By now you've probably heard about the Radiohead gimmick, where they've asked fans to pay whatever they want to for their new album. They are counting on their fan base to pay a decent amount, and I think hoping to draw new fans from the curiosity alone. One of the interesting things I've heard about it is that if they had a record label, the band would only see about a $2 profit from each album sold anyway. With the pay-what-you-want setup, there is already a $1 processing fee, and most likely, loyal fans will be willing to pay more than $1, (best guesses are that most will pay $5-$10) so already, the band is looking at more profit than when they were signed to a label. Not to mention all the free promotion they've received for doing it at all. The drawback is that this kind of promotion only tends to work once, and will only be profitable for bands with a large enough, and loyal enough fan base.
Anyway, what really got me thinking was an NPR story about all this, and the guy on Weekend America was asking how much would you pay for a song? Especially once you've lived with the song, and made memories that were connected to it. What if the only way to hear that song ever again was to buy it? What song would it be? How much is it worth to you?
I've thought about it for awhile now, and it's really really hard to narrow it down! I'd be willing to pay a good amount for a LOT of songs. Sometimes entire albums. Most of what I'd pick is stuff I was listening too in late high school through college- though maybe a couple of things from my Jr. High era as well. In the end I decided that one I would pay at least $50 for is Somewhere Over the Rainbow sung by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. It's the one that merges Somewhere over the Rainbow and Wonderful World into one song. You know you've heard it, it's been in some commercials and tons of movies & TV shows. It's one of my favorite songs and it just reminds me of a lot of good memories. Also, it's one that I can't sing on my own, (which helped knock some of the other songs down the list) I have to hear Iz sing it, or it's just not the same.
So, what about you? What would you pick? How much would you pay?
October 07, 2007
What would you pay?
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5 comments:
I would give $1,000,000 to get that frakking "Voice of an Angel" song out of my head.
And I would pay $50 for Manfred Mann's "The Mighty Quinn."
I go through phases, so my top dollar song might be one song today and something else next week. Some songs I was dying to have got skipped when they made it onto a mix.
If pressed, it might be Crash by DMB - one of the first songs that ever meant anything to Pants and I. I would probably pay $100 for it if that was the only way I could ever hear it again.
Ouch! Same boat here - in that I'd be willing to pay a good amount for a LOT of songs from various phases of my life... My selections would also seem to center around high school / college years - there must be something about late teens to early twenties that are your "formative years" for musical taste? One song that would have to make the list would be the acoustic version of Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town by Pearl Jam on the Go single. Just something about it that I can't deny. I would be willing to pay... $50? Probably as much as it took.
I definitely have songs that I would pay to be able to keep hearing. If its pay per listen, maybe I could max out at a buck a listen, and save them for when I really need to use the Way Back Machine. For eternal listening, maybe 20-50. Not sure what though, depends on my mood. There are songs I loved, but I'm just not angsty enough anymore to need them.
I'm having a bitch of a time with this. I think I identify more with the artist than with the song. I mean, take away "The Jean Genie" and I would be pretty upset, but I'd get over it. But I'd shell out pretty much everything I have to keep Bowie in my life.
(OT, I just had this flash of a nightmare scenario in which I'm punished for making anyone else listen to the Deram Anthologies by having all the Bowie removed from my life except for "The Laughing Gnome". *shudder*)
Maybe it's because my memory is such crap. I mean, pretty much any Pearl Jam or Nirvana song will send me back to Pine Hall, it's not one song in particular.
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