Independent Music Buyer Beware

Many people are now tired of getting in the car and driving to the mall to shop for music. Also,  buying CDs by mail-order isn't any better; unless you're willing to pay for expedited shipping, you end up waiting for days for your tunes to arrive. Furthermore, all those CDs and their cases are becoming very cumbersome to keep and store... after all, you're probably just going to rip them to your computer, load them on your MP3 player and listen to them on the go. So, why not just save yourself all the hassle and acquire your music digitally, all ready for your music player?

As many people have by now discovered, there are many advantages to buying music online. Audio websites will allow you to browse their complete collection much more quickly and easily than you can in a retail store, and almost all of them will let you listen to a preview before you make your selections. And even better -- you aren't required to purchase an entire CD full of songs if you aren't thrilled with all of them; simply choose the ones you want and leave the rest behind!

From what I can determine, there is only one problem with downloading music online, and that's choosing the best site to use. With the hundreds, maybe even thousands, of music download sites available today, how do you select the one that will provide the most value for your money?

A good way to start is to think about your musical preferences. Do you like heavy metal, country, pop, classic rock and roll? You certainly don't want to limit yourself to a site that specializes in indie labels if your favorite groups are all mainstream pop. Likewise, don't frustrate yourself searching for bluegrass music on a site where the main headliners are Ozzy Osbourne and Alice Cooper. 

When it comes to downloading independent music it's quite different. You may discover an independent musician with one or perhaps two songs that you want to download. A big mistake by many independent musicians is to put their best two tracks at the top of their list on music sites. Like many commercial artists, this doesn't guarantee an entire album of great songs thus leading to a backlash if the independent musician only allows for entire album downloads.

If an independent musician opts to put their material out there with major distributors, the potential music buyer only get to hear a randomly edited 'clip' of each song. Hardly enticing.

Some months back, I opted to distribute via Bandcamp. From the player to your left you can listen to the album "Mean Business" in its' entirety, track by track and as often as you wish. You can choose to download only the tracks that you may be particularly fond of. HINT#1: If you wish to download the entire album, enter the word thistle at checkout to see exactly what the discount is. Hint#2: It's a hefty discount. Even at this point, you are under no obligation to proceed. It is this total transparency that I feel is sadly lacking. Additionally, I intend to be making limited-time free single downloads to members of my website:  www.scotsbob.com

Once you've narrowed your choices to sites where you are likely to find your desired groups, it's time to take a look at pricing. Will you be charged a fee for each song you download, and if so, how much will it be? Some sites offer membership packages where you subscribe for a set fee each month -- you are then entitled to download a specified number of songs for free, or at a discounted rate. Some sites offer unlimited streaming with a membership, so you can listen online as much as you want and are only charged when you want to have your tunes "to-go" and download them to your computer, MP3 player, CD, or other device. Online music sites have devised countless payment tactics, so it's a good idea to evaluate a few of them to find out which will work best for you.

With Bandcamp and www.scotsbob.com there are no no limitations, no hidden costs....no fees at all infact, which allows me to release my music downloads at more than competitive prices.

Improved Access To Independent Music

It is very easy to buy rock music nowadays. This does not pertain to purchasing CDs, for this is all about buying rock music online. The Internet has definitely become one of the most reliable sources when it comes to searching for all sorts of products, even music.

As much as the professionals in the music industry hate to admit, it actually makes sense to buy rock music online. In any music CD, there are times when there would be just two or three songs that you like on the record. Getting the whole record would just incur more expenses on your part. Thus, it would be so much better to just buy the songs that you want from websites that offer this service.

It is not difficult to find websites offering such a service at all. In fact, you can just perform a search for these websites on any search engine, and you will surely find a plethora of websites for your listening pleasure.
Case in point....my own website My site is free join and I offer my music in varying formats. My personal favourite is Bandcamp. Releases via Bandcamp are offered in an variety of sound-file formats, downloading is a seamless affair, it accepts PayPal, individual tracks can be purchased and purchased cheaper than the major distributors whilst maintaining the highest quality sound-files.

If you note the player to your left, you can listen to the album "Mean Business" in its entirety....as often as you like. Bandcamp allows the musician to offer discounts. I believe in utilising this fantastic tool to the hilt. Simply enter the word thistle at checkout to view the discount. You are under no obligation to purchase, even at this point.

If you do not find the idea of buying music online as a new one, then you surely must be tired of the racket of buying songs for 99 cents. This service did garner much popularity; however, the same degree of popularity just does not exist today. With the advent of MP3s and such, this option no longer holds well with music fans all over the world. 

This brings me to latest racket in purchasing rock music, which are the paid band membership sites.

These are the websites that allow you to download their music to your heart's content. However, you would have to pay an annual membership fee to have unlimited access to their vast collection of music files. 

What's more, these paid membership sites are legally affiliated with major record labels all over the world. Thus, when you buy rock music from them, you are not giving the rock musicians the money that they deserve to get from you.

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