Welcome to the two song, one ringtone record contract
Steve Safran March 25th, 2007
The NY Times looks at how digital downloads are (finally) forcing record labels to rethink how they go about selling music. The story starts with an anecdote about a new R&B trio - Candy Hill, signed by Universal/Republic Records to record two songs. In the digital download world, people are choosing singles over albums by a 19-1 margin now.
In response, labels are re-examining everything from their marketing practices to their contracts. One result is that offers are cropping up for artists like Candy Hill to record only ring tones or a clutch of singles, according to talent managers and lawyers.
A longstanding prediction repeated here: artists will stop putting out albums of 10 - 12 songs every few years and simply release songs when the songs are done. This will benefit both the fans and the artists. Fans won’t have to wait years between hearing from the bands. And the bands won’t fall into that “Where have they been for three years?” trap. Just like how we publish stories online when the stories are done rather than wait for the once-a-week magazine, so too will music follow. I could even see myself “subscribing” to my favorite band, if that meant I would get the singles before non-subscribers. This benefits the artists and the fans. And it may even help the record labels - people may wind up buying more music from their favorite bands if the music comes out one song at a time than if the 10 songs come out at once and they just choose to download one or two of those songs. (NYT sub req)
12 Comments Add your own
1. Bryan Murley | March 25th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
hey, at least one band started doing that about 20 years ago - they might be giants, who would put up a new song every day on their 1-800 number. This would be a good subscription service for some band to promise a song a month or something, pay $.99 per month.
2. Dave | March 25th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
It’s a great idea… If you don’t have 10 songs, don’t record a bunch of crap to make 10 songs. I’d rather have bands give me 4 or 5 GOOD tunes versus 1 or 2 good ones and the rest filler.
Next question, when will the idea of TV “seasons” end? Or is the off-season an expected break by most of Hollywood? I imagine it would be hard to break that… I could watch episodes of The Office all year long.
SHAMELESS PERSONAL PLUG: Speaking of singles, we produced a pop/rock single with a local band for our big station image promo that aired during the superbowl awhile ago and we’re STILL getting several emails about the song each day. It was definitely an attention getting move, involved local musicians, and attracted younger audiences. I’d definitely recommend other stations take advantage of local musicians. If you care, you can download the single for free by clicking on my name. END SHAMELESS PERSONAL PLUG.
3. Diligent | March 25th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
I think I still like the idea of waiting for albums… sure release a single every other month to water the tasebuds… but I for one like to experience music as an album. I think alot of people feel the same way about their favorite artist.
4. Darrien | March 25th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
I would not like to see albums die, some albums I love to listen to all the way through.
5. Dave Doolin | March 25th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
It’s not that people won’t wait and pay for albums.
It’s that they won’t wait and pay for CRAPPY albums.
Why this is so hard to understand when people have been bitching about crappy albums for at least 40 years is beyond me.
I’ll pay full price for albums as good as “Wish You Were Here,” “Simple Things,” “Late Registration,” “Play,” “Una Sangre,” “Get Behind Me Satan,” and dozens of others.
I resent paying full price for any of the other dozens of albums I have that are half or more crap. Now, the music industry has to actually give a crap about my opinion. My opinion and the opinion of couple hundred million other people with a browser and credit card, buying one cut at a time.
They brought it on themselves.
The album is dead. Long live the album.
6. G Man | March 26th, 2007 at 5:13 am
I think this will only shorten the already short attention span of the listening public and you’ll see more ‘flash-in-the-pan’ and one-hit-wonder artists and producer-made ‘groups’. Still - everything old is new again - used to be you’d by the single with a B-side down at the Woolworth’s and play it on the 45. Hell, you could even go and listen to it before you bought it.
Now with Eye-Toons - you can string all your singles together into 43 days of music or build your own ‘mix tapes’. Things have sure changed…or have they?
7. Artie Fuf | March 26th, 2007 at 8:57 am
“Longstanding prediction?” Since when is stating the obvious count as a prediction?
You guys are smart. Lay claim to something better than that.
8. The Tony | March 26th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Albums are good, but only real musicians need them. As long as Big Radio is in bed with Big Music, we’ll get the same stream of unintelligible, homogenous Pop crap…and the MTV kids will download them and forget about them just in time for next week’s big hit.
When something worth my money comes out, I’ll head to the little music store and buy the little CD.
Otherwise…yeah, I don’t feel bad for labels at all.
I always wish serious, bodily and financial harm on those who have more than I do.
They’re robbing the artists, anyway. People interested in custom ringtones by the Pussycat Dolls are probably not the kind of people who rush out to pick up the latest Dylan album, anyway.
People with stories to tell and musical talent put out albums. People with songwriters and computerized back-up put out singles with the musical equivalent of packing peanuts wrapped around them, then call that an album.
Want a solution to the problem of people buying singles over full albums?
Stop selling singles.
Won’t happen, so get used to the world getting what they want when they want it for as litle money as possible.
9. will | March 27th, 2007 at 12:08 am
Whenever I hear the phrase “why should I pay full price” the translation is “why should I pay?” And indeed, why *should* you pay if you can download for free with such slim odds of getting a demand letter from the RIAA? And even if you *do* get that demand letter, by the time your luck runs out you’re probably in the black already.
10. Anonymous | April 15th, 2007 at 11:07 am
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11. b rice | June 23rd, 2007 at 12:07 am
whatever. an album is a work of art. a song is a song. some people love making albums because they tell a tale of whatever. a sinlge can stand alone yes and a money making machine never gets enough.
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