One Music Business Model
I have liked Ari Hest’s sound for years, but never had to venture past iTunes (or now Amazon’s great MP3 download service) to acquire his music. However, I heard some buzz about the “52 club“. Ari is releasing a new song every week (produced with his Macbook Pro instead of purchasing costly studio time). Pretty impressed.
You can buy each song individually or prepay:
- For $20. All the songs as they come out, at 128 kbps, 320 kbps and in the FLAC format. (Which is great if your home theater PC – or MacMini/Squeezebox – is also the hub for your stereo system.) To top it off, you can collaborate with other fans on stuff that is more useful for him than it is for you (which, if it is fun, is a great).
- For $35. A sticker, bonus tracks, and a autographed poster to go with the music.
- For $50. Add an autographed CD, a free ticket to a show, and behind the scenes video.
He threw open the gates and is maximizing the exposure of his music via DRM free releases, added value to purchasing a “subscription” and isn’t limited by the CD format anymore.
