#287892 - 06/10/2006 23:45
How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
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pooh-bah
Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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While listening to the entire South By South West (06 and 05), I created a list of 40 or so songs "worth looking into". Next step, buy CDs from those indie artists. My intentions are both to get good music and to stick it to the major-label radio-song disposable-artist factories by supporting their truely tallented competition.
Question is, how can I get the most of my money into the pockets of the artists and those who help deliver their music? So far, I've purchased indie CDs from the bands official site or to whomever they link to as their official store. Prices are decent (but, of course, I'm giving my credit card to many potentially vulnerable smaller vendors).
Or should I just buy the CDs from Amazon, where I can get many of them on one order with no shipping charge? Do my dollars get to the artists/producers/label the same either way?
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#287893 - 07/10/2006 03:44
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: FireFox31]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 23/09/2000
Posts: 3608
Loc: Minnetonka, MN
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I would guess getting the CD from them at a show or their website would give them the most money but it wouldn't be a lot of work for you 
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Matt
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#287894 - 07/10/2006 04:01
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: msaeger]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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Haha, yeah, it's enough work just trying to find these artists and the CD which contains the song from the SXSW comp. After a few hours of searching, an artist site directed me to CD Baby, a vast repository of artists who make "indie" look like common radio stars. CD Baby brilliant browsing features (by genre/subgenre, mood, "type", locality, and combinations of them). It also has generous and quality audio clips of these obscure artists. Sadly, their search is (intentionally?) loose, often returning 50 results even if yours isn't in there. But the cost of CD Baby vs. Amazon. CD Baby had 3 CDs from my list and another site had the 1 which brought me to this project in the first place. Total, $52 before shipping. But Amazon had those 4 CDs and 3 others; 7 CDs for a total of $45. The trick? Used CDs from Amazon. Now, that doesn't support the artist and I'll probably be getting promos (barcode punched) which aren't supposed to be sold (I worked in a record store one summer). Trouble is, buying from 5 used CD vendors might kill me on shipping, eh? [edit] Yup, $2.60 per CD for items not from Amazon, with no shipping combination. Brings the total to $58 for some less than legit CDs. Think I'll buy from CDBaby.[/edit] So, tough call. I don't mind used CDs or promos, I like getting more for less, and it makes it easier to take a risk on these random bands. But I'd like to support them, hopefully.
Edited by FireFox31 (07/10/2006 04:09)
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#287895 - 07/10/2006 04:31
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: FireFox31]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31600
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Yes, many indie artists are using CD Baby. They have a pretty decent deal for artists. They're quickly becoming the online distributor of choice. And, artists who sign up with CD baby also have the option to have their tunes made available for sale via iTunes, with just a few mouse clicks. You really can't beat that.
With the RIAA being such assholes these last few years, I've been waxing philosophical about the future of the record industry. I'm starting to think that future is CD Baby + iTunes.
If you're serious about making sure the artists get your money, purchase things in this order of preference:
- With cash, directly handed to the artist themselves.
- Via the artist's own web site.
- Via CD Baby
Buying from amazon will not get much money, if any, to the artists.
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#287896 - 07/10/2006 04:49
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: tfabris]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 23/09/2000
Posts: 3608
Loc: Minnetonka, MN
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I want to see the day when the artists just produce and sell the music themselves with no middle man.
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Matt
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#287897 - 07/10/2006 11:08
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: msaeger]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
I want to see the day when the artists just produce and sell the music themselves with no middle man.
You mean, like BNL is today today?
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#287898 - 07/10/2006 12:16
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: FireFox31]
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veteran
Registered: 21/03/2002
Posts: 1424
Loc: MA but Irish born
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#287899 - 07/10/2006 13:01
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: FireFox31]
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Quote:
How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
Download it for free, and then mail them a check.
Of course, you would still be violating the record company's copyright, but who cares.
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#287900 - 07/10/2006 13:11
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: ]
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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BTW, I'm willing to bet that the artists who sign with big record company's make tons more than the ones who strike out on their own. So I wouldn't really feel too sorry for them. While the artists are the ones making the great music, the record company makes it sell, so they are providing a lot for the artists.
Who's gonna make more money?
- that local indie band that plays the best music you've ever heard.
- the pop princess with crappy songs that get played on MTV and on the radio 24/7, and has CD's in every music store in North America, west Europe, and Japan.
Edited by Billy (07/10/2006 13:13)
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#287901 - 07/10/2006 15:23
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: ]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Two extremes don't make the whole spectrum. There are a lot of middling popularity bands with big label contracts who never see a dime from record sales due to gross avarice on the record company's part. Read this article.
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Bitt Faulk
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#287902 - 08/10/2006 04:15
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: msaeger]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31600
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Quote:
I want to see the day when the artists just produce and sell the music themselves with no middle man.
I think CDBaby gets as close as possible to that.
Right now, many artists can and do fully produce and sell the music themselves. Most of the artists selling on CDBaby are doing just that. CDBaby is merely a billing/shipping/handling house for them.
