When giving away music becomes the latest trend…
Giving away your music seems to be the latest trend. Is this the new direction of the music industry? If it is, three years from now when it becomes evident we’ll chat about how Prince, Radiohead, and Nine Inch Nails used their influence to bring this change.
It’s astonishing, really, to think about giving away music, and it’s no wonder it makes most record labels shiver in fear. Considering that it costs roughly $10,000 to record for two weeks in a professional studio, live shows and merchandise sales will need to recoup the loss. Fortunately, live entertainment sales are on an increase.
Over the past twelve months more and more independent bands began to give away their music. Whether they’re handing out back catalog material, b-sides, or their latest disc, this trend takes full advantage of the album leak. In May, the music blogging community took notice and compiled a list of free albums… free for the consumer, not for the bands or record labels fronting the bill.
Offering music as a give-away isn’t new. Free digital downloads were only available to music bloggers and the press. Now digital downloads are seen as a promotional tool on the consumer level, mainly to draw you to their live performances.
Here are few bands and projects that are willing to take the risk of embracing a new industry model:
A Brief Smile – Now We All Have Horns
A Brief Smile – Big Sky
Glossary – The Better Angels Of Our Nature
Glossary – Only Time Will Tell
The Crimea – Secrets Of The Witching Hour
The Crimea – The 48A Waiting Steps
The Soft Drugs – In Moderation
The Soft Drugs – The Pitch
Cross Pollination: The Mixtape Vol. 1
My Brightest Diamond – Hi Remember Me
John Vanderslice and Scott Solter – Pixel Revolt Remixes in Analog
John Vanderslice and Scott Solter – Plymouth Rock
Explosions In The Sky – The Rescue EP
Explosions In The Sky – Day Two
Beatradio – The Great Big Sea
Beatradio – Elegy