Artikel om album på USB-stickor
The Mars Volta som exempel. Men ärligt talat, vad är det här för påhitt? Ett desperat försök att kräma ut pengar ur människor som i vanliga fall inte köper CD-skivor utan laddar ner dom, genom att lägga in massa extramaterial där. I och för sig blir det enklare att rippa materialet om det redan är i digitalt format, så det kanske är positivt. Läs mer på nzherald.
CDs not flash enough for tech-savvy fans
Page 1 of 2 View as a single page 3:25PM Monday February 18, 2008
By Jennifer Netherby
Flash drives like The Bedlam in Goliath USB stick have much more to offer fans than compact discs. Photo / www.marsvolta.com
NEW YORK – When the Mars Volta put out its latest album, The Bedlam in Goliath last month, the act gave its hardcore fans an option that is becoming increasingly popular – and creative.
Instead of a CD or digital version of the Universal album, fans can buy a USB drive designed like a Ouija board planchette. The device comes with a digital-rights-management-free version of the album and the promise of more bonus materials in coming months. Users simply plug it into their computer’s USB drive and then listen to the album or download it into their music library.
The Mars Volta joins a growing number of recording artists who have experimented with USB releases in recent months, among them Jennifer Lopez, Ringo Starr and Matchbox Twenty.
More are expected in coming months. Austin-based All Access, the company behind USB releases from Matchbox Twenty and Starr, has signed deals with EMI, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group to make USB bracelets for other artists.
“The selling point to the labels is a really good one – it’s a marriage between merchandise and music so that people will at least buy it instead of stealing it because they want the merchandise,” All Access CEO Chris Guggenheim said. “It’s the only for-sure non-stolen product.”
Higher manufacturing costs
At this point, the releases are offered more as collectibles to build fan loyalty than as sources of revenue.
The cost of putting an album out on a USB drive is pricier than releasing it on a CD, partly because bands aren’t placing bulk orders and partly because flash drives cost more than discs. Guggenheim said that bracelets generally cost $5 to $7 per unit. But costs can rise to $17 per unit or more for flash drives with more memory and other additions.
Universal doesn’t expect to make money on the 2,000 USB units it put out for the Mars Volta release or on the 2,000 USB units it will put out for Erykah Badu’s February 26 release, Nu AmErykah Universal senior vice president of digital business development Cameo Carlson said.
But it does expect to keep fans connected to both acts. Those who buy the Mars Volta USB stick get a new extra on the 29th of each month, ranging from bonus tracks to wallpaper. Badu will create new bonus features throughout the year for those who buy “Nu AmErykah” on USB.
“It’s not for everybody,” Carlson said. “It’s for the hardcore fan that wants tons of pictures, who really wants something more and the opportunity to get new stuff every month.”
For bands, USB drives offer a cooler way to get their music to fans in a souvenir package that fans can wear or carry with them, giving the band free promotion.