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#287903 - 08/10/2006 04:21
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: ]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31600
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Quote:
I'm willing to bet that the artists who sign with big record company's make tons more than the ones who strike out on their own.
Not always.
Quote:
the record company makes it sell, so they are providing a lot for the artists.
Yes, the promotion machine is what they pay the record companies to do. But I think the record industry has become too bloated, and these days people discover new music in ways that circumvent the record company marketing machine entirely. I believe that, in the future, people will discover new music because their MP3 player tracks which songs are the most-played, then their computer will offer them samples of similar artists the next time they synch.
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#287904 - 08/10/2006 06:51
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: tfabris]
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veteran
Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Quote:
I believe that, in the future, people will discover new music because their MP3 player tracks which songs are the most-played, then their computer will offer them samples of similar artists the next time they synch.
Unfortunately leading them to only listen to "similar" music.
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#287905 - 08/10/2006 11:33
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: julf]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
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I know some folks that use CDBaby and Amazon for credit card and internet sales. Both bands are happy with the arrangement, but I think CDBaby does charge less of a percentage. As for how people find out about new music, I would assume that would be as it has always been - hearing it from a friend / radio / movie, etc. and tracking it down. Digital technology merely makes it easier to share music with people instead of having to make tapes. I do not think that will change much as the technology changes. Edit: Yes, those links were blatant plugs of two local indie bands I like...
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200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs
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#287906 - 08/10/2006 11:35
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: FireFox31]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2858
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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Just to add another vote for CD Baby, as a band that was the 2nd best way to sell CDs for us. The first best way was buying direct from our website, but not all bands have that option. One really cool model- the indie band Copper lets you name your own price for their CD, you can download the whole thing (DRMed, unfortunately), and as long as you pay more than a certain abount ($7, I think?) they send you the CD as well. Intant gratification, plus the physical product as well. And I know for a fact they get the vast majority of the sales (only a small percentage goes to the web site and distributor).
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-Jeff
Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings; they did it by killing all those who opposed them.
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#287908 - 08/10/2006 16:15
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: tfabris]
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addict
Registered: 24/07/2002
Posts: 618
Loc: South London
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There's a good interview with Steve Albini on about this sort of thing and "percentage points".
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#287909 - 08/10/2006 17:23
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: Robotic]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Interesting. I was part of an online initiative (people-driven) back in the early 90's called Romeo which you could use to find music you'd be interested in based on existing listening habits and ratings. For the time (this is well before the web), it was huge. I can't even remember how it was used, telnet or email...
Bruno
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#287910 - 08/10/2006 18:46
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: tfabris]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Wow. I like how Courtney completely ripped off Steve Albini's essay, even using some of the same examples, without giving him any credit at all.
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Bitt Faulk
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#287911 - 08/10/2006 18:47
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: sn00p]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Quote:
There's a good interview with Steve Albini on about this sort of thing and "percentage points".
Which is what I linked.
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Bitt Faulk
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#287912 - 11/10/2006 01:02
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: hybrid8]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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I ultimately bought from both Amazon and CD Baby. Got the "big budget indie" CDs ( Kaki King and The Decemberists) from Amazon, not wanting the hassle of using their individual purchase sites since they're bigger bands. CD Baby did have three of my 56 wanted artists; "very indie" artists with less record label muscle ( Tartufi, The Trophy Wives, and The Weepies). I got sucked into CD Baby, obsessed with consolidating my order to avoid giving my credit card to many tiny CD distributors. The CDs were available on Amazon, oddly, at much higher cost than CD Baby (except used, where they were dirt cheap, likely promos or radio discs). Are there any other indie CD clearing houses which are very close to the artists like CD Baby? It seems like a drag (security risk) to enter my credit card information into each band's tiny CD selling site; but I'll do it. Billy: Quote:
Download it for free, and then mail them a check.
I've considered it. Saddly, the bands I seek aren't popular enough to be traded online or owned by anyone that I know. Oh, and the scenario: "Hi band-I-like, I illigally downloaded your music, here's a check with my name and address on it" might get me in trouble.
hybrid8:
Quote:
online initiative ... find music you'd be interested in based on existing listening habits and ratings.
Google Music Trends anyone? How long until unscrupulous bands set up "play bots" on Google Talk, playing their album over and over to increase their rank on GMT.
julf:
Quote:
Unfortunately leading them to only listen to "similar" music.
True, but how far should our musical tastes diverge? How "similar" do you mean? This really has me curious.
The SXSW compilation seemed "similar" to one of my musical tastes - rock/pop/folk/punk. To anyone who sampled the comp, are those songs similar to eachother? Compared to my other tastes, they are all similar.
To find "different" music, should we venture uninformed into random radio stations, venues, CDs, mp3 streams, etc? Or should we pick our friends' brains for what "else" they like; or find new friends who like "different" music?
Hm, maybe I'm trying to validate that I'm not exposing myself to "the same old music". If I am, how can I find stuff that's different?
