Tuesday, January 9, 2007

AllOfMP3 - the model forDRM-free music stores?

So, my remaining credit at AllofMP3 ran out today after a buying splurge that included several bands I never head of, but liked the names of...sort of the way I used to buy $5.00 albums back in 1985. Ah, the awesome cover of the Damned's "Grimly Fiendish", which I bought song unseen based on the covered, was briefly disappointed by, then loved ,and now love even more knowing it's connection to an old British comic thanks to Alan Moore's "Albion" series.

My point is that I had previously put 70 bucks into an AllOfMP3 account, and I blew it all either checking out bands (13 purchases), or buying stuff I used to have and love on vinyl. I have never spent any money on a DRM-based system, and wouldn't because, well, I am not a chump. But I will certainly blow reasonable money for songs, if it were going to the artists. Oh, music companies...I have bad news. My legal, ripped from CDs music collection is over 6,500 songs. I know that you don't realize this, but my huge (legal) music collection actually reduces the value of future music. Let's say I buy a new 10 song collection from a band...it's a tiny, tiny fraction of my collection. I will listen to it a little, but not more than about a dollar's wroth to me - low quality recoding, no packaging or media. Grow up and realize that your product is worth about a dollar per album, but you have a market of millions willing to pay that, and it costs you about 8 cents (assuming that you automate Pandora style "Like this?/Like this! recommendations. ) I know that it really, really sucks to be replaced by computers, but I can't help you there...I work in Sarbanes Oxley compliance, where I tell people everyday that I could replaced with about 340 developer hours of log report automation, but no one will listen, so I keep getting paid $120K to copy shit out of reports and manually review logs.

We all have problems.

If you use this, attribute it anonymously, to cult@shinra.com, and with a url link of www.shinra.com. My cult needs members - none of these bastards donate a thing. Will one of you at least bother to look at Shinra.com. a cult that is way better than any dumb pasta based deity that expects to believe in a particular thing, while we encourage people to believe any stupid thing they want, so long as their checks clear?

I have yet to even think twice about an ALLOFMP3 purchase. They are all spur of the moment, I don't regret them, and god bless their souls, I even bought a copy of Pink's "Get This Party Started". Grow up, tune in, drop ownership barriers.

1 comment:

justmusicstore.com said...

I recommend you http://justmusicstore.com There are much more music then on the allofmp3.com