Vivendi Online distributing unprotected new single as MP3 format...for $0.99

[yllus]

Label tests MP3 in song sale

In what may be a first for a major-label recording artist, Maverick Records and Vivendi Universal's online division are asking listeners to pay just under a dollar for an unprotected MP3 version of a new single.

The companies put the track, a dance version of "Earth" by Meshell Ndegeocello, online Thursday on sites run by Vivendi Universal Net USA, including MP3.com, RollingStone.com, GetMusic.com and MP4.com. People can purchase the file for 99 cents and then burn the song to a CD-ROM disc or transfer it to a portable device. The companies said subscribers of EMusic's MP3 music service will be able to download the track as part of their memberships.


Sounds promising - maybe we're seeing the sun set on buying $17 CDs with only one or two good tracks on them. Download one or two worthwhile songs for $0.99 each...that's not so terrible. Questions, though:

1) With bitrate is this encoded at? I hope it'll be sent out at 320kbps, 256kbps and 192kbps, letting users downgrade the quality themselves from there if needed.
2) What encoder is likely to be used to do the ripping?
3) What's up with "news.com.com"?

 

[DaveSimmons]

Too bad it's only _1 song_ for now. If they put their entire catalog up, including out-of-print stuff, and if the bitrate was at least 224, they'd get a huge chunk of money from me.

 

[gopunk]

they're finally getting it right

 

[RGN]

I don't have a clue who Meshell Ndegeocello is, but I'm buying that MP3. I will support this move, and I still won't Buy CD's.

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: RGN
I don't have a clue who Meshell Ndegeocello is, but I'm buying that MP3. I will support this move, and I still won't Buy CD's.

just bought it it's not bad.... not what i listen to on a regular basis, but not unpleasant.

 

[prontospyder]

hopefully, they offer more songs in the future.

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: prontospyder
hopefully, they offer more songs in the future.

buy it to encourage them it's just a buck....

 

[BD2003]

Still a rip for a dollar.

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: BigDee2003
Still a rip for a dollar.

yes, but it shows that they are trainable

 

[MWink]

I don't have a clue who Meshell Ndegeocello is, but I'm buying that MP3. I will support this move, and I still won't Buy CD's.

yup.

 

[bonk102]

GREAT idea, wish more companies would see this and understand

 

[BD2003]

I guess its a start. But at that rate, itd be cheaper to buy the whole cd. Say a cd has 15 tracks, and it costs 12 bucks.

Less than a dollar per track. Plus you get packaging and something phsyical to hold on to.


What happens when your hard drive crashes? Are you entitled to download it again? What if you delete it by mistake?

Before I'm ready to shell out money for online distribution, I'm going to want some sort of guarantee that if something happens to my computer, I'm going to be able to retrieve everything again.

And it better be high quality.

 

[lllJRlll]

Originally posted by: BigDee2003
I guess its a start. But at that rate, itd be cheaper to buy the whole cd. Say a cd has 15 tracks, and it costs 12 bucks.

Less than a dollar per track. Plus you get packaging and something phsyical to hold on to.


What happens when your hard drive crashes? Are you entitled to download it again? What if you delete it by mistake?

Before I'm ready to shell out money for online distribution, I'm going to want some sort of guarantee that if something happens to my computer, I'm going to be able to retrieve everything again.

And it better be high quality.

How many CD's that you buy actually have 15 full tracks? I would say that most CD's have 10-11 actually songs on a cd and to pay .99 for the only song on the cd that you like is a pretty fair deal.

 

[polypterus]

So how's this going to work for punk? We're going to have to pay $0.99 for a 90 second song? And seeing as how most punk records have closer to 20 songs, this is not a good deal. IE Rancid's last two albums would've cost $22 a piece, lol.

dc

 

[yllus]

Originally posted by: BigDee2003What happens when your hard drive crashes? Are you entitled to download it again? What if you delete it by mistake?

Before I'm ready to shell out money for online distribution, I'm going to want some sort of guarantee that if something happens to my computer, I'm going to be able to retrieve everything again.

I see what you're saying, but it's not like on the other hand you'd be entitled to another CD that you bought in the store if your original broke in half. Maybe some kind of customer ID # that you get on registration would let you log in and download a song again for 1/4 of the original cost...say $0.25. That's just ripe for abuse, though.

I'm tried out GetMusic.com just now...WMA tracks which won't work with my copy of Winamp w/WMA plugin or Windows Media Player 6.4. I'll try updating my Winamp WMA plugin, but this is not amusing. My wager is the problem with playing the file (Michelle Branch - Everywhere) is protection-related.