Digital Audio Insider -- the economics of music and other digital content

home

about/contact
Digital Audio Insider is David Harrell's blog about the economics of music and other digital content. I write from the perspective of a musican who has self-released four albums with the indie rock band the Layaways.

My personal website has links to my LinkedIn and Google+ pages and you can send e-mail to david [at] thelayaways [dot] com.

Support
If you enjoy this site, please consider downloading a Layaways track or album from iTunes, Amazon MP3, Bandcamp, or eMusic. CDs are available from CD Baby and Amazon.

links

music/media/tech:
Analog Industries
Ars Technica
AppleInsider
Brad Sucks Blog
Broken Record
Digital Music News
Duke Listens
Future of Music Coalition Blog
Hypebot
LA Times Technology Blog
The ListeNerd
Medialoper
Mediashift
MP3 Insider
Music Ally
Music Machinery
Music Think Tank
MusicTank
The Music Void
New Music Strategies
Online Fandom
Pakman's Blog
RAIN
Rough Type
RoughlyDrafted
Swindleeeee
TuneTuzer
Virtual Economics

economics/markets:
The Big Picture
Core Economics
Freakonomics
The Long Tail
Marginal Revolution
The Undercover Economist

mp3/music:
17 Dots
3hive
Fingertips
Shake Your Fist
Sounds Like the 80s
Unleash the Love

archives
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
January 2012
February 2012
April 2012
May 2012
June 2012
August 2012
October 2012
November 2012
December 2012
January 2013
February 2013
March 2013
June 2013
August 2013
February 2014
March 2014
September 2014
December 2014
March 2015
October 2015
November 2015
December 2015
October 2016
May 2017

July 23, 2007

Treatment of Longer Songs by eMusic
by David Harrell

One of my very first posts for this blog (The Digital Pricing Conundrum Part 1: Song Length and the Number of Tracks) explored the pricing and payout disparities in eMusic and other download stores for albums with varying numbers of tracks. Because the eMusic subscription model is based on individual tracks, albums with relatively few songs can be considered bargains for subscribers, while albums with many tracks are more expensive, as downloading one uses up more of subscriber's monthly tracks allotment.

On the label/artist side of things, I questioned whether it made sense for eMusic to apparently pay labels two or three times the amount for some albums compared with albums with fewer, longer tracks. Some examples here are a 32-track "best of" collection from Guided By Voices and a classic six-track album from Sonny Rollins.

And for albums like this one with extremely long tracks (20 minutes+) I also wondered about situations where the mechanical royalties a label might have to pay on a track could approach the total payout from eMusic for the song.

As it turns out, there is a mechanism in the eMusic model that addresses these issues -- to a degree. A reader was kind enough to share eMusic's breakdown of how it counts longer-than-average tracks when computing payouts to labels. (My band is in the eMusic catalog, but we're there via a distributor, so I don't receive the same level of information as a label that works directly with eMusic...)

The document was marked "CONFIDENTIAL - NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION," so I won't rile up the eMusic folks by reproducing it here. But here's the general gist: For tracks lasting more than seven minutes, eMusic gives extra credit for each download of the song, with a minimum "bonus" of half a track and a maximum of two tracks. For example, a song lasting 7 minutes 20 seconds would count as 1.5 downloads and any track over 20 minutes in length would count as three downloads.

Obviously, these adjustments don't result in complete payout equality for every full album, though they do level the playing field slightly. That six-track Sonny Rollins album gets a boost to seven tracks because of two 10-minute+ tracks. Yet there are plenty of albums with the same total running time (or less) that would result in much larger payouts from eMusic for the full album download. As a group, classic jazz labels appear to be on the short end of the stick with the eMusic model.

On the consumer side of things, I keep thinking that eMusic needs to address this issue, though any cure might be worse than the disease. Besides, while it's easy to find extreme examples of track number/length disparity, I'm not sure if the average subscriber really gives much thought to relative album prices, aside from seeking out the obvious "bargains" in the catalog. The only remedy I can think of would be to switch from a set number of downloads each month to a point system, where longer songs would cost more points and shorter songs fewer points. (Basically a point-per-minute of music system.)

But that change would muddy up a system that is straightforward and easy to understand and use. Plus, it might be perceived as a price increase by anyone who favors genres that feature longer, fewer tracks on each album. So maybe the current system, while not ideal, is the best compromise.

related: Bargains at eMusic and a Royalty Quandary, The Digital Pricing Conundrum Part 1: Song Length and the Number of Tracks

tags: digital music eMusic mechanical royalties song length

link 0 comments e-mail listen to the Layaways on Spotify

Follow @digitalaudio

More Digital Audio Insider: Newer Posts Older Posts

Subscribe:

RSS Feed

Add this blog to Del.icio.us, Digg, or Furl. Follow David Harrell on Google+.

The Digital Audio Insider Twitter feed:

Apple stock analysis

Digital music jobs: Looking to hire? Looking for a job? Check out the digital audio insider job board.

THE LAYAWAYS

Out Now -- "Maybe Next Year" -- The New Holiday Album:

"This is a sweet treat, deliciously musical without being overbaked for mass media consumption." -- Hyperbolium

"Perfect listening to accompany whatever holiday preparations you may be making today." -- Bag of Songs

O Christmas Tree - free mp3 lyrics and song details
Away In A Manger - free mp3

Download from eMusic, iTunes, Amazon MP3, or Bandcamp. Listen to free streams at Last.fm.

"...about as melodic and hooky as indie pop can get." -- Absolute Powerpop

"Their laid-back, '60s era sounds are absolutely delightening." -- 3hive

"...melodic, garage-influenced shoegaze." -- RCRD LBL

Where The Conversation Ends - free mp3
January - free mp3
Keep It To Yourself - free mp3

Download from eMusic, iTunes, Amazon MP3, or CD Baby, stream it at Last.fm or Napster.

"The Layaways make fine indie pop. Hushed vocals interweave with understated buzzing guitars. The whole LP is a revelation from the start." -- Lost Music

"Catchy Guided by Voices-like rockers who lay it on sweetly and sincerely, just like Lionel Richie." -- WRUV Radio

Silence - free mp3 lyrics and song details
The Long Night - free mp3

Download from eMusic, Amazon MP3, or iTunes, stream it at Last.fm, Napster, or Rhapsody.

"These are songs that you want to take home with you, curl up with, hold them close -- and pray that they are still with you when you wake up." -- The Big Takeover

Let Me In - free mp3
Ocean Blue - free mp3

Download from eMusic, Amazon MP3, or iTunes, stream it at Last.fm, Napster, or Rhapsody.

More Layaways downloads:

the layaways website