Music Buying Options And Survey

Introduction

This entry is dedicated to giving a brief and objective overview from a musicians perspective of three distributors in the online music industry and the effect that it has on music lovers. They all have their good and not-so-good aspects. At the end of the day, the choice is yours.

iTunes

Without doubt, iTunes are considered to be the most popular music download site worldwide. Their promotional 'pull' is second to none. iTunes has carefully made its' way to the top of the hill to the point where any independent artist who has their music on iTunes are suddenly, without logic, considered a big name.

The myth that people will always buy music at the cheapest price has been blown apart by iTunes. iTunes has become a part of music lovers language. How do I know? I'll tell you why. My "Mean Business" album retails on iTunes at $15.21. The very same album, processed to the same high standards as is required by iTunes can be downloaded on Bandcamp for $7.00.

One would assume that my album sales would be higher on Bandcamp than on iTunes. Wrong! iTunes sales are exceeding Bandcamp sales by over 25%.

Amazon mp3

Amazon mp3 has always reminded me of the 'little brother' of iTunes. It has less emphasis placed on music but it is worth investigating. As is the case with iTunes, my material on Amazon mp3 is more expensive than my Bandcamp material.

Case in point....my "Nuts And Bolts" E.P. on Amazon mp3 sells for $5.34. The "Nuts And Bolts" E.P on Bandcamp. retails for $4.00. Despite this example (there are more), Amazon mp3 outsells Bandcamp by almost 15%

Bandcamp

Ever since discovering Bandcamp by mistake, I have made it my distribution site of choice. Admittedly it doesn't have the flashy graphics, the bells and whistles and so forth that iTunes and Amazon mp3 have. Outside of the 'superficial' glitz, I am amazed that more musicians and music lovers have not embraced it.

Bandcamp has a few qualities that I, a musician, see as a great benefit to my followers and myself. You can visit my Bandcamp page and play every song (full length) from every album as often as you wish. No strings attached. The Bandcamp album widget options are designed to fit almost everywhere.

The musician is also able to offer music lovers discounts of varying degrees and can even allow free downloads of an album or a single if they wish. Finally, you (as a member of my mailing list) will be notified in advance of the exact day and time of each new release.

Summary

As I am not particularly knowledgeable about the world of music downloading, I hope that my observations may make things  clearer and make your mp3 downloading an enjoyable and informed affair.

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