MySpace Music Plan May Be More Than A Me Too
from the virtual-merch-table dept
These days, every company from your cell phone carrier to Wal-Mart has a music download store. So it was only a matter of time before MySpace joined the game. But while many of these music stores are simply iTunes clones, MySpace is trying something different. It's going to offer a way for bands to sell music directly to fans from their MySpace pages. Furthermore, the songs aren't DRM'd so they're not tied to a particular device, and the band controls the price at which they're sold. Bands are already building up followings on MySpace, but have lacked a way to turn popularity into commercial success. This store will try to solve this problem. Predictably, there's already talk of whether MySpace can unseat the dominance of Apple in the digital music space, but that misses the point. It's the record labels themselves that should feel threatened. Not only has MySpace already given young bands an avenue to reach the masses, without a label to pay for their promotional campaigns, but now it's giving them more control over their distribution as well. The value added by signing with a label is clearly diminishing, and their fortunes are likely to follow.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Aw hell yeah...
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Re: Aw hell yeah...
We have just launched a store that does exactly what you are talking about above. We are really excited about it. It has heeps of features that sites like myspace don't have.
Anyone can join and sell their music from it. (as well as other things such as band merchandise)
Check it out at http://www.tunestart.com
best of all its free!
Hope we will see you all on their
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You bet your....
Let me get this straight... I can preview music to see if I like it, then pay an amount chosen by the artist, directly to the artist, without the RIAA getting one red cent?!?
Oh FUCK yeah!
I can't wait to see the headlines: "MySpace rapes major record labels."
Now I'm having a happy day! Heeee!
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Why do they need Myspace for this
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Re: Why do they need Myspace for this
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Re: Re: Why do they need Myspace for this
Not to say that this should replace websites, for for many artists it can. As an artist myself, I try and get my music wherever I can, so having another option for a place to sell music can't be a bad thing.
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Re: Re: Why do they need Myspace for this
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Re: Why do they need Myspace for this
MySpace is a free, easy, extremely fast way to gain valuable exposure. They also have boat-loads of money and the technical expertise to develop a service that poor independent bands can't afford on their own. This gives independent artists a chance to capitalize on their product in such a way that doesn't cost them thousands of dollars up front making their success (if they're good, of course) more attainable.
I used to say that if I was still in a band today that I would give my music away DRM free just to be heard because the real product is the band; the music is just the advertisement. With this MySpace offering, I'm changing my tune (pun intended) a bit.
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This will help "artists" ... but not most bands
So bands that are actually artists and are actually making new material will definitely be able to use this as a portal to completely bypassing the RIAA and its consortium. But if they are looking to make a record deal, then this is a perfectly wrong approach.
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Re: This will help "artists" ... but not most band
1. You do not need a license to record a cover version of a song. You just need to pay the composer of the song the statutory mechanical royalty.
2. Playing covers is not a good way to get a record deal or sell records. Hence the genre of "Cover Bands," usually equated with dive bars and frat parties only.
Have a good one,
Ethan
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Re: Re: This will help "artists" ... but not most
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Re: This will help "artists" ... but not most band
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Re: Re: This will help
"Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies". They do nothing but punk-version covers of old songs. And they have a hell of a discography. But, then again, that's thier schtick. If a record company is looking for that, and a band has a MySpace page that says "this is what we do"... then sure, they may land a deal.
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Re: This will help "artists" ... but not most band
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please
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This will also push for MUCH better music since the Lable is presurring them to write a bunch of quickie filler songs to fill up a CD. They can now take their time and release good complete songs one at a time as they finish them.
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If only MySpace actually works
Anyways, selling downloads is great, but what artists really need is some differentiation. The very nature of the fact that your band is on MySpace says nothing about your band.
Ethan
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Re: If only MySpace actually works
Anyways, selling downloads is great, but what artists really need is some differentiation. The very nature of the fact that your band is on MySpace says nothing about your band.
You're right it doesn't. But hopefully bands will realize this when trying to sell their tunes on MySpace and will put real effort into making their music the best it can be. Since there are so many bands/groups/artists on MySpace already they just can't say "I'm on MySpace." and hope to stand out. What I would like to think would happen is this:
The ones that have good music but can't afford their own website or are afraid of getting raped by the RIAA will use MySpace for distribution. The ones that have sucky music and depend on saying, "My music is on MySpace." to make them indie superstars will fall by the wayside.
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Re: If only MySpace actually works
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Re: Re: If only MySpace actually works
dork.
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Re: Re: If only MySpace actually works
I think Scott here must work for the RIAA and sounds a little bit bitter about getting sideswiped by what could be the "future of music distribution"
Don't get me wrong, I think MySpace is a horribly coded site that has more bugs than (insert joke here), but the ability for independant artists to attempt to sell their music without having to wait/pray/hope to be picked up by a label is simply amazing and will {crossing fingers} open the door to a multitude of new artists that may get the recording industry out of it's current slump... In the end I think the RIAA will be kissing myspace's ass, but only time will tell...
