“One time manager of Pink Floyd, Sincere Management’s Pete Jenner slammed iTunes for its effect on album sales at a UK music industry event this week,” Jonny Evans reports for Distorted-Loop.
“Speaking at a MusicTank conference, he said Apple’s music store has ‘had the disastrous effect on the record industry of debundling the album.’ He complained cherry-picking tracks from albums means consumers now ‘buy the two album tracks that are worth buying,’ Music Week informs,” Evans reports.
Full article here.
Consumers now have the ability to buy only the music that’s “worth buying.”
Imagine that.
As we’ve previously explained multiple times, Pete Jenner confirms that the album is an artificial construct or “bundle” designed to force consumers to pay more for the bits they want. Welcome to the new paradigm, Pete; however many years late you may be. The customer — long ripped-off by the music cartels — is firmly in power now. Choice now reigns supreme.
Ironically, Pink Floyd is one of the examples of bands whose music is often worth buying in the album form and playing in the order laid out by the artist. But, that is neither here nor there. The point is that the choice should be in the hands of the consumers and now, thanks to Apple, it is.
So, buy albums when you deem them worthy, but be thankful that you have the choice to debundle as you like; it’ll only make music better in the long run as “filler” will cease to be created.
The babies cry “Whaa! Whaa! Whaa!”
Oh, well, just another brick in the wall.
Hey, I’m a big fan of Pink Floyd, but did their former manager even bother to read what he’s quoted as saying, “He complained cherry-picking tracks from albums means consumers now ‘buy the two album tracks that are worth buying,'”
What more proof do you need that the album was an artificial construct as MDN says?
I think you have to give a little credit to consumers to find music they like and then make purchase decisions from there. I think the way it can work, and does work, is someone hears a song, likes the song, buys the song and then will search for more songs from that same band or group to buy. If an “album” is strong enough, people will buy it. If it isn’t, they won’t. But maybe the artist will have sold a million singles instead of very few albums because of the ability to buy a single song.
Well, he even said so himself: that most people ‘buy the two album tracks that are worth buying.’
Why should I be made to purchase songs that are not worth buying?? Duh….
“He complained cherry-picking tracks from albums means consumers now ‘buy the two album tracks that are worth buying.'”
I’m sorry, did he actually say “the two album tracks that are worth buying”? And he’s complaining about that? So he thinks consumers should be forced to buy tracks that aren’t worth buying?
Mouth, meet foot.
Here’s where MDN is dead ass wrong when it comes to albums like those made by Pink Floyd, which should be sold as a single piece of art. You don’t buy just the mouth of the Mona Lisa.
Never argue with MacDailyNews, they’re proven to be right 99% of the time.
I just found my 45 of Money.
M,
Ignoring the entire take in order to wrongly criticize only highlights your stupidity:
“So, buy albums when you deem them worthy, but be thankful that you have the choice to debundle as you like; it’ll only make music better in the long run as “filler” will cease to be created.” – MacDailyNews
M,
You’re an idiot.
Apple has had other pro-consumer impacts on the music industry, including setting and keeping the de-facto price of a song at 99-cents.
If it wasn’t for Apple, there would be no large digital music download market, and music piracy would be much higher.
M,
Do another line, and everything will be fine.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If you only like a couple of the songs on an album, you need to find better acts to listen to.
I think M, is ‘Comfortably numb’…or is that ‘Suitably dumb’
Cubert…
That’s the pop music formula:
1 Album. 1 Hit. That’s it.
I’ve also bought many many songs that I would have passed on if I had to pay for the full album.
On another note, I’m also passing on music that have DRM on the Apple Store. If I have to look somewhere else, the impulse passes. It’s amazing how much I don’t miss those tracks and how much money I save after I let the “impulse to buy” pass.
Recall, those of you born before the mid-60’s, how 45’s almost always had some loser song on the flip side. Not much has changed it seems.
1 hit in 2 to 1 hit in 12.
Slight change there.
He can bite my big fat ass!
Twice!
Whenever I hear someone chirp the phrases, “It’s too expensive.” or “It’s not worth it.” I *almost always* ask myself one question:
“Worth it to whom?”
That always changes the dynamic of the discussion and clarifies what it *really* being said.
To some people it will be and to some it won’t.
Although I’d hardly put Pink Floyd in the same catagory as the Mona Lisa, I suppose that there are some (*sigh*) people that would and therein lies the crux or their argument: to them it *is* worth getting the whole (unadulterated) album because of their perception of it as ‘art’.
I, along with MDN and many other people, simply don’t want to be FORCED to do so. To *me* it might not be worth having the full album regardless of someone else’s personal opinion. The road to compulsion leads to fascism.
Leave people alone and let them choose.
WTF!!!! Why is apple giving people the freedom to choose what they want? who do they think they are????
I always buy and play albums only even in digital or download formats which I now prefer over CDs or any physical media.
I also disagree that the “consumer deserves some credit” (for picking what they like). Consumers are people and most people are dumb-ass “waste of space’s” IMO who wouldn’t know Art if they got hit over the head by it.
All that being said, The Pink Floyd guy is totally wrong and pretty dumb his-self.
@ Gil – I remember buying the 45 RPM single of “Money” myself in the 70’s, which is all the proof you need to show how stupid this whole album vs. single argument is.
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Actually, I think I understand his point. While there are many albums that are not worth more than 2 songs, I believe that there is real injustice served to bands like Pink Floyd who make concept albums. King Crimson also comes to mind, along with many classical albums.
I think that the iTunes model is not really set up to please everyone and we should accept that there are some exceptions to the rule. Pink Floyd is a concept-album band whose music really should be bought in its entirety to really appreciate it.
One thing that Mr. Jenner could do to even the playing field is do what Prince did with his concept album, Lovesexy. Make the whole thing one long playing track that can only be purchased as a whole. Not consumer friendly, but gets the point across.
rick
Amen, oh my gosh.
Most albums have 10 to 12 songs and are being sold for 9.99. And a album with more then 5 good songs is very very seldom so in most cases for the consumer is better to buy only these songs he really likes.
Make the album 4.99 or 5.99 and you will sell a lot of albums and generate more revenue then with one hit song.