original article: http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2008/05/sigur-ros-releases-gobbledigook-as-free-download-t.html
Now that we are in the digital age, buying an album is a rare occasion for some music fans. Downloading whatever you want for no price is easy to do and has prevailed after over a decade. Musicians often need something special to appeal to those who normally do not buy their CDs. Along with that, people seem to flock when they see the glorious 4-letter-f-word: FREE. The new business model of free is making its way into the music industry, legally.
My favorite business model for album releases, aside from the whole LP being free, is a free song or two. Most bands announce to the press that in a month or two their new full length CD will be for sale; in the meantime, antsy fans can buy a single. Wise bands choose one of the strongest tracks and sell it on a disc, hoping to build the anticipation for the full album.
Some artists, like Icelandic band Sigur Ros know the power of the word "free." They announced on their website this past May that in one month, their fifth album would be released. In the meantime, anybody with Internet access was able to download the first track, "Gobbledigook," for no charge. This goofy sounding song intrigued many skeptics so much that they ended up downloading it just out of curiosity. Also, a fleshy music video was available for free download.
Some people saw this as foolishness; they could have sold thousands of copies of Gobbledigook. But by giving it away, it exposed more people to their music. When I browse on a music website like www.pitchfork.com or online music forums, most bands giving something away for free will get my attention. As stated in the book Music 2.0, exposure is the most important characteristic for a successful musician. Free music is perfect exposure.
The reason this is such a great business model is because it gives listeners a small taste and they will want more. The target group for this free sample would be listeners who are not planning on buying the album. Hearing a free song might be their first exposure to a certain musician and turning on a desire to hear more. This equates to potential increase in record and ticket sales. And one cannot deny the good karma musicians will get from their fans.
- Jordan Morsberger
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
This would save me a great deal of money. Because most of the time there is only one song I like in an album and if I really liked it I would buy the CD.
Post a Comment