MP3
Killed the Radio Star - By Kevin Mitchell Last week, while casually surfing
the web, a little icon caught my eye. "They Might Be Downloadable," it
read. I knew immediately what this phrase was referring to, so without
hesitation I gave it a click. Sure enough, I was brought to a site announcing
the release of a new album by one of my favourite bands, They Might Be
Giants. The catch was that this new album, Long Tall Weekend, is the first
MP3-only album to be released. Is this the direction that music is headed?
I certainly hope not.
Back in 1990, TMBG gained a large part of their cult-like following when they included a couple songs from their third album on Tiny Toons. I know that's what got me hooked. Now, nearly 10 years later, I have collected 11 of their albums, and I fully intend on keeping my collection complete - with the exception of Long Tall Weekend.
The new album is available at emusic.com, and can be purchased as either the complete album ($8.99 American), or one track at a time ($0.99 a piece). Samples are available for each track so you can listen to them before buying them. I personally see this as a great idea, however, the MP3-only restriction just doesn't cut it for me.
From my past experience with MP3s, my 56K modem takes about 30 minutes to download one MP3 (not including the time it takes to connect to the server for downloading, which typically requires hundreds of attempts before finally getting through). For a 15 track album, I would be looking at 7.5 hours of downloading (assuming the file transfer is successful). Furthermore, my computer has some unidentified glitch which causes the volume to completely shut off each time a single sound file is played. This means that following each track I would have to reset the volume so I could listen to the next one. Even if my sound worked properly, I can only listen to MP3s while sitting at my computer. What if I want to listen to this new album in the car, or just in another room of the house? Sure, there are solutions to this problem... expensive solutions that average music listeners such as myself wont be owning for years to come.
So, clearly, I have a problem with this new trend in music distribution. I eagerly await the results on how successful this method of sales is. I know I wont be contributing to it despite my dedication to the band.
Shortly after reading about the new album, I mentioned it to a friend of mine. We agreed, and Im sure most people would, that there is a need for having the physical possession of an album that can't be met by MP3s. As far as my TMBG albums go, I know I have 11 of them because I can count them sitting on my shelf. For me, these albums are more of a collectors item than something else to listen to. You just don't get that with MP3s. A long list of file names (which can accidentally be deleted all too easily) just doesn't have the appeal of a tangible CD, cassette, or even a good old fashion 8-track. Now don't get me wrong, I totally support on-line MP3 music distribution. As the primary means of distribution, however, I can't see it having much of a future. MP3s current role in the music industry as a promotion tool is ideal. Bands can release samples, or entire tracks to the public for free as a form of advertising. Metallica had the right idea with the release of their new double-lp, S&M. The album was released in MP3 format one week before the record went on sale, and over 160 on-line radio stations streamed the album during that week as a part of the promotion. The result? A hungry market with a taste of the album on their lips and money in their pockets eagerly awaiting the final release date.
When used properly, MP3s could be a marketers best friend, however, in the case of They Might Be Giants, it could be a real disappointment for the fans. There are now 15 songs by one of my favourite bands that I will never hear. Critics at emusic.com are praising TMBG as "marketing geniuses." Unfortunately, that's something I just can't agree with.