Music Industry Experimenting By Adding Extras

Surprises

from the aha!--finally! dept

It really did take them quite a while, but it looks like folks in the recording industry are at least trying to experiment with the idea of adding extras to the CDs they sell. Part of the reason DVDs have sold so well is the “extras” you get with the DVD that make it worth buying. One big example is a CD from the band P.O.D. which is coming with a ton of extras – including a Playstation2 game, a DVD documentary, trading cards and access to more unreleased music online. Plenty of other bands are experimenting with putting “extras” on their albums, and apparently the current top six albums all have some sort of extras on the CD. Now, the question is how long will it be until a music label realizes that promoting the actual music online for free – along with the knowledge that buying the album will get you certain extras – will actually help them make more money. Sure, some people are buying the albums for the actual music, but as it gets easier and easier to get music online for free, the record labels can shift their focus, and point out that the music is really a promotion for those other things.