Can free music work? It certainly has for Trent Reznor, the man behind Nine Inch Nails. He offered his new album, Ghosts I-IV, in a number of configurations ranging from free to a $300 ultra-deluxe, autographed, limited edition – and all 2,500 copies of that sold out in just three days, crashing his site’s servers, and bring him in $750,000, according to Information Week. Reznor had 36 tracks in total. Fans could download the first nine for free, with other packages including a $5 download, a $10 download including physical CDs, along with other packages. There was also the option of purchasing a license allowing the user to copy and distribute the album. Last year Radiohead famously let fans download its latest album, In Rainbows, and pay what they believed it was worth. No definitive figures have been given on how many downloads were made or how much people paid, but comScore reckoned it achieved an average of $6 per download, with 63% of people not paying at all. The download version was discontinued when sales of the physical CD began. Artists in other genres have offered albums for free download, too, such as classical violinist Tasmin Little.
Tag Archive: Tasmin Little
Free Classical Downloads
What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, it would appear. But will what worked for Radiohead also work for classical music? Violinist Tasmin Little is hoping so. From next Monday she’s making her new album, The Naked Violin, available for free download from her site, according to a Reuters report. She hopes that the free download of the album, which comprises three unaccompanied violin pieces, will help kick-start an interest in classicalmusic. "I’ve done this with no intention of making money, but I feel very strongly that classical music suffers from misperceptions, and someone should be doing something real aboutit," she told the news agency. However, there are differences. Radiohead were already massively popular when they made In Rainbows available for download on a pay-what-you-want basis, anda recently-issued physical version immediately topped the British album charts. The band was also without a record label, by choice. While Little might be known in classical circles, she’s nota household name, and she continues to also record for labels. However, it does address the fact that, more and more, downloads look like the primary way of consuming music.
