Decent-enough record label V2 is the first major (though independent, natch) label to sign to the rather interesting free-download conundrum that is www.we7.com.
The agreement will see music from artists such as Bloc Party, Stereophonics, Rakes and Cold War Kids become available to download for free. DRM free too. The catch?
The service works by 'grafting' short and ’relevant’ ads onto the start of music tracks based on “micro-targeted consumer's demographics such as location, age and gender”. The advertising attached to the music will ensure that artists receive royalties for making their songs available. The plus side is that the ads don’t remain attached to the tracks forever - after a period of time users will have the choice to have the track ad free.
Co-founder and CEO of We7, Steve Purdham, quoth; “We’re thrilled to have V2 on board. Historically they have been pioneering in their adoption of digital music, and we’re pleased they see the same potential for We7 model as we do.”
So what do you reckon then? Adverts a decent price to pay for free music? Or will it destroy the whole point of music as a listening entity?
DiS will probably sign up, dowload a few things and let you know. At some point. There ain't much up there yet...
Sounds pretty good
how long does the advert stay, if its after so many plays i will just mute the pc when im at work n shove it on loop :O
4 weeks initially
So says the website.
I've signed up to give it a go, we'll see what happens
^^
but that would ruin yr Last fm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"The service works
by 'grafting' short and ’relevant’ ads onto the start of music tracks based on “micro-targeted consumer's demographics such as location, age and gender”."
Free music = a nice thing.
But this sentence makes me want to go and live in a cave.
clever
marketing tool
by collecting information and using your muisical preferences the company can easily segregate its consumer base thuis making their advertising space much more relevant to consumers, and making it more effective to its custoimers. this will mean they can charge a higher premium, give real figures as to how many people their clients adverts will reach and everything will be quantifiable, which is nice if you are a marketer or media buyer.
I wish i had thought of this, its a marketers dream.
Dont tell me, i already know, i am going to hell
I really don't see the point of this at all
Of course it destroys the
point of a song as 'what it is'. It's utter wankflannel.
Free music? Great. Music that features an advert wedged at the start? This can do one.
In the same way I hate watching films on telly because of the adverts in the middle, this will piss me off royally. Although I can't wait to download it, then rip it to CD and play it when I DJ.
'Hi! Are you a mid-20s male from the London area? Then you too might like to try PIZZA! Just call 0800 MELTYCHEESEPAINFACE now, and find out what offers we have for you! And now, back to the latest tune from Stereophonics!' *cue song and indie disco RIOT*
Bamos speaketh the truth
anyone want to buy my patent for the We7 mp3 ad-blocker?
V2 Decent?
Weren't they the same label who dropped all those bands a few years ago. They dropped The crocketts which annoyed me because they barely helped to promote them either....Great band.
Crocketts - Awesome
Crimea - Awesomer
surely...
...this will be very easy to work around? Anyone with the most basic wave editing software will be able to just cut it out in a second. And I'm sure dedicated software to do this more efficiently will spring up in no time.
That said, perhaps they've got this covered and it's nigh on impossible to remove. I've not done any research or anything
But, seing as the advert lasts only 4 weeks
wouldn't it be best to give it a try before slatting the shit out of it?
one look at the we7 main page
and I'm already put off by things such as:
"You'll even get the chance to review the best new music and the latest new bands for free as a We7 TasteMaker."
"We7 TasteMakers decide whether or not a band's music is good enough to be downloaded on our site - so you'll have a hand in judging what's going to be big and what's not in our free music download arena"
collecting demographic data to target market at people who want free stuff seems pretty bizarre anyway
let alone having a proxy street-team/focus group for further data gathering and marketing shenanigans
it would also seem to suggest that anything particularly underground doesn't have much of a chance getting onto the site as who will want to market to a 12 year old in the Isle of Skye who only downloads music from TV ads
actually - there's a thing - aren't companies who use a track for a TV ad going to protest at another company advertising on the download of that track?
there are so many holes in this business model that even a ten pound trout would slip through unhindered
then again
maybe all the adverts will be great and we'll start hailing jingle writers as the new musical messiahs as every band ever is dropped from every label ever based on the views of the We7 TasteMakers
Music is art and culture ffs!
