Peter Gabriel Launches Online Music Store
May 22, 2008 at 3:21 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 21

DrBenway

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In his CNET blog, journalist Steve Guttenberg reports that Peter Gabriel has partnered with B&W to offer lossless music downloads of live sessions recorded at Real World Studios. The service is subscription based. From the post:

Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios has launched a download service with high-end British loudspeaker manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins.

It's called the B&W Music Club, and it offers exclusive monthly albums to members, recorded at Gabriel's Real World Studios in southwestern England and downloadable in a "lossless" file format with CD-quality sound. Subscribers pay $66.33 for a year (that's $5.86 per recording), or $46.79 for a six-month run. Subscribers can download one album per month.


Sounds interesting, no?

Edit:

Files are in Apple lossless format (ALAC).


I went to the site to check it out, and it turns out that there is a free three month trial offer. The trial subscription does NOT require you to provide credit card info, which is very unusual and very nice. You get "EP" versions of the albums, which means a three track sampler. I'm downloading the sampler for the current offering, the new Little Axe album, Bought for a Dollar, Sold for a Dime right now. LIttle Axe's music is a sort of post-modern take on electric blues, with elements of funk, dub and electronica. I have a copy of one of their previous albums, Hard Grind, which is quite good. I'll let you know how this new stuff sounds after I get a chance to listen.
 
May 22, 2008 at 5:58 PM Post #2 of 21
Sounds pretty kewl, definately worth checking out.
Thanks for the info
wink.gif
 
May 22, 2008 at 6:53 PM Post #3 of 21
Excellent, signed up for the free trial. Doubt ill have the funds for the full thing but its a great idea and a great way to be introduced to new music constantly.
 
May 22, 2008 at 7:20 PM Post #4 of 21
Are these files unique to downloads? Or will they be released later on CD? If unique then it is quite worth it!

Edit: Upon reading the site I noted that these downloads are unique for a time. The site pays the artist upfront and deals with the recording costs. They then sell the album for 1 month. After that one month all rights to the album pass back into the hands of the artist who also receives the original master tapes and can do what they please with them. That is, they can release the music through regular channels if they so choose. So although this doesn't guarantee that the music will be released on CD or LP it doesn't rule it out entirely.

I just signed up for the free trial. It lasts for 3 months! More than enough time to get a feel for the programme. Once established (and the fact that they are purposely releasing albums from hard-to-pidgeon-hole artists) it should be quite good. This will be the first time I go for the idea of digital downloads. The price is right and the fact that the recordings are not just lossless but likely well encoded (not transcoded) means this is a steal at about $6/album. Sites like Linn Records charging upwards of $30+ for a sound board album in FLAC stinks of highway robbery.
 
May 22, 2008 at 8:25 PM Post #5 of 21
Quote:

Originally Posted by J.D.N /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Excellent, signed up for the free trial. Doubt ill have the funds for the full thing but its a great idea and a great way to be introduced to new music constantly.


I feel the same way. It kind of reminds me of the old Book of the Month Club. If you are open to new things, this approach could work very well. There's been lots of discussion in the media about why the subscription services haven't caught on, relative to the success of ala-carte services like iTunes. This new approach might succeed as a niche for adventurous listeners. Only time will tell.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The price is right and the fact that the recordings are not just lossless but likely well encoded (not transcoded) means this is a steal at about $6/album. Sites like Linn Records charging upwards of $30+ for a sound board album in FLAC stinks of highway robbery.


I've been patiently waiting (O.K., not so patiently) for widespread availability of full-fidelity downloads at fair prices. Obviously, this isn't the huge inventory of lossless that I'm dreaming of, but it's a step in the right direction. Every development like this one is an encouraging sign.

Isn't it interesting that so much of the innovation in this market is coming from musicians like Radiohead, Trent Reznor, and Peter Gabriel, rather than the record companies? They are so busy wringing their hands and suing people that they are leaving obvious innovation opportunities to much, much smaller players.

