I’ve been writing about the Amie Street music site since their launch last July. Their model has the potential to disrupt the music industry from the bottom up: Bands and labels upload music, which is downloadable in DRM-free MP3 format. The price always starts at free, and as more people download the song, the price starts to rise, eventually hitting $.98. Higher priced songs are by definition more popular, and I’ve found that anything over $.50 or so is pretty good music. 70% of proceeds go to the band/label, and Amie Street keeps the rest.
The service is now starting to make real progress with labels, too. They’ve signed a deal with Nettwerk Music Group, which will be uploading their entire library to Amie Street over the next few months. The first music to go up on the site is the new Barenaked Ladies album, Barenaked Ladies Are Men. All sixteen songs from the album are available here.
The songs will only be free through the first few downloads, and will start to rise after that. But even at full price, listeners are getting quality music, DRM-free. Let’s hope other labels follow Nettwerk shortly. Market driven prices and no DRM = Music Nirvana.
@lemon o brian
You sir, are retarded. Pray we never meet.
@Ed (46)
true.
so many of these web 2.0 businesses are built on back of the content contributors. aime could be the same.
instead of a 70% take of proceeds, why not offer the artist a choice: take the money now, or take stock in the company?
by giving stock, the artists that helped build the company will benefit from a future equity event. and if the stock is given using a vesting model, it also gives the artist an incentive to stick around for the big payola and not leave for a big label deal.
aime is in this for profit. one has to wonder: are they truly looking to even the playing field for artists? or, have they came up with a new spin to break the itunes juggernaut for the record companies?
if aime does become a disruptor, then they will eventually be acquired by the big bad record industry. then, it’s business as usual.
aime, make sure you take care of the artists that built your company.
i wish both aimestreet.com and their artists future success. rock on!
Hey Stan, from my REALLY limited understanding of securities laws, giving artists stock instead of royalty payments could create serious legal problems (i.e. they are not accredited investors, etc.). As for being part of business as usual, check out our photo here: http://www.techcrunch.com/2006.....sic-model/
I don’t know that we would fit in particularly well in corporate America
We’ll do the right thing.
@dwiz - I’m an artist, and use Tamago, along with many others.
I vote with my dollars…bought the whole album–unheard.
Your first reaction will probably be: what a dumbsh1t. Maybe so. But I am so sick of the BS by RIAA and online music stores. I just want music, unencumbered by ridiculous digital shackles.
I tried iTunes, didn’t back up my library, PC caved, lost my purchases (don’t bother telling me how to retrieve them; I’m past that now). No more purchases from iTunes for me. Or any other DRM-laden store for that matter.
Somebody is doing something about the craziness. Giving me a convenient way to purchase music and listen to it on my iPod, Sonos, PC, and wherever else I damn choose. And for that I’ll pay to play.
Keep ‘em coming, Amie Street.
Great idea, altough there are already a lot of free albums without DRMs
Lemon, then as an artist what is it about Amie Street that you dont like. Its a singular meeting place for fans of all music to that ahs a great intergrated system for finding music.AS an artist i thinkg its the fact you would be scared your music wouldnt sell. That is the only reason anyone would not want to join AMie Street, that and being lazy. Why dont you put a song or 2 up. Also Tamago is that anything like BurnLounge?
I would buy BNL music, if I was going to buy any music at all. But I can’t. I’m a pirate at heart. Thanks for the music, BNL. Hahahaha. Arrrrr!
with almost no requests for the songs, the price has already shot to the max price of .98 per song. seems inconsistent with their business model.
Nice site. You are doing a great service to the web