Sunday, February 12, 2006

"The Digital Music Tsunami!"

"The Digital Music Tsunami!"

By Kenny Love

Copyright © 2006 MuBiz.com All Rights Reserved


The noted Merriam-Webster dictionary describes the phrase, Tsunami, as "A great sea wave produced by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption." It is a phrase that most of us have come to associate with tragedy.

However in a positive light, a comparable analogical definition in expressing what has begun to occur in the Music industry's related music sales might be defined as "A very large sales environment caused by music buyers frustrated with purchasing
largely 'filler' music on CD after wasting valuable time visiting record retail stores."

If you have paid close attention to compact disc music sales during the last several years, you are readily aware that a hefty percentage of CD sales continue to decline annually while digital download sales are dramatically increasing.

Naturally, if CD sales continue to plummet, which is most likely to occur, it will take less than five years for the compact disc format to become the latest music format dinosaur and relic, going the direction of the album, 8-track and, largely, the cassette tape formats.

To support my theory, at the time of this article's publication, consider that iTunes.com is hovering just under the radar of having produced one (1) billion downloads in less than three years. That's right...not millions, but BILLIONS...with a "B."

And, while the following info is rhetorical, it bears repeating in considering why the CD format is quickly becoming a dying breed:

1. Music buyers no longer need to leave home to buy.
2. No more need to waste time browsing in a retail store.
3. No more fighting traffic to get to the music store.
4. No more wasting money on CDs that have only a couple of "hits" (maybe), with the rest of the repertoire considered "filler."
5. The ability to download an all-hit compilation for LESS than $10 in a few minutes.

Now, who could ask for anything more? Certainly, not Toyota!

Further, while the United States likes to pride itself on being the self-proclaimed leader in technology, the truth is that the international market and, particularly Europe, has been experiencing a significant and successful download environment for several years now.

Add to that the fact that international radio stations are far more lenient and accepting of digital downloads for radio airplay, which saves independent recording artists tremendous costs in manufacturing, packaging, shipping and postage, as well as time in getting their product to the media while eliminating the possibility of loss or theft through the postal mail service.

Figuring a cost savings of $7-$10 (USD) per media kit going out to 200 stations, that is a minimum savings of $1,400 (USD).

In setting up your digital music delivery, the only requirement is that when saving your music to MP3 format for stations, you need to save it in a 320 Kbps format. Then, you can either email it to stations (only at their request) or place it on your website for stations to download.

Note: You should ensure that this 320 Kbps version is on a page that is only available to the media, and not available to the general public while ensuring that your samples for the general public to listen to on your site in advance are in
96 Kbps (dial-up) and 128 Kbps (high-speed) versions.

Should you decide to place it on your site for stations to download, you may also wish to include a notice at the top of the media page similar to the one below:
____________________________________________________

Notice to Media:

This page is specifically for radio station and nightclub disk jockeys/deejays. As a media representative, in the interest of respective intellectual property rights and ownership, and as a conditional policy of downloading this particular 320 Kbps music file version of "Vampire Love," you agree that this download is for and will be used for the exclusive and express use of promotional and publicity purposes only, particularly as it relates to broadcasting and/or station sponsored compilation music releases.

Further, as the download recipient, you also agree to *NOT* inform, share, transfer, transmit, send, distribute, direct to this particular web page, or create any form of copies in the interest and intent of making this particular 320 Kbps music file available to the General Public in any manner or context without the advance/prior express written consent and permission of the copyright owner. Any broadcast/on-air or offline references to this website for the General Public's interest should be directed to our page specifically created for the General Public at
VampLove.
____________________________________________________

While the above notice will not completely deter unscrupulous media personnel who wish to burn and sell your music, most media will honor it. Again, it instantly decreases your manufacturing, packaging and shipping costs simultaneously.

Likewise, as most self-promoting artists also tend to use their full-length retail CDs for promotion (normally because they cannot afford to manufacture separate promotional CDs), imagine the additional profits you will now be able to earn by eliminating the need to send out retail CDs for promotion and publicity and being able to sell these particular units that would previously have been earmarked for promotion and publicity.

By the way...PayPal ( PayPal.com ) now has a new site set up for digital downloads that allows for you to be paid immediately for digital sales occurring on your site that go directly into your bank account as opposed to waiting on third-party payments, i. e., iTunes, that are usually weeks away. Check out Payloadz at PayLoadz.

No, not all media personnel are going to be converted to the completely digital environment overnight by accepting downloads for airplay or press reviews. But, enough media sources are beginning to accept the online alternative to the point of your being able to make some remarkable inroads and success through incredible sales results while saving tremendous marketing, promotion, publicity and advertising costs.

So, Let the Digital Music Tsunami Begin!

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