I Will Go (from mp3.com)

Subject: I Will Go (from mp3.com)
From: Willie-O
Date: 18 Oct 01 - 11:50 AM

Bit of a double-edged msg here.

I just posted my recording of "I Will Go (Land of MacLeod)" on my mp3.com site. Check it out if you like the song or my other recordings, its an arrangement I still really love, recorded some six years ago with some of the best players in Ottawa.

You can download it for free now, but I'm going to change that in a couple of weeks, in all probability. So download now if you want it.

BEWARE!
Here's where this post turns from music self-promotion/giveaway into mp3.com gripe.

MP3.com has radically changed the balance sheet of how they pay artists ("premium" artists, who pay them $20/month US for the site) for people listening to their stuff online. Last month I was making $15/month just from people listening, (i.e., still losing money, but only $5) this month I've made 97 cents so far. It's gone from being something I could just about break even on, to something that is a dead loss UNLESS listeners buy a real or virtual (NetCD) CD. So it seems a lot of artists are responding to this by making the mp3 tracks unavailable for free download, to encourage people who like the music to pay for it.

I've gone halfway on this concept. The tracks on my site that are available on CD are now not downloadable--the other ones are. In fifteen months I've had over 8,000 listens--but it seems most folks going to mp3.com just are not going there to buy. It's the mp3 culture I guess. (Not casting any aspersions here, I am a notorious tightwad myself)

I'll probably keep my mp3.com site, but will also probably delist myself from the Premium artist program soon, cause there's just no reasonable chance of making the money back. After that I won't be updating the site much, it takes too long to get things through. I'm going to try and get a CD available through CDStreet.com, the indie distributor.

What are other MP3.com artists on the Cat doing?

Bill

Subject: RE: I Will Go (from mp3.com)
From: Alice
Date: 18 Oct 01 - 03:09 PM

I hear you, Bill. I had made at least a good part of the $20 a month from listener payback, but this month I've made $1.61 so far to pay toward the $20 a month premium fee. I'll probably keep it, doing as Celtic Ways suggests, too, and check out CDStreet's service. The easy way to make a CD is still to make it through Mp3.com, without having to pay upfront costs for the production. I went on to mp3.com just because I couldn't use Hearme and PalTalk (with a Mac) and wanted to be able to share sound files with other people. It is a challenge to deal with a company that is so good/bad/good/bad unpredictable in what they offer, changing on a whim.

Alice

Subject: RE: I Will Go (from mp3.com)
From: Willie-O
Date: 18 Oct 01 - 05:01 PM

Enhhh, mp3.com is driving me nuts the way they're putting all their creative energies into finding ways to separate their artists from our pennies. First they giveth, then they taketh and taketh and taketh...if their economic plan is for the onboard artists to make them rich out of our own pockets, I think they've lost the idea of providing a new model for music distribution...and they're going to lose a lot of music off the site, which is the only thing that keeps people coming to it.

Formerly cutting edge, now going down. IMHO.

W-O

Subject: RE: I Will Go (from mp3.com)
From: hesperis
Date: 18 Oct 01 - 05:04 PM

Yeah. I've pretty much left mp3.com, as you may know.

However, I heard a rumour that they will be offering a new service in November - a $5/month p4p level, underserviced compared to the Premium level, but still not too bad.

That may be an ok service under their new rules for what is considered a "play" that will be paid for. I still don't trust them, and I really don't like that they have become a place that gouges money from the artists in order to keep going, but they do offer the best structure of all the Online Music Distributors out there. The customer service and the attitude could be a LOT better still... *sigh*

If you are an artist with any music online, you might want to check out MP3 Equity, as they are drawing up a Bill of Rights for Artists. About time.

Subject: RE: I Will Go (from mp3.com)
From: Willie-O
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 01:04 PM

Hesperis, I haven't heard that rumour, but I suppose it is aimed at the next objective of making sure nobody rides for free. Even though they have claimed the free service will always be available.

Still, it's a damn shame that all the media attention is on "the next Napster", just as it focussed on Napster in its day. It seems to be a given that the technology exists to make sure people can access music without paying a cent to its creators.

Virtual busking on the net, that's the model I'm thinking of. Most people obviously don't want to pay ten bucks or even five, but who wouldn't pony up a quarter or two for some tunes they enjoy? Would that there was a net music service working along those lines...or is there?

W-O
retired from real busking

Subject: RE: I Will Go (from mp3.com)
From: nutty
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 01:15 PM

What are the proceedures for paying royalties to the authors/composers of the songs you are putting on the site.
For example, "I will go" is attributed to Roddy McMillan, who is said to have adapted it from a traditional scottish song. Are royalties payable in cases like this? AND Are royalties paid for MP3's placed on the net?

Subject: RE: I Will Go (from mp3.com)
From: Sabine
Date: 20 Oct 01 - 04:31 AM

Bill,

I listened to you song and I'm very happy that I did. I only know a version from Andy M. Stewart (very old version *g*).

But yours is great! Thank you!!

Sabine