And it doesn't escape my notice that the folks like Gabriel, who are taking risks and innovating, could choose to just sit back and count their money. Instead, they are shaking things up and making a positive difference. It's almost enough to make me optimistic. Well, not really. But you know what I mean...
 
May 22, 2008 at 8:38 PM Post #6 of 21
I agree. Particularly regarding Gabriel who has always been a trend setter. I'm waiting for Amy Mann and SuperEgo Records or Don Henley (who co-founded the recording artists coalition) to start up something similar. I believe Amy Mann's label permits the artist to retain 100% of the copyrights and takes only 50% of the revenue from a given album run. Compare this with a typical RIAA outift that retains the copyrights and takes 70% of the profits with the artists typically getting about 1%.

Folks like Trent, nolonger under the thumb of a recording contract, are really free to express themselves. His rapid pace at releasing new works, directly to the public, sending hot newly recorded tracks to radiostations is the way of the future for established artists. For up and comers, hopefully something like Gabriel's efforts or what Reznor did his label's first online release.

Fair pricing is the key. If I am going to buy my albums online because they are no longer available to me on full production CD then I better be compensated for this inconvenience. Don't expect me to pay the same or MORE for a bunch of bits and bytes when I later have to go to all the trouble of backing the stuff up and printing out album art if any.

The first company to get the subscription model down right will be the real winner. Imagine if Sony released a $20-$50/month all you can download plan in lossless? I'd be there in a second and so would MANY people. For those that do the torrent or limewire stuff, the hassle wouldn't be worth it nor would the possibility of transcoding or bogus files that come up.

Log into your Sony site, click add to cart, start downloads, leave over night, sync automatically to player of choice after each download is completed, pick up device in morning before work/school, done!


The software is easy to do, I could have something similar cooked up tonight using iTunes, Applescript and my iPod if it doesn't already exist, the problem is the cost and fidelity. I'd rather pay for the CD's thank you. Automatic backup, stamped not "burned" discs that tend to deteriorate less over time and the fit and finish of the product is better than me printing out the art. All in all, the "all you can eat" model is the win win here. Same with movies. Netflix got it right. They figure with the escalating resolution in formats and the limited time people have...downloading copious HD videos won't be a problem any time soon. Once fiber hits this may not ring as true, but they could throttle the speeds so that the data comes in at real-time viewing speeds only. No one could just leech their site in a month and be done with it. So at this point, pay the monthly fee, grab what you can and enjoy. They are going to put Blockbuster out of business. Most of the B&M stores are already closing their doors, and Blockbuster will simply be too late to the game to take Netflix out.
 
May 22, 2008 at 11:24 PM Post #7 of 21
Quote:

Originally Posted by DrBenway /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I feel the same way. It kind of reminds me of the old Book of the Month Club. If you are open to new things, this approach could work very well. There's been lots of discussion in the media about why the subscription services haven't caught on, relative to the success of ala-carte services like iTunes. This new approach might succeed as a niche for adventurous listeners. Only time will tell.


Yeh, exactly. I really enjoy the idea of not knowing whats going to come up, and only see it as a good thing that can broaden my music taste/knowledege. This is most probably going on my xmas list
biggrin.gif


I agree with all of what you guys are saying and couldnt put it better myself. I really hope this kind of thing takes off.

Just to digress slightly, while i was downloading the Little Axe EP a memory suddenly weny shooting across my head taking me back 13 years to a trip to my uncles. I was only 9 at the time and he wanting me to experience different kinds of music gave me an album... ON TAPE! It was none other than Little Axe's - The Wolf That House Built! Sufice to say i wasn't ready for this sound back then, but now im really quite enjoying it.
 
May 23, 2008 at 7:02 AM Post #8 of 21
Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Compare this with a typical RIAA outift that retains the copyrights and takes 70% of the profits with the artists typically getting about 1%.


Regardless of how things shake out, I don't think the majors will be able to get away with this in the future. At least I hope not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif
For up and comers, hopefully something like Gabriel's efforts or what Reznor did his label's first online release.


