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

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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.

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October 09, 2009

When Free Works
by David Harrell

Free music is getting a bad rap as of late by some industry analysts (see Mark Mulligan's recent post), but -- in certain circumstances -- I still think it can work. I agree with the skeptics -- having all artists give away digital downloads of all their music isn't a long-term solution for the industry. However, it's important to distinguish between what works for the entire industry and what works for an individual artist.

Here's a recent example that I think is going to succeed, in the sense that free music is going to increase both the attention the artist receives, and his long-term income: Mojo Nixon, of "Elvis Is Everywhere" and "Don Henley Must Die" fame (and currently a DJ at Sirius XM), is giving away his entire catalog via Amazon MP3.

It works because:

1. It's a limited-time offering -- it's not free forever, just the next few weeks.

2. Mojo Nixon is already relatively well known, but I'm guessing he's not selling a ton of music these days. So he's receiving some attention for it, while there's limited downside in that he's probably not giving up much by forgoing his sales for a few weeks. (Though you could also argue that he's giving up some future sales as well.)

3. The free music isn't coming directly from the artist -- you download it from an actual digital store. I doubt the free music gambit would work as well for Nixon if the files were coming from his own website. There's already too much artist (and MySpace) hosted content for listeners to digest. Having the free music come from an established store makes it relatively unique. It also enhances the perceived value of the tracks -- you see them listed as "free" among other downloads that cost anywhere from 89 cents to $1.29.

What does Nixon expect to gain from it? From an an e-mail interview with Hypebot:

i bet in the long run this will be a greater financal pleasure than the status quo

Of course, what works for Mojo Nixon isn't going to work for every artist. Lesser-known acts would probably have a hard time getting Amazon to sponsor such a giveaway. (According to a comment to the Hypebot story, Nixon's agent/manager is an Amazon employee.) And there's also a value to being a trendsetter. I doubt the attention Radiohead garnered for its "In Rainbows" experiment will be equaled by the next big-name act who tries it.

Going forward, it will be harder for labels and artists to gain attention with free music promotions. But for the next couple of years, it seems like individual acts will still benefit from strategic giveaways. Look for a follow-up post next week on the results of my own band's giveaway of our last album.

tags: digital music free music Amazon MP3 Mojo Nixon

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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