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.

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March 12, 2010

EMI vs. Pink Floyd
by David Harrell

Everything I've seen about the EMI/Pink Floyd dispute over the "unbundling" of the band's tracks for digital download indicates that the band's goal is keeping its albums intact, not maximizing their total sales revenue. Indeed, if an "album only" download policy were expected to be more lucrative, it seems likely that EMI would be embracing it as well. While the "cherry picking" effect seen with digital music downloads is often blamed for decreasing total music sales revenue, in the case of an older band, one without a current hit single, perhaps the ability to cherry pick increases total sales, as listeners unwilling to purchase the full album are willing to buy an individual song or two.

As of this afternoon, despite the recent court ruling, Pink Floyd songs are still available for individual download from iTunes and Amazon MP3 in the U.K. and the United States. But if EMI stops selling individual tracks, it will be interesting to see the effect on total album sales over the next year. According to today's Wall Street Journal report on the court ruling, here are Pink Floyd's SoundScan sales for the past two calendar years, with album sales representing both CDs and digital albums:

2009: 654,000 albums, 1.71 million digital tracks
2008: 760,000 albums, 1.35 million digital tracks

Was the decrease in album sales from 2008 to 2009 a direct result of increased digital track sales, or simply due to the overall decline in sales of recorded music? If "cherry picking" was indeed the cause, removing the option to buy individual songs should increase album sales, or at least reduce the rate of the year-to-year decline.

One other thing to note -- the digital download versions of Pink Floyd albums are often relatively inexpensive, especially on Amazon MP3. There you'll find Dark Side of the Moon for $7.99, Wish You Were Here for $7.95, and Animals for just $4.95. The exception is the double-album "The Wall," which currently sells for $22.25 on Amazon MP3 and a whopping $24.99 in the iTunes store.

tags: digital music EMI Pink Floyd iTunes Amazon MP3 cherry picking

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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

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More Layaways downloads:

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