Music News Bulletin - 22/04/08

Can Record Stores Sell MP3s? 22/04/08
Seems like I'm the only person who thought Sony BMG's download cards were a good idea. Little plastic cards that are redeemable for music downloads? At least one other person likes the idea. On its blog, Phonelopie, Toronto Montreal indie record store Phonopolis encourages labels to sell download codes -- not cards, but codes -- and offers a rough sketch of how it could work. [Coolfer]

BusinessWeek on Other Music and New Strategies 21/04/08
BusinessWeek.com has an article on brick-and-mortar retail's adjustment to falling CD sales. New York City's Other Music is a centerpiece of the article.

Filter through the requisite industry statistics and analyst quotes and you get to a few interesting things. First, the article claims its download store now account for a quarter of all Other Music sales. Second, Other Music hopes to have sponsors underwrite the in-store performances it records and streams from its website. [Coolfer]

What last.fm's sales increase means to me 10/04/08
Last.fm issued a press release saying its "free music boosts CD and download sales"...which makes you wonder how bad CD sales would be without all those free streaming services.

Yes, free music looks to improve music purchases, but be careful how you word the claim. Just being free won't do it. It's the type of free service that matters. (You have to dig into the press release to see co-founder Martin Stiksel relate the type of service to the sales.) [Coolfer]

The Race For The Silver 26/03/08
A good post over at Alley Insider pointed me to a USA Today article about the battle for bragging rights as runner-up to iTunes in digital music sales. Amazon.com says it is number two. eMusic says it is number two. The USA Today reporter called up four majors -- who have no relationship with eMusic outside of equity ownership of some indies -- and they all said Amazon.com. [Coolfer]

TVT's Bankruptcy A Warning For Chart-Driven Indies 21/02/08
Word broke the other day that TVT filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It may have surprised some people. After all, indies are taking away market share from the majors, right? They're enjoying the benefits of digital distribution. They don't have a reputation for high-salaries executives. [Coolfer]

Sony BMG Debuts MP3 Gift Cards 07/01/08
On the heels of news that it would drop DRM from its downloads, Sony BMG has announced it will sell artist-branded gift cards redeemable for MP3 files. Consumers will redeem cards an initial run of 37 different cards at Musicpass.com. Though its catalog will eventually be available at the proven digital retailers, Sony BMG's move shows a desire to develop its own solution. Not all of the money will not be kept in-house, though, as the cards will be available at 4,500 brick-and-mortar retailers (Best Buy, Target, Fred's, f.y.e., Winn-Dixie) by the end of the month. [Coolfer]

The Economist On Britain's Music Retail 19/01/07
There's a good but brief article at The Economist about Britain's music retail climate. Low-margin supermaket chains which account for ___% of sales, are bringing downward pressure on music-specialty stores. [Coolfer]