Copyright Law

Record Label Joins Forces with Mininova to Distribute, Sell Music

By soulxtc

Beep! Beep! Back up the Truck makes its complete digital discography available for free downlaod on the BitTorrent tracker site.

Mininova has been on the cutting edge of BitTorrent tracker sites experimenting with new content delivery services for music artists.

It’s “content distribution” feature lets artists, like my buddy DJ Destructo Bunny, whom I uploaded to the site, reach new fans in far off places like Peru and Indonesia - places he’d probbaly never reach otherwise.

This ability is apparently not lost on Netherlands-based indie label Beep! Beep! Back up the Truck (love the name) which has decided to “join forces with Mininova” to do the same, offering its COMPLETE digital discography for free download on the BitTorrent tracker site.

?As a label we want to show what new possibilities a torrent site like Mininova has to offer us,”says co-founder of the label Boudewijn Rosenmuller. “In our eyes torrent sites form an enrichment of the modern music landscape by facilitating a better distribution and more income. As the label publishes its artists? work under the Creative Commons license, a present-day embodiment of creative property protection, all the artists may spread their own work as they please.”

Additionally, it is taking the initiative one step further by simultaneously making physical CD copies available for purchase at reduced prices on the same page as each of the album downloads. So besides being able to download the music for free, you’ll also be able to get a deal while supporting artists whose music like.

CDs offered at 15-20% off on download page...

?This shows that music sales and downloads can stimulate each other,” said Niek van der Maas of Mininova in a press release. ?We are excited about this collaboration and we welcome other record labels willing to adopt this model.?

Beep! Beep! Back Up the Truck, unlike major record labels, understands that it really is competing with free, and that more importantly, music fans want to preview an album before they shell out hard-earned cash.

?Nowadays people prefer to listen to an album critically before deciding, for example, to go to a concert or even consider buying a CD, and we understand this,” added Rosenmuller. “With a reduction of 15-20% on our CDs we want to thank the users of Mininova for listening to and helping to spread our music.?

Imagine all the profits labels like EMI or Sony could’ve made over the years if they’d done the same.

Full post as published by ZeroPaid on March 30, 2009 (boomark / email).