DJ Phase writes "Warp Records, an independent label for electronic music (featuring artists such as Aphex Twin, Autechre, and Boards of Canada), has made their entire back catalog available thru Bleep, a new digital download service. Individual tracks are $1.35 for those of us in the USA, with EPs and full albums in the $4 to $10 price range. You can download Aphex Twin's rare, groundbreaking Hangable Auto Bulb EP for $4.29. To quote from the FAQ: 'We are at present the only store to offer very high quality MP3 files,' and 'Bleep music has no DRM or copy protection built in. We believe that most people like to be treated as customers and not potential criminals'."
Pretty cool I think. 4 to 10 $ for a full album is a pretty good price these days.
This addresses part of what I believe to be part of the evil of the recording industry.
Perhaps this will allow artists to recover $ lost on "out of print" recordings that didn't sell well due to things like poor promotion. And for those of us who have lost or had stolen out of print music (*sighs* at thought the music I have had stolen over the years that I haven't been able to locate to replace) this could be sweet! If only more of the industry would go this route.
Although they have the right idea, they still don't offer official CD copies of the older material for those freak collectors out there who actually like to have the case, cover, and liner notes to read. Never the less this is an improvement. Their blurb about treating customers as customers is great as well.
What we see as Truth is often Collective Speculation
