Would you use a CD buying service like this....

[The Phonographist]

Continuing form my other thread and really what my college project is about, I'm trying to get a little feedback as to whether a service like the one I'm proposing would be welcomed, by YOU. The psychedelic CD purchasing market.

The idea is that a website has a database of as many as possible record labels and artists and you can individually select tracks and compile you own CDs, which is then mailed to you next day.

The idea being that

1. You dont have to download MP3 with reduced definition
2. You don't end up with compilation you think is a bit shit/average.
3. Unsigned artists can promote their work too at no cost to them
4. Talented artists with few connections get the chance to distribute their music
5. Record labels increase their viability as people take more interest in their artists

I think in total the CD would be quite a bit more expensive than regular albums (from Chaos anyway )
but with the benefits of all being killaaaaaars.


So, what do you think, any good ?

Would you use it ?

Can you see any pitfalls in this type of scheme (other than record labels may tell me to fuck off )

 

[damion]

its a fine idea and one that would definitely work (as a commercial project)

the only downside, not that it's much of a downside, but if a compilation featured say four tracks from "big" or established artists, and five from new ones, then the established artists are the ones that'll get heard. I think one of the benefits of psytrance being a compilation-led scene is that (in theory at least) new artists can piggyback on the exposure from sharing an album with the big boys.

it would need to be more expensive that chaos, since (unless you develop a piece of software to address this) every order has got to involve *SOME*one sitting there and burning off a CD, then posting it off somewhere. cost-per-unit production might end up quite high.
that's rather a pain, even if you can do it in yer pajamas

 

[Blender Bender]

It's definitely a VERY good idea but if you only buy cds that you compile yourself, new artists will not get promoted and wouldn't reach as wide an audience as they do in a normal release, especially the release is on a known record label..

 

[The Phonographist]

Hmmm, yeah, I see your points.

It could be possible to promote new artists though in a way that would give them more of the limelight than the more established ones. Though I believe regardless of whether an artist is established enough or not, if their work is of a sufficient quailty they wouldn't be ignored, particuarly if you had a "Keep you eyes on these" type section.

In the same way Mick sends his personal reccomendations in the Chaos mailout.

 

[Blender Bender]

But then it comes down to

"Do I really trust this guy's recommendations?"

Because the Chaos ones are utter rubbish and they are basically the most commercial releases or record labels/artists that they know in person...

 

[The Phonographist]

Another good point. Though I'm not sure I entirely agree with you.

God, why do you have to make things complicated ?

Well, obviously trust is something that has to gained in such an area as this. Personally, I wouldnt plug my mates releases if I didnt think they were worth it, and hopefully, my "keep you eyes on these guys" section would be warmed to by even the coldest critics/cynics.

I guess I could only say this though, and you'de have to wait till the project was underway to start believeing me.

 

[Blender Bender]

Don't get me wrong here, I'm 100% with you as it's a brilliant idea..

You just need to know the flaws to address them, right?

Anyway, regarding recommendations, it's not just me... People are generally weary of the merchant's recommendations as at the end of the day he's trying to earn a living...

Maybe collaborate with a known reviewing website/magazine?

 

[The Phonographist]

What like psyreviews ?

God I'd never sell anything

 

[damion]

you would... just nothing from israel except misted muppet :p

 

[soliptic]

I think its a great idea, as a consumer, there's only one big problem.

The resulting cds will be worse quality and/or much more expensive than normal cds, because they're all unique. normal audio cds are glass mastered and you dont do less than 500, because by the time the machine is running its pretty much done 500 before you can turn it off!

the costs are

F = ((s+(n*u)) / n)

where F is final/overall unit price, s is a one-time setup fee, n is number of units and u is quoted unit price. thus they work out a lot cheaper over volume.

if you're doing this scheme, you cant afford to pay the cost of 's' for each and every cd people create -- even if you could create one cd from your glass master, which you cant. Reason being, 's' is several hundred quid. So, yes, a lot more than Chaos

So, you're basically left with burning audio cd-rs. for starters, thats not the shame thing as a 'real' cd. for seconds, the maths works out as

