iTunes? Nahhhhhh

This weekend I moved. I mean MOVED. Somewhere in the process of moving one of the guys in my band called me up and proposed the idea of putting one of the songs off our new record on iTunes as sort of a "leak" type promotion. At first I thought it was a cool idea and told him we could talk later about it after I had put down the couch I was holding.

I started to think about it and putting 1 song on iTunes, while in theory is great, won't really do much for a band (unless your selling 50+ thousands of CD's).

What SHOULD a band do?

Help build that band/fan relationship! It's key! If you want to leak a song, put it up on your own website. That way the fans 1) don't have to pay for it and if they do YOU get all the money for it (don't give iTunes a cut for a "leaked" track) 2) you get a ton of traffic to your site because everyone loves free stuff and 3) it actually makes your fans happier getting it from YOUR site than iTunes because even though its online, they still feel like they're getting it directly from YOUR hands. Plus if it's on your site, they'll know YOU WANT THEM TO HAVE IT where as on iTunes they may not know who leaked the song or anything like that.

DIY
DIY
DIY.

-KR

Free is for Me...and You!

Free.

Free.

What does that mean to you? It's usually a good thing. Now how about this,

Free music.

Still a good thing right? I thought so. How about this,

Your music is free music.

Now I'm sure this isn't as good right? Why is it that some artists are freaking out about their music being free?

I am an artist myself and a few weeks ago I got into a healthy arguement with the owner of one of the clubs we play at who is also a good friend after a gig. My band, Highway Jackson, is about to release our second album and my good friend, we'll call him Joe the Club Owner, was very "passionate" about us selling our CD for at the very least $10. He kept saying, "But this music is AWESOME, you HAVE to sell it or you're not doing yourself justice, etc". Of course I thanked him for the kind words about our music (friends always have great things to say) but I also let him know that $10 was WAY to expensive for us to be selling ANYTHING.

Music will be free soon, whether it's ad-supported or through Lala or maybe even a different channel. Most of the uneducated public (in the music business) think they know a lot of things that usually prove to be false.

1. An independant artist who is up and coming should not be selling a CD for anything more than $5. That is for a FULL LENGTH ALBUM. Highway Jackson has 10 tracks, and $5 is the absolute most we will sell it for.

2. The CD, as in Compact Disc, is almost obsolete. The MP3 rules all and technology like the iPhone will make sure it stays that way. Bands used to press 1000 CD's at a time and now they only need to press 3-500 and sell the rest through digital distribution streams.

3. Part of the reason CD's used to cost so much was all the hidden fees and clauses included in a bands record contract. For example, the breakage clause. The breakage clause in a contract basically was created under the assumption that a record (45") could break during the distribution process, so the label would take a larger cut of the sales because THEY assumed the risk of sending the product out, thus making CD's a tad bit more expensive so the artists could get a fair cut of the profits. Now that most music is distributed digitally, clauses like the Breakage clause no longer are in effect (although at first record companies still tried to carry this clause over to digital sales...scumbags).

4. Common sense. If a kid goes to an all ages concert, chances are he/she doesn't have too much money. They already paid between $5-15 to get into concert, chances are if they have any money left it's not much. Make your album as cheap as possible especially at a live show. There is NO better time to get someone to buy your album than at a show. How tragic is it that a individual loves a band and thinks they'd like to hear their album and learn all the lyrics so they can be the ultimate fan only to find out that the album, which has 8 tracks is $10-12. That fan probably won't buy it because 1) they don't have enough money (most bands don't take plastic) and 2) they don't want to spend the money on a gamble, meaning they don't know if they'll like it or not. Make it cheap, if not free. 100 fans with your album for $2 is way better than 25 for $10. Nobody cares about how much money you made on your CD, they care about your fan base.

5. It's a lot easier to create a band/fan relationship with free music. For example, how great is it when a band emails a brand new mp3 right out of the studio to members of their fan club? The fan feels like the band cares about them (which they should).

On that note, never ever ever EVER play for free. Thats for another post.

Over and out!

-KR

Why Mariah has a better waiste-i mean Bass line than you

Have you ever wondered why you love "always be my baby" but not something off of Victor Wooten's "Ying and Yang"? It's a harsh reality that certain songs, because of certain sounds, get embedded into our brains. "Always be My Baby" by Mariah Carey, to me, has always been that perfect song. I'm not saying it's the only perfect pop song out there, but it's got all of the traits and qualities of that ideal hit.

You've got to look at it from a scientific standpoint. It's got the hook thats for sure. The bass line is the BEST part, and that 80's synth guitar line takes the cake. So next time your trying to write a KICK ASS pop song...think to your self, "Am I like Mariah with "Always be My Baby"? On FIIIIIIIREEEE!?"

Really though, you shouldn't.

Oh yeah hey Matt, remember when you told me iTunes wouldn't be the number one music retailer...you were wrong. If we weren't doing this damn Biggest Loser thing I'd make you buy me a jelly donut.

Saturday Run Down-Apple Corps stops Beatles Release, IRAA targets college students, eMusic accuses Apple of being anti-competitive

Because I was so busy Thursday and was unable to post, I'm making up for it with a Saturday Run Down. Crazy I know! So...here's the lastest:

• Apple Corps Sues To Stop Beatles Release...(Read Full Story)
• Anti-piracy war targets college students. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has long asserted that college students are the leading culprits in illegally downloading music. The organization contends that more than half of college students download music and movies illegally. (Old News)
• The online music store eMusic accused its rival Apple yesterday of being anti-competitive if it goes ahead with plans to bundle free access to its iTunes catalogue with every iPod music player it sells.(Check It)
  

Monday Run Down-Perez at SXSW, Surrge, Lady cries "It wasn't me!", and Major Labels keep trying...

• Last year when Perez Hilton showed up to SXSW he was a mere spectator. This year, with his new found power, he's a celebrity. Somebody shoot me...(Perez is a tool)
• Surrge, the hottest new brand in the business of online music, launches during South by Southwest this week. Ushering the music industry into the Web 2.0 world, Surrge is a social distribution network and music community that lets fans play a part in any given musical artist’s success. The Surrge experience is one where artists are promoted by their biggest fans; performance fees for music streams are finally paid; and access to target audiences pays off for fans and artists alike. By marrying social networking with music culture, the company is driving a new paradigm for music in the 21st Century. (Check it!)
• Tanya Andersen originally sued the Recording Industry Association of America after its representatives threatened to interrogate her young daughter if she didn't pay thousands of dollars for music that actually was downloaded by somebody else. Check out this lady's bogus claims here. I'm all for privacy and not letting government bodies investigate my life, but if someone was selling crack out of your living room, it really wouldn't matter if it was done by someone else if YOUR daughter was caught snorting it off the computer desk...while listening to illegally downloaded music of course.
• Major Labels considering ISP surcharge...(What's new?)

Friday Run Down-Music Subscription, Music Tax, has SXSW gone glam?

• Recording Industry calls for monetization without representation. This concept has been around for years now. Dave Kusek and Gerd Leonhard wrote The Future of Music and predicted this...though I still don't see it happening. (Check it)
• Industry looking to tax ISP's for piracy. (Bogus?)
• Has SXSW, the once "rebel" of festivals gone corporate and glam? And if so, is it a good thing? (Read more)