Record Labels' Latest Gimmick




Coldplay's X&Y was the first album offered for pre-order on the iTunes Music Store. One week later came the opportunity to pre-order the Black Eyed Peas Monkey Business. Then came a steady stream of pre-orders - Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple, Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand – and the list goes on.

I will admit it's a pretty sweet deal at first glance. As an iTMS customer, I get the chance to pre-order a hot album with the promise of extras and bonuses not offered on the standard download. Typically it's a bonus track or a video. In the case of Depeche Mode, its access to a pre-sale code for concert tickets. Cool, eh?

But look deeper. These pre-orders often carry a price tag heftier than their standard download counterparts - $11.99 instead of $9.99. It also gives the big labels leverage to tout these new albums in interviews and in the media. The labels can now say "Artist X's album had 40,000 pre-orders through iTunes." I realize this isn't any different than pre-ordering the disc through Amazon.com. But there the albums are frequently discounted.

I also have to ask if the bonuses are really worth the extra two bucks? Usually you receive a "bonus" track that was actually deemed a throwaway by the band or the label. Why wasn't it good enough to be included on the album in the first place? For completists, it may be worth it. For casual fans, perhaps not.

And I still can't get past paying for videos. These are supposed to be free! I remember MTV's purpose in the 80s. Music videos are commercials for an album. Do you pay Aquafresh to see ads for toothpaste? No. So why do I have to pay Sony for a John Mayer video?

I'm guilty of pre-ordering to nab some of the bonus tracks. At the same time, a little voice in my head says, "what the hell are you doing? You are just encouraging the major labels to steal more money from your pocket for weak reasons."

Posted: Tue - September 27, 2005 at 12:08 AM      

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