BECKY GEBHARDT, Saturday September 30:
- In response to Robert
Fink's question: Yes. In addition to showing appreciation for good music,
which of course does not have to be independently released to be good,
there is further motivation to buy CDs. A CD bought in a store is a
multimedia package of art containing not just music but potentially
artwork, photography, a lyric sheet, a message from the artist, and
additional information about the artist. Surprisingly few artists are
using CD-ROM supplements as an incentive to purchase the CD. I agree
that "studio chatter" would lose value out of the context of the box
set, but I think that a lot of people go to Napster seeking the random
audio tracks like that (B-sides, remixes etc.) because it would cost
a lot of money to buy it all. Plus, those tracks might not be "good"
enough to actually buy, but the fan is still interested in hearing them
and possessing them somehow. Home-burned CDs of downloaded MP3s are
actually a common birthday present these days, at least amongst college
students. It is a great giftall of those songs that you've always
wanted but don't own because it isn't worth buying the whole CD for
just one song. It is just like making a mix tape for someone. A mix
CD, like a mix tape, is an art form: Selecting songs, putting them in
a good sequence, creating artwork for it. On the other hand, giving
someone a burned CD of a whole album and not a mix is tacky.
|