Music Legend Holdouts May Soon Be Forced to Sell Their Tunes Online
Posted August 21, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
What do the Beatles, Garth Brooks, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead and Kid Rock all have in common? And how are you able to control what they do?
Besides all being music legends, the answer to both questions comes in marketing muscle and consumer choice. None of the above artists will let their songs be sold through iTunes, Apple Computer’s leading online music service. And your buying power is showing them they may no longer have that choice.
Part of the reason for the holdout centres on rights.
Others worry about piracy.
But much of the reluctance to let their tunes be part of iTunes stems from one simple fact – the service sells individual tracks for 99 cents each. And many of the artists argue their entire album should be offered or nothing at all.
Which is why in some cases, it’s nothing at all.
“We’ve always thought certain artists put out albums that aren’t meant to be compilations with 50 other artists,” explains Ed “Punch” Andrews, Kid Rock’s manager. “We’re hoping at some point albums become important again like they were in the past 30 years.”
Andrews also represents Bob Seger, another rocker whose online offerings are all but non-existent. The Michigan music man is said to be pondering a reissue of his classic 1976 album “Night Moves” for online distribution, but only if the entire LP goes on sale without making it track specific.
The Beatles have never allowed a single song to be uploaded legally and are locked in a bitter court dispute with Apple over the use of the company’s name.
Country crooner Garth Brooks hasn’t allowed any of his music to be sold online, either.
But there are signs the dam wall is cracking.
Since the iPod explosion and Apple’s policy of not letting other music vendors’ downloads work on its best selling MP3 player, iTunes has taken over about 70 percent of the market.
And most of the artists are finding they can’t afford to ignore your marketing choice.
That’s why Metallica – the band that helped stop the original Napster – has suddenly joined the new generation.
So have longtime holdouts The Red Hot Chili Peppers. And while Led Zeppelin continues to be a no-show, you can now find individual solo tracks from both Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.
Radiohead isn’t there yet. But lead singer Thom Yorke’s work without the group is.
And expect just about all of them to fall in line soon as they continue to lose out on sales in a big way.
“Any artist that doesn’t is going to be left at the station,” warns industry analyst Phil Leigh. “It’s not a secret that growth in the CD market is as dead as General Custer.”
And the battle they’re fighting may be equally unsuccessful.