What’s New?

One of the last artists to break from their “NO” to digital releases, Kid Rock finally goes digital. The big stipulation in the agreement is that full album downloads will be the emphasis, with single track downloads coming later. I tend to agree with this artist philosophy. Though, in some cases, confining the customer to buying an album for only one or two tracks they want may not be the best idea for sales, especially in this consumer-friendly market where “free” seems to be an ever-growing standard.

From the NY Times:

One of the last major acts to refuse to sell his music online, Kid Rock, the bawdy rap-rocker from Detroit, has made a deal with Rhapsody to offer his entire catalog for streaming and downloading, beginning Friday. Rhapsody, a joint venture of Real Networks and MTV, has 1.8 million subscribers to its streaming service, and also sells MP3s.

To attract him the company agreed to his stipulation that customers be able to download only complete albums, not individual tracks. Many stars, including AC/DC and Bob Seger, have complained that Apple’s iTunes store does not make that accommodation; since full albums are much more profitable than singles, that can cut deeply into the bottom line.

“The real issue here is flexibility in terms of artists being able to do what they want,” said Ken Levitan, the singer’s manager.