Major label album released on a USB drive

[+JuggerNaut+]

here, click here

not everyone's taste in music, certainly not mine, but that's not part of this discussion. what we DON'T know yet is the bitrate. i give them props for distributing this using an unorthodox method. some good points and bad:

good:

- around a $20-$25 usb stick and two compressed albums for a mere $10-$5 more.

- perhaps a gutsy move. i think that their marketing team came up with a great idea.

- not DRM'd

bad:

- if this catches on, who wants a bunch of usb drives laying around?

- it apparently includes videos and extras, so i'm guessing it'll be 128 kbp/s i'd rather have NO extras and a higher bitrate.

[Canidae]

Those crazy Canadians...

[werldhed]

A bit early, I think. Not everyone has a way to listen to files on a USB drive and of those who do, not everyone uses their computer to play music. You'd have to pay even more for a blank cd to play it in your car.

If you had the option of buying the cd OR the USB, that would make sense. I don't know why they wouldn't have done that instead.

[+JuggerNaut+]

A bit early, I think. Not everyone has a way to listen to files on a USB drive and of those who do, not everyone uses their computer to play music. You'd have to pay even more for a blank cd to play it in your car.

If you had the option of buying the cd OR the USB, that would make sense. I don't know why they wouldn't have done that instead.

if you have a pc with a USB port, which is mostly everyone, then there's no problem. i would imagine that the majority of the demographic that this marketing idea and the listeners of this group is geared towards, have at LEAST a cd burner.

[werldhed]

I do have one, and I have a cd burner as well. But I don't listen to music on my computer nor am I going to install a USB port in my car stereo. So having to buy blank cds to burn just increases the cost of the music for me, as well as the (little bit of) extra work. And I do know people who don't have a cd burner. And I know people who wouldn't know what to do if they had a cd burner.
Then you have the issue of cd players that don't read some CD-Rs, etc... It just seems like too much of a hassle right now.

Like I said, the idea works, I just think it would have made more sense to release it on CD as well. I think they'll see lower sales figures than they hoped.

[+JuggerNaut+]

I do have one, and I have a cd burner as well. But I don't listen to music on my computer nor am I going to install a USB port in my car stereo. So having to buy blank cds to burn just increases the cost of the music for me, as well as the (little bit of) extra work. And I do know people who don't have a cd burner. And I know people who wouldn't know what to do if they had a cd burner.
Then you have the issue of cd players that don't read some CD-Rs, etc... It just seems like too much of a hassle right now.

Like I said, the idea works, I just think it would have made more sense to release it on CD as well. I think they'll see lower sales figures than they hoped.

again, the demographic that this is geared towards most likely has a cd burner AND blank CD's. even if you HAD to buy blank cd's, you can get a pack of 50 for about $5 for no-namers that work just fine. you'll use them for other things other than burnng music and you'll have some for future releases (if this catches on).

usb on your stereo? not many have that, i agree.

also, just because a car stereo, boombox, or home cd player doesn't SAY "cd-r" on it, certainly doesn't mean it won't play it. i have an ancient circa mid 90's Sony home cd player that plays cd-r's no problem. most players play cd-r's regardless.

[bitWISE]

I would say it's a good gimmic to sell usb drives and a shitty gimmic to sell music. I'd rather buy the shit online at $1 a song if I wasn't buying a CD.

[+JuggerNaut+]

...But I don't listen to music on my computer..

I would say that, on this forum anyway, that you are part of small percentage that does not.

*i'm not saying people listen exclusively on their pc's, i sure don't*

[+JuggerNaut+]

I would say it's a good gimmic to sell usb drives and a shitty gimmic to sell music. I'd rather buy the shit online at $1 a song if I wasn't buying a CD.

but it's DRM'd that way.

[werldhed]

True, the blank cds aren't really a huge cost in addition to the actual album. I'll agree with that. I still would rather not have to go buy them.

As for the demographics, I have to disagree. My parents listen to Barenaked Ladies, and they are particularly the people I was referring to. They don't have a way to burn cds and I don't think they would be able to load music from a USB drive. And my mother listens to her cds on a (fairly new) cd player that doesn't like cd-r's at all. I know...I've tried to use it before.
I don't think they'll be put out by this, but if everyone starts doing it, I think they'd be a bit bothered. I know other people who are in the same boat... whether they listen to BNL, too, I dunno.