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#287913 - 11/10/2006 19:25
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: FireFox31]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 13/02/2002
Posts: 3212
Loc: Portland, OR
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Quote:
The SXSW compilation seemed "similar" to one of my musical tastes - rock/pop/folk/punk. To anyone who sampled the comp, are those songs similar to eachother? Compared to my other tastes, they are all similar.
Agreed, for the most part. There are a few songs in that mix that stand out as being non-similar to the bulk of the collection, though.
Quote:
Hm, maybe I'm trying to validate that I'm not exposing myself to "the same old music". If I am, how can I find stuff that's different?
I accomplished that in a few ways. First, I asked friends who really knew music for their top 10 list, and then went out and bought the recommended CDs. Some of it was "the same old music", but I gained a new appreciation for it because it came along with a discussion about why that particular selection was made over others.
In the same vein, I've stopped providing a list of CDs I want during Christmas, and other gift-giving times. Now, I just tell people that I like listening to music, and I don't care what they give me, as long as a) they like it, and b) it's a well regarded selection from its genre. That's worked well for some folks, and I'm exploring the jazz world as a result. It hasn't worked so well with other folks, because they fear I won't like whatever it is they pick out, so they end up not giving music (which is a shame, because a getting a selection of music that someone enjoys is a more personal, and treasurable gift than yet another packet of socks).
The second thing I did was luck into walking by more than one CD store which was going out of business. I've been able to walk in, and buy really cheap CDs in genres I knew nothing about, based on nothing more than the album cover. All the "pop" stuff had already been picked through, leaving the non-popular "dregs", and the unknowns. Some of those purchases were flops, and don't make my play-list very often, but others have been gems that launched my music appreciation off in different directions. At prices averaging $3-4 a CD, it was a reasonably cheap experiment.
If you fly lots, ask the person in the seat next to you what they're listening to. Asking strangers what music they listen to can often be better than asking friends, if you're trying to find new music.
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#287914 - 12/10/2006 00:20
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: canuckInOR]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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To follow up those good recommendations, I think buying a record based on the record label can be a safe bet. Though, that's pretty "same", eh?
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#287915 - 12/10/2006 17:15
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: FireFox31]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 13/02/2002
Posts: 3212
Loc: Portland, OR
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Quote:
To follow up those good recommendations, I think buying a record based on the record label can be a safe bet. Though, that's pretty "same", eh?
I think it depends on the label as to whether it could be considered the "same". For a label like Universal, that's a ridiculous thought, simply because they're so huge. On the opposite end of the scale, a small label like Battleaxe Records (to pick a label at random from the Wikipedia list), may be more concentrated on a particular sound where "same" is a great description for their catalogue.
Somewhere in the middle are the mid-sized record labels who are large enough to be able to take a chance on something different, but not so large that they're covering everything from Gregorian Chants to death metal. For example, Impulse Records has a fairly large catelogue of jazz music that, while it's the "same" in terms of the genre it's classed under, I wouldn't really consider it all the same, due to the rapid changes and exploration of jazz that was going on during Impulse's heyday. John Coltrane tried very hard to capture that in the artists and albums that Impulse released.
Of course, this all presumes that one is willing to continue giving money to the RIAA. 
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#287916 - 18/10/2006 04:33
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: FireFox31]
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addict
Registered: 03/08/1999
Posts: 451
Loc: Canberra, Australia
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Thanks for the CD Baby link. I recently found AudioLunchbox, which offers two things I really wanted: downloadable music and no DRM. You get plain MP3 files for about the same as you pay for using ITMS, but with no artificial restrictions to tie you down. Some bands even offer OGG format, but I haven't seen one yet. The big bonus for me (unsurprisingly) was that several major labels - Platipus and Dragonfly - and artists are on Audiolunchbox. Check it out, yo! Paul
Edited by PaulWay (18/10/2006 04:34)
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#287917 - 18/10/2006 09:02
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: FireFox31]
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member
Registered: 12/08/2001
Posts: 175
Loc: Atlanta
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I belong to Emusic, and Emusic has quite a bit of the CDBaby collection. I have the $20/90 tracks plan, so that works out to $0.22 per track. They have some good labels on there (Tzadik is one of my favorites). The files are all lame 3.92 alt preset standard encoding.
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#287918 - 20/10/2006 02:24
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: Folsom]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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Emusic looks great! Too bad it's "use 'em or loose 'em" subscription. Get to busy to download 40 tracks in a month and you've wasted money. Still, a good deal.
I wonder if this is a good way to get money to the artists. I'm glad to not pay for a physical CD, case, and cover art which I'll use once to rip and then store in a box forever.
Good link. I'll check out PaulWay's link a bit later (like Emusic for electronic music? That's be good.)
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#287920 - 01/12/2006 23:56
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: Robotic]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 23/08/2000
Posts: 3826
Loc: SLC, UT, USA
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NICE. I wish I had that on my car stereo.
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#287921 - 02/12/2006 17:32
Re: How to get the most $$ to artists via CD sales?
[Re: Robotic]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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Good sweet lord! That's a bunch of all I ever wanted in song attribute tag database query playlist creation. Thanks for the good link.
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