How Music Companies Can Make Easy Money on iTunes
Back in the 1980s, a lot of great music was released. Fans of a particular artist could purchase the albums on LP or Cassette. CDs were starting to become more popular, and the 45rpm single was still a common find in many stores. Among these options, fans could get all of the songs from the album, plus radio edits in the single versions.
Many of the singles had B-Sides that were not available on the album. Fans that wanted to collect everything would get these singles to enhance their collection. On top of that, many artists also had remixes that could be purchased in LP or CD form, adding still more content to their collection.
I personally had quite a few remixes from Duran Duran that I listened to on a regular basis. Later on I collected remixes from other bands as well as special outtake CDs.
Now with iTunes many artists are offered in digital form for a reasonable price, but these remixes and outtakes are often nowhere to be found. There are a great many recordings that are in the hands of the record companies that music fans would love to buy, but which are no longer offered in any form.
It seems a simple idea for the record companies to take these existing recordings and release them on iTunes. Where are they? There would be no need for marketing. There are no additional studio costs. There is just a catalog of currently out of print material which could be once again sold, and with no printing, pressing, or other costs.
It is an easy-money proposition. Why don’t they do it?
So, basically, my question to the record companies is this. Why not try to make a living from your fans by selling them what you have instead of by suing them?
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