F = u

the 'u' this time is basically guaranteed to be bigger than the F from last time, and thats for an inferior product. and there's no real way of bringing it down.

you'd need to get plug some specific figures in and do the sums basically

 

[Rorymonster]

Sounds like a cool idea. I would say though, that being someone who's into psy trance but doesn't really follow the scene nor know all the artists, I don't tend to know what will and what will not be good music. Part of the idea of labels releasing compilations (I thought) was for us (the general consumer) to trust their judgement and choices and so buy the whole album and be thus introduced to new music. Whether this works or not is another matter, but it surely does in the extreme cases. You see one tune you know and like so you assume that the other tunes will be similar or as good. If this is the case, then you will continue to judge this label's judgement.

I guess your shop wouldn't replace compilations but just create a custom made alternative?

Would you be able to listen to the tracks before building your own compilation? Maybe just a snippet (but not always the first 30 seconds, which in some cases is not even the tune yet!)?

 

[The Phonographist]

I guess your shop wouldn't replace compilations but just create a custom made alternative?

Would you be able to listen to the tracks before building your own compilation? Maybe just a snippet (but not always the first 30 seconds, which in some cases is not even the tune yet!)?

Yeah definately, the idea is you evaluate music before buying it. That way you don't anything you don't like.

 

[Full Lotus]

I just hope most labels are forward thinking enought to allow this

 

[dogcow]

how about being able to buy flac/wav files? i'd go for that.

 

[The Phonographist]

Hmmm, Well I considered digital downloads but Mr M Chaos told me a few things about the MCPS license that would put my make-believe profit and loss sheet looking rather pale.

Hence why nobody is doing psy digital downloads at the moment. (Bar trackitdown.net who do many other sorts of music as well)



More votes please!

 

[Speakafreaka]

I think alot of unisgned talent would be keen just to get released. Fuck being paid, I just want my records out there. Anything else is a bonus. If you had a system where people could coose say 3/4's (this ratio may need fine tuning) of the CD themselves, but the rest of the CD was unreleased artists, then that would bring production costs down.

If people learn to trust the pickers taste, then it could work. Maybe a board, rather then one person, who listens to each track that gets 'sent in'.

Big artists want to get paid. Little artists like me just want to see people dancing their tits off and gurning to their music.

 

[Sturdy Pete]

another thing that you loose out on is the track that when you first listen to is put aside as awful, only to be re-discovered when you accidentally play the wrong tune and discover that its phat!

none the less a good idea, probably more suited to the pop world though (actually, i remember a similar proposal a couple of years ago, was based on buying downloads of MP3s in a 'net cafe and then buring a CD yourself..)

like the idea of only choosing a few tracks your self and leaving the others to be chosen for you, but then it gets closer and closer to a normal compilation CD.

 

[lurk]

I just hope most labels are forward thinking enought to allow this

it's a great idea, but following on from full lotus' point, the thing that sprang to mind when i read your original post was "licensing". I think a lot of labels, especially the "major players" (TIP, Spun, Hommega, Neurobiotics etc) would want you to license their tracks from them, because what you are doing, effectively, is creating many different compilations on your own label; and in reality this is no different than what Yellow Sunshine Explosion and the Goa Trance compilations series do... except most of the time your print runs will be 1. I'm not saying that you will have to license each track for each cd you print; but you probably will have to license every track individually... and I can imagine this being a beuraucratic and administrative nightmare.

 

[The Phonographist]

I wouldnt let any tracks be put on the albums that weren't chosen by the customer as that's the whole point of the service is that you get 100% satisfaction because YOU chose the tracks.

I don't thin the admin would be too crippling, as I know of one site offering this service already. (For a different genre though).

S Pete > You can always rediscover the tracks on the site and buy them later.

 

[damion]

I know of one site offering this service already. (For a different genre though).

ahh rilly? who's that???

be interetsed to know what genre it is.

can see the model working well in any vinyl-led dance music market -- anything that saves people having to suck recordstore owners' balls to be allowed to pay £6-8 quid for the latest US vinyl release that contains only one tune they'll actually play is bound to be a good business model