I think that Merge Records is doing a great job of bringing along younger artists, and they seem to be doing it with an enlightened mixture of online and bricks-and-morter strategies. As far as I know, The Arcade Fire own their own masters, and they are doing just fine. Merge has a great roster of new artists, including She and Him, Radar Brothers, and a host of others.

They've also got a smattering of older, still relevant artists, like Superchunk (which makes sense since two members started the label) and The Buzzcocks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I'd be there in a second and so would MANY people.


Count me in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I'd rather pay for the CD's thank you. Automatic backup, stamped not "burned" discs that tend to deteriorate less over time and the fit and finish of the product is better than me printing out the art.


That's the fly in the ointment. The physical, stamped CD still has advantages. I recently read that CD sales aren't off as much in Japan as they are in the rest of the world. That seems counterintuitive at first, given the alacrity with which Japanese consumers seem to adopt new technology. But it seems that there is still an appreciation there for the virtues of the physical CD and the accompanying packaging.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif
They are going to put Blockbuster out of business. Most of the B&M stores are already closing their doors, and Blockbuster will simply be too late to the game to take Netflix out.


Agreed. But I think Walmart will be a more formidable competitor. They have such enormous economies of scale, and they can literally dictate pricing to the labels. I think they will be the last bricks n morter player of any significance.
 
May 23, 2008 at 7:06 AM Post #9 of 21
Quote:

Originally Posted by J.D.N /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Just to digress slightly, while i was downloading the Little Axe EP a memory suddenly weny shooting across my head taking me back 13 years to a trip to my uncles. I was only 9 at the time and he wanting me to experience different kinds of music gave me an album... ON TAPE! It was none other than Little Axe's - The Wolf That House Built! Sufice to say i wasn't ready for this sound back then, but now im really quite enjoying it.


I first heard of Little Axe in an article that discussed The Wolf That House Built. It's long out of print, as far as I know, and I've looked high and low for it online. No luck. I ended up downloading Hard Grind from eMusic, and that became my formal intro to the band. I think they are a little inconsistent, but I much prefer their approach to that of bands who treat the Blues as a museum piece rather than a living, breathing art form.
 
May 23, 2008 at 4:13 PM Post #10 of 21
Quote:

Originally Posted by DrBenway /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Agreed. But I think Walmart will be a more formidable competitor. They have such enormous economies of scale, and they can literally dictate pricing to the labels. I think they will be the last bricks n morter player of any significance.


I very much agree. I think that Walmart/Best Buy (and in Canada HMV and Futureshoppe) will be the last of the bunch. Giant stores buying in such volume that they can literally dictate the pricing. We already know from Walmart themselves that they make less than 2% of their sales from CDs and that they are priced to draw people into that section to buy other things.

Blockbuster though really missed out. They had the marketshare and the wealth to put together a slick system like Netflix. They, like the RIAA, faltered and instead of rolling with the new tech decided to charge higher late fees and higher prices. It wasn't until a court case determined their late fees were illegally high that they got rid of them altogether (and only after one more stab at the customer with "disappearing late fees").

Same with the RIAA. Instead of lowering the price like the MPAA does with their DVDs (2 for 6 bucks some days at Walmart and Best Buy for A grade movies from top studios with top actors, less than 5 year old pics!). Instead or RAISING the price on the back catalogue they ought to drop the price to $5. Many claim studio costs which I say has to be bogus in the day of increasingly better technology and studio gear that should have long been paid for. Moreover, and likely the worst affected are soundtracks and scores wherein the starting price is often >22.95. Since the recording was part of the cost of making the movie, this cost should have been balanced out by ticket sales and then by DVD release. The RIAA releasing these works at ludicrous pricing are simply taking advantage of those that enjoy orchestral music. There is no doubt that some of the best orchestral music being composed today is for film and it is well known that those that typically enjoy this form of music are diehard music lovers who are willing to spend extra to get it. Therefore they take their best customers, the rabid music lovers and thrust a javelin in our knee
wink.gif


Anyhow, the industry is in transition. For me, my ideal buying situation would be buying the LP with CD included and a code for a free download all for $20. Think this is insanely cheap? Indie labels have been doing this for ages (at least the combo LP and code...or LP and CD...now they are including all three for that price). If they can do it with their low distribution run, the RIAA can certainly do it with their stuff.
 
