GuitarSam eZine Volume 30 April 2001   Subscribe Email us Back to Index

A User's View of MP3.com

The following letter is one user's example of his experience with using MP3.com as a recording artist. Many points of this user's story are positive, some are negative, and some are up to individuals to determine what works best for themselves. We offer this anonymous article as an inside look for the benefit of understanding more about MP3.com as a venue for original music. A User's View of MP3.com I've posted an assortment of my songs on MP3.com, and I've been spending the past week visiting Internet "stations" and looking on various bulletin boards to see about getting listed and played. I just want my music to be easily found, and heard; I'm not trying to make money. Money? Yes, it seems mp3.com works such that if a song is played or downloaded a certain number of times within a given amount of hours (I don't know the particulars), the artist earns money--besides going higher in ratings. A lot of stations have turned out to be no more than outlets for unknown artists to promote themselves, some of whom maintain multiple stations to exaggerate their ratings. I'm pretty sure the system was instituted to reward actual fan response, but has gotten out of control. Especially, since I've come across stations which are like little clubs where anyone can get included simply if they agree to play that station's entire song list daily: Chain Letter thinking. I picture these people leaving their computers on all day to play through songs while they leave to go shopping or whatever, all to "earn" a few pennies. One person, trying for Artist of the Week or something, offered to play any one of my songs FIVE times if only I'd play their new tune ONCE in return. I noticed a great bulletin board post which read, "Would John Lennon have traded downloads?" The good news is that, through serious contacts I've made, I'm currently listed on eight stations. Most times people just place the song on their page, but some have also written nice things about me. And there's more: I've actually been played enough in the past week that I've earned 43 cents so far . . . and counting! It costs nothing to have a real Web presence on the well-known MP3.com site, but unfortunately, because of a greedy, ungrateful few, the administration has taken notice and recently required membership in their Premium Artist's Service (at a $19.95 monthly fee) before any royalty payments can be collected. See this month's recommended MP3.com listening list on our MP3 page.

ISSN: 1529-0956 Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. USA
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