In 2005, I got an e-mail from an anonymous Universal PR drone telling me that I could download a track from former Tha’ Rayne member Yummy Bingham for free on iTunes. (This was a surprise; in 2005 major labels didn’t give away free anything, and even though the track was locked up with DRM, a download was a marked improvement from e-cards and streams.) The song, “Come Get It,” turned out to be one of my favorites of the year, but I don’t think anybody else ever liked it as much as I did. Heck, I’m pretty sure that’s the case because this song went nowhere, chart-wise. Giving it away for free must have been a sign of desperation or not knowing what to do with it—which is too bad, because it’s held up pretty well.
