Here in the Product department, we’re always busy building cool stuff to make life (and business) easier for our clients. This time, we’re very pleased to announce the launch of a brand new Accounting section. Please, everyone, calm down. Excuse me, sir, can you put your shirt back on? This …
Videos are by far the most engaging form of social content. This isn’t exactly a new discovery, but there’s a lot of missed potential by bands that claim to have a YouTube presence. The common misconception is that your music videos go up on YouTube and you’re done. Although MTV …
Plugging — it’s a word we often hear in relation to promoting something, recommending it, giving it your stamp of approval. iPluggers does just that for your music, and it does it all around the world. With a 100% airplay guarantee (or your money back), iPluggers provides the platform for …
Meet our latest partner: Conduit Mobile. The mobile app creator is getting all kinds of press these days, and it’s not without good reason. Their sexy app offers every function you could dream of with the ease of use you’ve always wanted. What’s more, they’re compatible with all major mobile …
Working across both the digital and physical markets, I am frequently asked my thoughts on the future of physical music sales. While I believe a physical market will survive for music, I also often point to services like Amazon Disc on Demand as an interesting space to watch. Many questions arise over this service, and I aim in the below to address some of the more common questions I’m asked.
What exactly is Amazon Disc on Demand?
Amazon Disc on Demand uses the digital files that are delivered for the Amazon MP3 store to print a CD or DVD on demand for customers who order a physical copy. The transaction counts as a digital sale, but results in a physical copy.
What are the benefits of Disc on Demand?
No stock is held. You are able to sell to customers who prefer physical copies of releases without the exposure of having hundreds of units of stock sitting in warehouses across the world when demand may not justify that level of exposure.
What releases are good for Disc on Demand?
If the physical release of a title does not exist in the market, Disc on Demand provides a good option to reach customers who prefer physical units but may otherwise be missed. Disc on Demand is a particularly good option for older catalogue titles on which sales have slowed to the point where the physical is deleted, or perhaps should be to save on costs of slow-moving lines. It could also be a way to test the water for developing artists and releases.
In what territories does Amazon have the Disc on Demand program?
Disc on Demand is only live for music in the US and Germany at the moment. It is to be launching in one or two “major European territories” in the near future. These territories are not confirmed, but one could likely make some educated guesses.
Can I have a booklet with a Disc on Demand release?
Disc on Demand releases do include booklets which can be 4-32 pages. However, DoD booklet artwork currently needs to be in a different format than booklets for the MP3 store. Releases via the Orchard are currently set up using a standard template, but if you have an important release for DoD with which you would like to add a more detailed booklet, please contact your Client Manager.
But isn’t the quality really poor?
The Amazon Disc on Demand program suffers from a bit of a perception problem stemming from the somewhat lesser-quality of the packages at the time the service launched. Amazon has long since improved the quality of DoD products, increasing the booklet paper weight to 130gsm. Having seen several DoD packages, the quality can be indistinguishable from many “proper” physical releases.
If CDs are being printed to order, doesn’t it take a long time for customers to receive their copy?
No — the order is immediately sent to Amazon’s printing facilities, and the CD can be shipped out within 24 hours. No additional processing time occurs.
How is the pricing set?
While Amazon reserves the right to set retail price, a vendor can specify a desired list price and a royalty is paid through on this amount when a disc is sold. Your Client Manager can assist with further information.
Do Disc on Demand titles sell?
Sales of course vary by title, but we have seen steady sales through Disc on Demand. A particular recent success story happened with Acoustic Live by Nils Lofgren. When Nils toured as part of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, Acoustic Live sold over 700 units through Amazon Disc on Demand in Germany, hitting #3 on Amazon Germany’s Live Albums chart. The physical version of this title had been deleted, and Disc on Demand was able to service a market that otherwise would have been missed.
How do I have my releases delivered to Disc on Demand?
Please contact your Client Manager for further details.
Introducing Ryan MacPhee, Senior Manager, Business Affairs
Hello everyone! I’m excited to be joining The Orchard here in New York. I will be working with the Content Acquisition team focused primarily on the many amazing services we offer in addition to distribution, including The Orchard Video Network, Sync Licensing, Compilations, Collections, as well as bringing new clients into the company.
Here’s some info about me: I was born in New Jersey, but grew up in Georgia. After graduating from Washington and Lee University in 2008, I spent most of the last five years split between Manhattan and Brooklyn, with a brief stint in Texas. When I’m not working, I like to wander around Williamsburg and go to shows. I try to stay active — ice hockey, snowboarding, wake boarding, and most recently I’ve gotten into rock climbing. When it comes to music, I have pretty wide tastes, but tend to gravitate towards classic, old-fashioned Rock (with a sweet spot for 80′s Synthpop). Again, very excited to be here, and looking forward to meeting everyone!
For Jehovah’s Witnesses, it is only once all mankind has heard God’s message that the day of judgement will come. Only then, once everybody has had opportunity to repent, and the chance of enlightenment, will the wheat be separated from the chaff in the second coming of Christ. They believe one thing, I believe another, but that won’t keep them from knocking on a bank holiday…
Social media, having shrunk the world into a pistachio shell, may be a little quicker than going door to door. Perhaps the Jehovah’s should consider Psy’s “Gangnam Style” a blueprint for a new, shiny, 21st Century Apocalypse. Speaking of which, Psy’s second single (and music video) “Gentleman” has been released.
