried
ian_zafra00: or maybe nobody wanted to at least risk the possibility of bankruptcy
ian_zafra00: because finding a good band can be difficult too
pinayangel899: madaming reasons. madami din factors.
pinayangel899: yeah isa pa yan
ian_zafra00: surprisingly A&R's don't sign up bands that had been in the music scene for a long time
ian_zafra00: A&R's may think that it's either the band has no market value or there really is something wrong with them because they haven't succeed in any way
ian_zafra00: that's why many bands would opt for indie
ian_zafra00: unlike before na limited lang talaga ang mga A&R's ngayon, andami na bai
ian_zafra00: and they compete between labels too
ian_zafra00: unlike before when A&R's would just go to bars to look for fresh talents, ngayon they sign up bands because of their already established fanbase
pinayangel899: easier for them
ian_zafra00: yes
pinayangel899: less work for promotion
ian_zafra00: yes
pinayangel899: napansin ko ren yun
ian_zafra00: but then technology has been good to all of us
ian_zafra00: so hence the recording comes cheaper
pinayangel899: si clem owns a macbook
pinayangel899: he does his demos dun
ian_zafra00: bands don't need advanced royalties anymore to record
pinayangel899: i asked him if he plugs his guitar sa computer
pinayangel899: hindi na daw pero ang ganda ng tunog pa din
pinayangel899: pero pwede nga yung sinasabi mo with his computer
ian_zafra00: yes
ian_zafra00: record labels are basically entities that grant loans to artists (that is if they qualify) in the form of advanced royalties
pinayangel899: ang hirap din pala if you're signed up
pinayangel899: kasi parang mas madami yung hati hati tapos mas mahal ata ang tax.
pinayangel899: tama ba?
ian_zafra00: uh... maybe
ian_zafra00: the money is supposed to be used for recording
ian_zafra00: kasi before (and because of this system)... bands believe that the major record companies are the only ones who can do the record for them
ian_zafra00: not anymore
ian_zafra00: because everything else comes cheap
ian_zafra00: the charlatans is a relatively established band with a good following and i think that's where the band is investing themselves into
ian_zafra00: they want to satisfy their fans
ian_zafra00: because one of these days, they want to go them and play
ian_zafra00: and that's probably where thay can earn later on
ian_zafra00: just my guess
ian_zafra00: bai question
pinayangel899: sabagay yeah
pinayangel899: ano yun?
ian_zafra00: would you mind if i post this in my blog?
pinayangel899: which one?
pinayangel899: ah
pinayangel899: no
pinayangel899: ok lang
ian_zafra00: this entire talk
ian_zafra00: what no? hahaha
ian_zafra00: or ok lang?
pinayangel899: ok lang
pinayangel899: i dont mind
ian_zafra00: sige sige thanks bai
pinayangel899: http://www.xfm.co.uk/news/2008/download-charlatans-new-album-for-free
pinayangel899: may interview ren kasi
ian_zafra00: sige sige thank you talaga :)
ian_zafra00: this is gonna be a big help to some bands
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