Downtown Records Comes Up With A Business Model That May Be A Little "Crazy" - Idolator Comments

Downtown Records Comes Up With A Business Model That May Be A Little "Crazy"

Catbirdseat — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 11:15:55 EDT

Remember how you would ask your parents for a new bike, and they'd tell you to go get a job and buy your own bike? Know why they did that? So you'd appreciate the bike. I don't think people will ever really give much of a shit about something that's ubiquitous and totally free.

Catbirdseat

Downtown Records Comes Up With A Business Model That May Be A Little "Crazy"

d_mosurock — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 11:07:00 EDT

Finally, someplace for the Petty Crime discography to surface! Better ask Layla, though.

d_mosurock

Downtown Records Comes Up With A Business Model That May Be A Little "Crazy"

RepentTokyo — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 09:24:17 EDT

why does the "class status" of music have to be tied to the manner in which it is sold or distributed? If you truly want "good fucking music" then why should it matter to you if you buy it on a cd or download it from a site with ads?

RepentTokyo

Downtown Records Comes Up With A Business Model That May Be A Little "Crazy"

JasonBob7 — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 19:42:30 EDT

@hypnotyza: That's too much to ask because music can no longer be SOLD on its own terms. The realities of business require first and foremost that money be made in order for artists and labels to survive, and they can't rely on revenue from selling discrete units of their "product" anymore. Therefore, the music itself is automatically relegated to second-class status (or at least tied for first).

JasonBob7

Downtown Records Comes Up With A Business Model That May Be A Little "Crazy"

hypnotyza — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 18:00:10 EDT

perhaps being a child of the 80s and an adolescent of the 90s has me irrevocably locked into "skeptic" mode, but i don't see this working well.

what's the quantifying measure for success/failure? downloads? # of products that the song is advertising sold?

i think my major beef with this is that, once again, music is being relegated to the status of a second-class citizen here. the art isn't being consumed on its own merits, but as a tool to do THIS, THAT or THE OTHER...

all i want is good fucking music on its own terms. why is too much to ask?

hypnotyza

Downtown Records Comes Up With A Business Model That May Be A Little "Crazy"

Maura Johnston — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:24:50 EDT

@JasonBob7: A fair point, and I am also interested in seeing how it pans out. But as someone who, during the first dot-com bubble, worked at a company that had a launch party for a site before it was even in beta and left said company before the site ever launched--oh wait, it never did!--I reserve the right to be skeptical of any projected claims about what's pretty much vaporware at this point.

Maura Johnston

Downtown Records Comes Up With A Business Model That May Be A Little "Crazy"

Catbirdseat — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:04:08 EDT

Props to the guy, though, for trying something, ANYTHING, different.

[Disclosure: If Denton needs to poop out a service to compete toe-to-toe with this, I will sign on to mastermind it. I have ideas, and diagrams, and stuff.]

Catbirdseat

Downtown Records Comes Up With A Business Model That May Be A Little "Crazy"

RepentTokyo — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 16:26:39 EDT

@JasonBob7: "Your complaint about the "we'll tell you what you'll like" attitude has a flip-side -- the old-school model of record-label-as-quality-filter. Back in "the day" (i.e. the 50s - 60s), labels had a role as tastemakers, cherry-picking the best music and developing the best artists."

Not only that, but independent labels act as scene filters and this is a perfect mouthpiece for them.

RepentTokyo

Downtown Records Comes Up With A Business Model That May Be A Little "Crazy"

MC — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 16:19:23 EDT

plan to launch an online-only record label that will offer its music for free and generate revenue only through advertising and sponsorships

I liked this idea better the first time, when it was called the New Monkees.

Downtown Records Comes Up With A Business Model That May Be A Little "Crazy"

JasonBob7 — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 16:12:00 EDT

I think this is a really interesting concept, and I'm keen on seeing how it pans out.

Your complaint about the "we'll tell you what you'll like" attitude has a flip-side -- the old-school model of record-label-as-quality-filter. Back in "the day" (i.e. the 50s - 60s), labels had a role as tastemakers, cherry-picking the best music and developing the best artists. Downtown has a growing reputation for picking good, interesting bands. I like the idea of the label as "curator" of their roster much more than a label as a "hit machine".

If fans trust the label, they'll stay loyal to it (especially if it gives out good music for free). Meanwhile, the advertisers get closely-targeted customer access and Downtown gets a consistent revenue source. Sounds like a win-win-win situation.

JasonBob7

Downtown Records Comes Up With A Business Model That May Be A Little "Crazy"

RepentTokyo — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:51:08 EDT

good - this is the future of music - giving away tracks and making money through alternate revenue streams.

RepentTokyo