May 23, 2008 at 6:15 PM Post #11 of 21
Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I very much agree. I think that Walmart/Best Buy (and in Canada HMV and Futureshoppe) will be the last of the bunch. Giant stores buying in such volume that they can literally dictate the pricing.


It blew me away when I read that the Eagles's reunion album debuted at #1 despite the fact that it was only available at Walmart. Yikes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif
We already know from Walmart themselves that they make less than 2% of their sales from CDs and that they are priced to draw people into that section to buy other things.


I wasn't able to confirm it to my satisfaction, but I read that Walmart was actually pressing the labels for custom best-of packages (just the hits, O.K.?) that could be priced as impulse buys. A vendor dictating artistic choices to the artists and labels? Yeesh, talk about the tyranny of marketing. As I said though, I could never really confirm this.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Blockbuster though really missed out. They had the marketshare and the wealth to put together a slick system like Netflix. They, like the RIAA, faltered and instead of rolling with the new tech decided to charge higher late fees and higher prices.


Which I think only underscores the fact that the innovation that will finally bring the industry into the 21st century is coming from relatively small players, including some artists.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Same with the RIAA. Instead of lowering the price like the MPAA does with their DVDs (2 for 6 bucks some days at Walmart and Best Buy for A grade movies from top studios with top actors, less than 5 year old pics!). Instead or RAISING the price on the back catalogue they ought to drop the price to $5.


I was in Borders a few months ago, and I noticed a reissue of Elvis Costello's My Aim Is True. No elaborate packaging, no incredibly essential bonus tracks. Price? $18.99. That's insulting on its face, but it's even more so when you consider how many times that album has been released and how many copies have probably been sold worldwide. Not to mention that it was banged out in a 4-track studio on a wafer thin budget.

The twisted logic makes me wince: O.K., let's see...no one is buying what we're selling, there are all kinds of competing formats and entertainment options...EUREKA! We'll raise the price! HIGH FIVE!
 
Jun 21, 2008 at 4:57 PM Post #12 of 21
Well, I just went to the club site to get my monthly, and to my (pleasant) surprise, I was offered the option of downloading the files as either ALAC or FLACs!! Yes, they now seem to be offering files in what David Letterman would call the "popular FLAC file format."

If I were the kind of guy who ever did the happy dance, I would be doing the happy dance right now. Except, of course, I'm not the kind of guy who ever does the happy dance. So I'm not doing the happy dance. Really, I'm not.

P.S. This month's selection is by Grindhouse. Not familiar with them, but sounds so far a bit like Radiohead; electronica infused, rock based. Sounds very good, SQ is great!

Edit: O.K, now that I've heard almost the whole thing, I'd say rock definitely, electronica not so much. But the singer does bear a pretty close resemblance to Thom Yorke. Whatever, it's good stuff.
 
Jun 23, 2008 at 8:43 PM Post #14 of 21
Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan T /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I just downloaded the free Grindhouse (Mondo Cane) tracks. It sounds like Jeff Buckley meets Radiohead, not sure if that's a niche I'm looking to fill.

Bryan



Please post your impressions -- even if you hate it -- after you've listened a few times.
 
Jun 24, 2008 at 7:50 PM Post #15 of 21
I'm not really feeling this band. It really does sound like a mix of Jeff Buckley and Radiohead circa 1995, perhaps a bit poppier than either. The melodies aren't as interesting as Buckley and the songs aren't as strong as Radiohead. The melodies probably remind me the most of Placebo's due to their simplicity.

The recording sounds good. There are lots of elements in the mix, but it never feels busy. The drums are a bit dull sounding and I don't like the snare drum sound, particularly on track 3.

Track 1 has an interesting swagger, but never grabs me. The chorus sounds like "House of the Rising Sun."

Track 4 could be a Radiohead B-side - it reminds me of "Trickster," but isn't as strong.

I'd give it a 3 out of 5.

Bryan
 

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