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Vivendi Selling Actual MP3 Online
from the oh-my... dept
Could it be? A major label is actually trying to sell a real MP3 online. In a surprising move, Vivendi and Maverick Records are going to try selling a single for $0.99. This is an actual MP3 with no copy protection. They're hoping that selling the single for a low price will entice some buyers - but more importantly that it will build up demand for the actual album when it comes out. I'm surprised, but I think it's great that a major label is actually experimenting with MP3s and new business models. Though, I tend to agree with the guy quoted in the article saying that it would be even better if they simply gave away the MP3 to see if it drove up sales.
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Power struggle?
I suspect this may be part of some internal powerplay between hardliners (the Universal Music Group, still run by Bronfman and Co., and pushing aggressively for copy-restricted pseudo-CDs) and moderates in Vivendi's new technology division (i.e., mp3.com/emusic.com).
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I did my part
As soon as I heard this I went and bought the MP3. I whole heartedly approve of this and will support it to get the music inductry to see the light.
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I prefer the free scenario
If I was in charge of a major record label for a day, here is my plan for world domination: release all singles for free on Gnutella, web-sites, whatever, but recorded at a less than perfect quality. Hence the file sharing systems will all be flooded with 64Kbs MP3s of your songs. People can listen to it and see if they like it or not, or even keep it if they think it is good enough quality for them (e.g., they're not real fans of this artist), but the people who really want the music in a good quality format will make the effort to get it on CD or pay for a better quality download (which maybe encrypted or part of some lame 'music service'). Maybe you have to pay more for a 192Kbs or 256Kbs version than the standard 128Kbs. Who knows, however, giving away the entire song for free could be a great marketing ploy.
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