wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

with websites like grooveshark.com, anyone can stream high quality music at any point in time, without downloading it (and for some reason it's legal?). That technology combined with smart phones that allow an individual to always be connected to the internet means one thing:
the next generation will not pay for their music. They're not even going to download it. They'll just have it. Maybe the internet providers should pay the artists based on unique listens the way radio does through organizations like ASCAP. How hard could it be to monitor music streaming?

What an amazing coincidence. A few weeks ago after hearing one of Mos Def's cuts "Quiet Dog" I was inspired to create a graphic design for a shirt for the concept that popped in my head to represent the song. I've since created an entire line of designs around the "innocent" them that I came up with. I put the design up on my face book profile and was asked by some friends if it would be on a t-shirt. One suggested I submit the design to Mos Def for consideration for use as a cover design for the single of that song. I didn't do that, but I did put my design into a t shirt shop for sale. You can see the design (and purchase it) below.

Okay that morphed into an sales op. for me but it is a true story and very relevant to this article!

http://bit.ly/NWr4Y

I think a great marketing idea for musicians to sell their albums would be to present concert tickets to buyers with the purchase. Maybe the participating artists could agree to perform a separate "Album-Buyer" concert that is a little cheaper to put on so that the prices for the album will not be too high. Just a thought, because I can't think of any other thing that would persuade me, as a young adult, to buy albums instead of download them.

I think another advantage to creative novelty items getting sold with new music is grabbing fan focus and attention. with playlist websites like pandora and the shuffle function on ipods, disctracted music listeners are not as inclined to fully injest albums. Novelty tie ins give them a special flair.

Recently, I just purchased a limited edition release from Jonsi & Alex (Jonsi is the lead singer of Sigur Ros). Per the email announcement, the package includes "33 minutes of additional music, 40 page colouring book of Jonsi & Alex's artwork + box of pencils, a copy of the original 'Riceboy Sleeps' hardback fine art book, an enamel badge and, of course, the CD album. You also get an instant download of the album ahead of release.

100 of the boxes have been picked at random to include a mix tape of Jonsi and Alex' favorite songs, so if you are lucky you might get one."

All for $35.00. The pencils and badge are cute, but I am actually quite interested in their artwork and the fine art book.

Here's another perspective:
I grew up in the 1980s, thumbed through thousands of bins of LPs, CDs, cassettes and such in my life.

And you know what? MP3s are better. Much better. And I am happy to pay for the convenience.

And that's a point I think you are missing: People will pay for convenience which is an aspect of service. I will never pay any additional money to get a piece of "bric-a-brac" when all I want is the music.

As for folks obsessed with LPs and even 8-Tracks in 2009? You're all just a bunch of masochists. Listen to the music and get over the delivery method.

As usual, we'll be reading your comments during the show today. To break the ice, a confession: I'm the target market for this trend. I can't help but pay a premium for albums I could download for less on iTunes or Amazon.com.

I'm particularly weak when vinyl releases are paired with another format. Case in point: I paid $20 for Wilco's latest record, which comes packaged with a CD copy of the same album. Which format do I favor? Answer: Neither. I ripped the CD, and I just listen to the MP3s on my iPod.

I should add here that "Wilco (the Album)" retails for $9.99 on iTunes. To Jeff Tweedy, I say: You're welcome.