kilds label launch vinyl/mp3 deal
KIDS BECOMES FIRST UK LABEL TO OFFER FREE MP3 VERSIONS TO VINYL BUYERS
London-based independent record label Kids will become the first UK label to
offer free MP3 versions of releases bought on vinyl. Kids, which has released
three sell-out vinyl-only singles in less than six months since starting up, is
challenging the common industry practice of restricting the ways in which music
fans can listen to music they've bought. The single 'Believable' by L.A.-based
Mighty Six Ninety, released 13th March, will be the first release for which free
versions of both tracks will be available to vinyl buyers.
Label boss Dave said: "People who buy our records love the physical quality of
the releases, but they also want to be able to listen to the music wherever they
want, particularly on their iPods. Why should someone have to buy it once for
the vinyl, then pay to download it again for their MP3 player? We want to show
the rest of the industry that digital technology can complement, not threaten,
traditional releases."
Lacking the budget for a high-tech solution as used by US label Saddle Creek,
Kids will put a slip of paper with a randomly selected word into each vinyl.
When the buyer e-mails the label with this word, they'll be e-mailed full MP3s
of all the tracks on that release.
Vinyl single sales showed an 84 percent annual increase from 2004 to 2005, but
it is currently very difficult to convert vinyl into a digital format for
listening on an MP3 player. Many tracks released on vinyl can also be bought
online, but even then there are compatibility issues caused by the deliberate
use of different file formats: tracks bought from the HMV and Virgin digital
stores cannot be played on iPods, and tracks bought on iTunes can only be used
on authorised computers. By contrast, the MP3s given away by Kids will be
completely unprotected and will work on any digital music device.
Whilst a major label is applying controversial copy protection software to its
releases and the BPI is suing suspected file-sharers, Kids is unconcerned about
the impact that unprotected MP3s might have on its sales: "If people pass on the
MP3s to their friends, then it shows that the buyer has confidence in the music,
and so his or her friend is likely to buy the physical record and become
interested in the other Kids releases. It's a win-win situation, and it's a fair
deal for the buyers of our records."
Founded in late 2005, Kids' first release was by hotly-tipped Leeds band
iLiKETRAiNS, which sold out in two days. With a policy of releasing great music
regardless of genre or prevailing trends, Kids followed up iLiKETRAiNS with
further sell-outs from London-based punk band Paper Cuts, and 'Frustration' by
Manchester electro duo The Whip.