[dzjepp]

Why not release it on a dvd, which would prolly cost less, and with more space you have higher bitrates and better quality videos or whatever else they put on there. Isn't this flash stick only 128mb? If they wanted to they wouldn't have to put drm on the dvd (afterall they didn't on the flash stick) and it would prolly sell better that way.

[werldhed]

...But I don't listen to music on my computer..

I would say that, on this forum anyway, that you are part of small percentage that does not.

*i'm not saying people listen exclusively on their pc's, i sure don't*

I'd definitely believe that. I do listen to music on my computer at times, but it's got shitty speakers, so preferentially I use my stereo. For that reason, it's just more convenient to buy cds. My habits might change when I (finally) decide to get an mp3 player, but again, a lot of people don't have those, either.

[+JuggerNaut+]

Why not release it on a dvd, which would prolly cost less, and with more space you have higher bitrates and better quality videos or whatever else they put on there. Isn't this flash stick only 128mb? If they wanted to they wouldn't have to put drm on the dvd (afterall they didn't on the flash stick) and it would prolly sell better that way.

it's more than likely that they're releasing it on flash instead of a DVD because, again, more pc's will have a spare USB slot than a DVD-rom drive.

remember kids, you can use the flash drive again and again for other files, unlike a cd or dvd (in this context)

[+JuggerNaut+]

...But I don't listen to music on my computer..

I would say that, on this forum anyway, that you are part of small percentage that does not.

*i'm not saying people listen exclusively on their pc's, i sure don't*

I'd definitely believe that. I do listen to music on my computer at times, but it's got shitty speakers, so preferentially I use my stereo. For that reason, it's just more convenient to buy cds. My habits might change when I (finally) decide to get an mp3 player, but again, a lot of people don't have those, either.

soundcard> stereo

or go with a wireless receiver if you have some extra bucks. those are popping up all over the place.

[Eraser]

here, click here

- if this catches on, who wants a bunch of usb drives laying around?

Why not? Certainly takes up a lot less space than jewel cases

[+JuggerNaut+]

here, click here

- if this catches on, who wants a bunch of usb drives laying around?

Why not? Certainly takes up a lot less space than jewel cases

less space, yes, but i for one, like cd covers, as i did album covers back in the day.

seriously though, just SAY it went the flash drive route. you'd have a box full of flash drives that you'd hardly use because you've already transferred the audio over to your pc(s).

i guess you could ebay a box of them though.

[Grandpa Stu]

i love album art as well and think it would be sad to see that go away. however i spose you could design some funky looking flash drives or art that goes on it at least.

[+JuggerNaut+]

i love album art as well and think it would be sad to see that go away. however i spose you could design some funky looking flash drives or art that goes on it at least.

well, they DO have some pics/vids on the drive, but, for me at least, it's not quite the same. but then again, neither is the dumbing down of the cover art from records to cd's.

[Dave]

I would say it's a good gimmic to sell usb drives and a shitty gimmic to sell music. I'd rather buy the shit online at $1 a song if I wasn't buying a CD.

but it's DRM'd that way.

untrue if you know where to look

[+JuggerNaut+]

I would say it's a good gimmic to sell usb drives and a shitty gimmic to sell music. I'd rather buy the shit online at $1 a song if I wasn't buying a CD.

but it's DRM'd that way.

untrue if you know where to look

not including the russian site which is only used by nerds.

[Mr.Magnetichead]

Why not release a cheap stick that's used for trasnfer and then replace music shops with one giant terminal where you just plug your stick in and you have access to every album on earth?

You swipe your credit card and voila. Instant album.

[+JuggerNaut+]

that'd better be a big stick. i'd want to choose my format, for one, which would either be .wav or .flac. no compression unless i say so.

[seremtan]

it's a way forward

LP/CD albums exist because of the restrictions imposed by the manufacturing process regards cost. it's cheaper to release a dozen tracks at once on one plastic disk than release them on 12 plastic disks.

USB transfer means that restriction no longer applies. artists can just release a song or two whenever they like

btw i saw thom yorke in town yesterday on my way to work. he looked cold. and a bit scruffy actually

[Geebs]

Yeah, I used to see him looking really fucking miserable in the centre of town from time to time. If the centre of Oxford made him that unhappy, I'm guessing the Cowley Road used to make him frankly suicidal

[seremtan]

cowley road

to be avoided like the very plague