Gentleman is a revelation for Psy. Without the need to pander to the public’s fickle attention span, he has taken the opportunity to pass comment on society. Here, he does not disappoint. In a verbose deconstruction of modernity, comparable to Orwell’s Animal Farm, Psy brings home the implications of nihilism on good taste. After three minutes and fifty-eight seconds, the relative nature of truth is exposed — musically, Psy’s offering makes a shit, on a record player made out of shit, with a broken needle, sound great.
But it is through Psy’s exposure of implicit social norms, the very fabric of society, that the piece should be analysed — as conceptual art. Psy begins his video with a scene reminiscent of Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange, while walking down the road with his droogs he raises a finger to the man by knocking over a traffic cone. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.” Certainly these words emanate from between the lines of the refrain “I’m a, I’m a, I’m a, Mother-Father-Gentleman.”
Later in the video, Psy is seen questioning the modern obsession with sanitation as he prevents a man from getting to his hotel room in order to relieve himself, by pressing all the many buttons in the elevator. He then “cupcakes” someone at a desk. The sterilizing quality of modernity is brought to bear; truly Psy has created a work of art that defies the gallery. But this is a metaphor on the grandest scale. We all bear witness to the otherness of good taste.
In the face of this anti-authoritarianism, the South Korean government has had no choice but to ban the video. Such is the burden of inspiration. Psy now joins the list of visionaries caught before their time, a list including Orwell, Mandela, Burgess and the Jehovah’s themselves. In Psy’s words, “My only goal was to avoid being called a one-hit wonder.” — truly a Christ-like sentiment.
Two years ago, the online video streaming services competed for volume of titles and over the same potential users. The dinner table discussion over “Netflix vs. Hulu vs. Amazon” focused on which service offered the most shows and best movies for the price point. This year, the conversation has changed as Netflix has publicly shifted the way they’re programming the service. Now with more subscribers than HBO and a successful $100 million original TV series, House of Cards, in their repertoire ($3.6 million per episode), the service has stated that their main competitor is now HBO, not iTunes, Hulu or other internet streaming services. Most recently Netflix allowed 1,800 titles to expire, telling Mashable that it is working towards licensing titles “on an exclusive basis” and that their goal is to be an “expert programmer” and not a “broad distributor.” This strategy paves the way for a future where Netflix can more easily co-exist with other subscription services.
Consumers were hoping an $8/mo subscription could replace their cable bill (just as a $10/month subscription provides them with access to virtually 100% of music available). Unfortunately for consumers, $8/month will always only give us a small subset of premium video content. The dust is starting to settle and each service is presenting its unique value to the viewer in the marketplace. Netflix will increasingly be the place to go for their exclusive series (next up this month: Arrested Development) and for recently released movies — the same value consumers see in HBO. Hulu (owned by the major networks) will be your go-to for network TV series, indie films, classics and documentaries (what Netflix used to be). I’d expect old seasons of TV series to fall off Netflix over time as Hulu increasingly takes over this role in the market. The sports leagues have their own subscription options and many others will enter the market and find their niche. Popular music subscription service, Spotify, will supposedly be entering the video streaming market. Amazon Prime has launched Amazon Studios to start producing original series for release through Amazon Prime.
So just how many of these services would you have to subscribe to in the future to replace your cable TV package? If you’re spending $120 on your cable bill, odds are $50 of that is for your internet and $70 is for your TV package. To replace your TV package you would have to subscribe to 7 or 8 services to match the current amount you spend on TV. If this is the future, then there is room in the market for Hulu to co-exist with Netflix and others, just as cable networks can co-exist and are not necessarily competing for the same viewer. If you’re looking to cut your monthly TV budget and you’re hoping (legal) internet streaming is the solution, then you’ll have to decide what types of movies and shows you’re willing to lose. It will become increasingly clear over the next year which services are right for you as they will inevitably follow the footsteps of TV networks and program their services for a selected viewer demographic rather than the masses.
Where did the week go? How about a better question, who cares? That’s right, everyone’s favorite day of the week is back, and with it, Freeloader Friday. We have loads of music to satiate your hunger for new tunes this week — so sit back, relax, grab a pair of your favorite headphones and treat your ears to some tasty new tracks.
To kick things off, Palms premiere the first single off their anticipated, eponymous new record over on Pitchfork. The track, aptly titled “Patagonia,” is a dreamy, groove-laden soundscape that will send you floating in the clouds above the southern Andes of South America — no travel guide needed.
The free music rolls on with Tripwires‘ track premiere of “Shimmer,” a Noise-Pop number with enough hooks to have you singing along in no time. In addition, Cassettes Won’t Listen bring the grimy, funk-infused Electronica and Dfalt channels 90′s Trip-Hop sounds (think DJ Shadow with a twist) with their respective song streams. There’s no excuse for you to not bust a move this weekend.
If you’re in the mood for a full album stream then you’re in luck, as AM & Shawn Lee have released all the tracks of their new record before its official drop next week. From dance-y vibes to atmospheric, syncopated rhythms — the album is sure to suit any weekend adventure you have planned. Happy Listening!
Palms: “Patagonia” via Pitchfork
Palms out June 25 on Ipecac Recordings
Tripwires: “Shimmer” track premiere via DIY
Spacehopper out June 18 on Frenchkiss Records
Cassettes Won’t Listen: “Transmission” track premiere via Vibe
Transmission – Single out now on Daylight Curfew
Dfalt: “Moon Milkshakes” free track via Okayfuture
Helsinki Beat Tape: Part 1 out June 11 on Daylight Curfew
AM & Shawn Lee: Full album stream via Soundcheck
La Musique Numerique out May 7 on Park The Van