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Re: Re: If only MySpace actually works
...I don't even know why I feed the troll.
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Re: If only MySpace actually works
That's actually a problem that will fix itself. Those artists that stand out will be the ones that sell.
If the band/artist is another cookie-cutter clone of Limp Bizkit, then no, they will be (rightfully) lost it the blur of all the other mediocrity. If your band has a marketable appeal to any crowd, that crowd will find you and buy your stuff.
And, sorry, Fred and Fred-Clones... "creative" spelling (read: illiterate retardation) doesn't constitute "standing out".
Currently, the industry finds the most marketable crap and promotes it for sales, not for art. Now, with an idea like this, bands will have to stand on their own merit and earn their own way. I'm sure some people will still buy the "mainstream" drivel, but since they're all alike, no one artist will rise out of that. But for the most part, if your band doesn't have something that stands out and appeals, then no one's going to buy it.
No rockin' the suburbs for you.
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heh
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nice dreams
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Re: nice dreams
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Re: Re: nice dreams
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Re: Re: nice dreams
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gasp...
In other news, I like the idea. Makes me tempted to start recording some more of my music,
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Cool Idea
I also believe this will divide the lame bands from the great bands on MySpace.
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Excellent!!!
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I also want to know how the RIAA is going to sue MySpace. If they're making arrangements directly with unsigned bands the RIAA has zero involvement. Sue them for what? Having an idea better than the old system?
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Democratizing music
Oh what a sad day when real talent is allowed to rise to the top without financing...
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I forsee.... Issues
First off - who defines "a tiny profit"? Secondly, and this is the problem that's most likely to occur, is tiered service:
MySpace: "Want your band advertised professionaly? Want faster download speeds and a better layout? Want uncapped download bandwidth? Sign up here!" For the small fee of $XXX dollars a month, you can have your MySpace premium service. And any time you have direct recurrent expenses, you lose out on the quantity of bands that will sign - especially the little guys that don't want to take that risk. This won't be the open forum of music everyone's probably dreaming about.
I also agree with the posters that are saying MySpace's current framework isn't capable of handling the added loads - code-wise and bandwidth wise. Even if the offload hosting of the music, it still has to be routed through them - and they're already one of the slowest sites around (simply due to the sheer massive userbase).
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Re: I forsee.... Issues
Wait... that's a bad thing? I think it's great. It allows the artists the ability to chose MySpace's level of involvement.
As it stands now, the terms of a regular music contract from a major label are dictated by the label. "Hey kid. We like how you sound. Here's a recording 'deal'. Take it or leave it."
I think this is another positive selling point for this service. It will allow those artists who are capable of spreading the word on their own to use MySpace as a sales and bulletin service. While the artists that don't have that great a network yet can pay a little extra to get the help they need. How's that bad?
Why is it that whenever a company says the word "profit", people envision truckloads of money just rolling in? You want to know the definition of a tiny profit? How about State Farm Mutual Auto Insurance, the largest auto insurer in the US. Certainly falls under the definition of "large company". The profit margin they aim for is approximately 2.5%. Anything over that goes back to the policy holders. So yeah... huge profit there.
The "trick" is that 2.5% of the billions of dollars they take in premium adds up for them. 2.5% of the few hundred dollars you pay is a drop in the bucket compared to your other household expenses.
Same with your other bills and payments. Most companies know that if they start raking in high percentages of profit, which can be verified by their financial statements every year, they are going to start losing customers.
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(c) 2006 MySpace Records Inc.
And yes, this could be a VERY GOOD thing.
MySpace is already a host of great content. It's the CONTENT that matters there, and MySpace obviously "gets it".
MySpace has already released a best-of-MySpace CD of some sort a while back, I forget the actual title. It shouldn't surprise anyone then that individual bands will start setting up shopping carts there -- any more than it should surprise anyone when MySpace starts offering pressed CDs for home delivery, or when you see a band's album appear in your local Wal-Mart and you see (c) 2006 MySpace Records Inc. appearing on it.
Ok, I'm done with than rant now, time to get out my strat and record somethin' buyable... lmao!
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Burn Lounge is better...
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RE: SAME CONCEPT
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myspace music
Artists and downloaders pay NO CHARGES on mp3artists
its another sell out scheme by myspace to get more money to throw away on without updating servers and getting rid of technical problems while at the same time pushing out unsigned bands and solo artists in to the cold.
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Selling music on Myspace
WOWOWOWOW go MYSPACE!
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Question
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Re:
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none
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New file serch engine
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