Imagine going to the National Gallery and only being allowed to look at the Wilton Diptych after you've tried "One of these great new tasty bacon and cheese snacks!"
clearly this makes me angry
Get your ear plugs in.
This is audio-pollution for morons. (those without wav editing)
hmmm
this is kind of scaring me abit...
ive always wondered does advertising actually work?
i mean if you see something enough splattered all over the net, billboards etc....
doesnt make me rush to find out more about it...and buy what ever it is..
in fact its the opposite.
although...
am i ever making an actual decision about buying something or is it all a message slowly etched into my brain without me knowing so...
?
i reckon it's most effective
on types of goods you don't know a great deal about, more so if you're in a hurry.
and to promote things with novelty value like new chocolate bars.
the more categories the advertisers can get to fit into these categories, the better they'll do.
er
am i moron because I don't have wav editing? Or just someone who's got better things to do with their time?
No, sorry,
I just meant anyone who willingly listens to these adverts are morons
editing
someone will come up with a simple, free piece of software to edit the songs, you can currently do it easy enough anyway, when things are free i dont mind taking 2 mins out to edit a few tracks on magix to cut out the adverts.
...
This is a lot better than just stealing the albums as a whole......oh hang on...
I nod as I lovingly fire up Limewire and Hype Machine
Hands up
if you'd rather just PAY FOR MUSIC than have to listen to fucking adverts in the middle of your favourite songs.
*raises hand*
it's alright for shitbiscuit artists like those listed in the article but what if you're listening to, oh i don't know, 'In the Aeroplane over the sea' are they going to wedge some jingle inbetween 'two headed boy' and 'the fool' - thereby utterly ruining one of the finest track transitions in cd history?
fuck right off. I'm not so tight that i want to ruin my experience of music for the sake of a few bloc party mp3s.
*raises hand also*
though I fear that this venture is aimed at an entirely different 'demographic' than the one most DiSsers occupy
*my hand is up*
And you're right.
exactly
you don't HAVE to get your music this way, so it's not really worth getting angry about...
so
you don't think this will have any wider ripples in the 'industry'?
You don't think this will potentially cheapen the impact of music for young people who can't afford to pay for it.
you don't think it opens the door for things like product placement in songs?
There's already rumours that certain hip hop artists received quite large wads of cash for mentioning certain brands of shoes and colas in their songs.
and what's wrong with being against something in principle?
free
on torrent sites, why use this?
i won't be although as i already state, its fucking geniuous money making scheme as a marketer i applaud it
sure, i object in principle too
but i don't think this'll ever be the dominant model for delivering music to people, there are too many holes in it. it's a market economy, if enough people go for this idea, it'll work, but there'll still be enough people who are willing to pay for music without adverts for it not to impact on us.
now, on with the quest.
peter gabriel is involved with this
*cough*
Go and read the advertisers page
Scary stuff...
"Get into their heads - it's your key to success!"
"Plus it lets you make the transition from 'mass market' to targeted, personalised campaigns, using the emotional content that consumers WANT to engage with."
this makes
me want to fucking vomit.
sorry to sound like someone who gives a shit about things but... ugh.
bollocks
you are all cynics
its a fucking AMAZING marketing tool which will make the bucket loads of cash. Its the way things should be going.
Lucky
bucket.
lol
it's not amazing
it's the most obvious thing. and it's been done before. by Sigue Sigue Sputnik of all bands who put adverts on one of their cds in the eighties. Clearly they were ahead of their time. one man's revolutionary is another man's lunatic.
It's all well and good unless you're someone who thinks music is the one art form that truly taps into the part of us that goes beyond the boring bullshit and commerce of everyday life. If you just consider music another thing to buy then this isn't going to matter much to you I suppose.
so really if
this trend continues, music will eventually be free?? it would be like tv where they depnd on adverts to make money it .it could be a good thing or a bad thing.instead they should have the advert instead of the album artwork that would work better, but each way you can avoid having to hear the advert, which isnt good for the advertiser.
.
This is major labels clutching at straws because they understand in very clear and real terms how much money they lose from people downloading their releases illegally and are trying any means necassary to make money out of the whole download boom. It's pathetic.
three words
cool edit pro