File Under: Annoying Record Labels

As I'm loading up my media player with guitar greats, I once again realize how short sighted the labels really are. I use Rhapsody's all you can eat buffet subscription service. This allows me to load up my and my wife's media player for the cost of a CD a month, also to access the service from any broadband/net capable device. To my point, there are some tracks which don't fall under the purview of this deal. They are accessible as only 30 second snippets to tease you into dropping the 99 cents on them.

The only thing I can figure, based on which tracks end up in this category, is that the labels are trying to protect what they view as high value properties. This is understandable, yet short sighted. Many people will just ignore those tracks, especially when exploring new artists. If I can listen to all but one or two tracks off the album, I'm probably gonna do it. Then if I really want those, I may decide to buy them (hasn't happened yet).

So let's say I buy it. Now they get their share of the 99 cents, once. However, if those tracks are ones I really like and keep on my player for months to years at a time, they will get a small but regular revenue stream out of me, that may turn out to be a larger sum.

Now we come to the "wait a minute" section. "What if you don't keep the tracks, then they don't get the revenue?"

True, there is a gamble that I will think the music is crap (and a lot of it is). However, if I pay my near buck a track, I'm gonna tell my friends how much crap it is and to avoid it. If it's just part of my large buffet, I'll delete it and forget it. Conversely, if I like it and keep it, I'll tell other people how great it is. Then they may download it at Rhapsody, or pay up at iTunes, or even buy a shiney disc. Now instead of avoiding the track, I'm micro paying for it, promoting it, and getting the label additional users.

I'm sure the labels will tell you, I'm just a whiny person who doesn't want to pay for music. Not so, I'm someone who has a disturbingly large number of shiny discs, that I paid way too much for in college. I'm someone who doesn't want to steal music, therefore I have a subscription service so I can explore new artists and back catalogs of my faves. I'm someone who will tell anyone who will listen, how great an artist is. To the labels I say, if you're worried, I won't like your music and want your money up front, maybe you should produce better music.