-I don't like the idea of "pop-up" advertising when playing an mp3 because it assumes that people are unable to moderate themselves, and it's annoying.

I agree. Most MP3 players have a stock-ticker-like "readerboard" somewhere on them that lists the band's name, the song title, and copyright information; I was talking about adding contact/donation info to this existing source of information.

-I don't see why a band couldn't do this on a record label. A lot of bands aren't interested in finding ways to distribute their record or whatever, and it seems like labels are good at doing that for them. The label shouldn't have a problem with the model, they'll still be making their money.

If a record label and record stores are making their money, there's not going to be a noticeable difference in the cost per LP/CD. Part of your original model was that the audience, if it felt the band deserved it, would donate to the band the $ saved on cheap CDs and records. CDs and records can't be cheap if they're sold by a label to a distributor to a record store.

-I don't see the need for a "massive audience." I think this is as scalable as anything else. If you are a small band, you don't make money whether you follow the standard or donation model. As you get larger you make more, in both cases.

I agree. I can't remember now why I thought this.

Intern, your ideas are intruiging to me. Perhaps we could discuss them over a candle-lit dinner and some Manishevits? I give good back rubs.

by the way intern, i was researching this idea recently. do you remember when steven king started offering chapters of his newest books as he was writing them online? he would say "here is the a new chapter from a book i am working on, it's free to download, all that i ask is that you send three dollars out of the goodness of your heart... you can send check/cash/money order to ____________."

something like several thousand or tens of thousands of people downloaded it.

300 send 3 dollars.

:-/ that's with steven fucking king.

you have a point mr. intern.


i'm still intrigued and would like to see your full plan laid out in graphic detail.

Utopia always burns. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Gudmornin'. Should we be concerned with mp3's disposability and lack of permanence when we are talking about strictly consumer issues? It seems that the current climate of disposable, easily digestible "art" (for wont of a better generic hyponym) is more a product of the innate industrial desire for increased rates of production and consumption. Those who are concerned with the aesthetics of packaging, along with those for whom quality of sund reproduction and permanance of signal, will always search for the kind of product which fills these criteria. It will almost certainly be increasingly difficult to find (or for record labels to produce) this type of musical packaging. Nonetheless, it seems more than likely that the record collectors and aesthetes of this planet will always support their own, and produce music for the purpose of this 'total' experience (again not for financial gain). Playing in a band in Australia, it is more difficult than for most of you bodz in the nthn hemisphere, as we have very little hope of actually getting a vinyl product (let alone a CD product) released and properly promoted anyway. We're going to, as a band, continue to shove mp3s of recordings we've done on our site for a couple of reasons. One, we've spent a lot of time burning copies of our 'demo cd' for promoters, radio stations, etc. and it just seems easier to direct them to the website. Besides, most of the time, we're just trying to bring punters to our gigs so they might see a direct, live, more energetic version of the song. Does anyone care if a few major labels (allegedly) lose a little money? Who cares about the deluded rants of members of bands like Metallica and Limp Bizkit whose tenuous positions within the bowels of the mutli-nationals depend very much upon sales? Does anyone know of any indie bands or labels who have lost money or sales due to mp3?

I also download songs off albums that have been long unavailable in Australia. Try and find a copy of Crain's Heater, or Bitch Magnet's Ben Hur down here!! Not easy. Even still, the mp3 is a poor replacement for the real thing and i generally listen to them while at work. Neither Crain nor Bitch Magnet are still around (in any incarnations i'm aware of, hope i'm wrong), and they would not receive any money from any purchase i made of one of their albums.

There really doesn't seem to be any real threat posed by the mp3. In fact, i'm thinking that the iPod and other mp3 file players are the new compilation tape of the 21st cench.
Cheers.

has anyone seen the new series K Street on HBO? good banter on the RIAA, P2P issue.