“Playble” will give users the option of paying whatever monthly subscription fee they can afford.
First hinted at perhaps in a blog posting on The Pirate Bay’s site, and then mentioned in somewhat more detail in an article in the LA Times, the famed Swedish pirates are working on a new music sharing site that “will allow users to download music by artists for free and still support them financially.”
The Playble.com is a “…collaboration with the members of the Swedish rock band Lamont and their manager Kristopher S. Wilbur.” Apparently after numerous discussions about the future of the music industry and what it holds for the number of artists and songwriters trying to make a living at it, they agreed that a new business model is in order that can support them in a way that also recognizes that their content could just as easily be acquired for free using P2P and file-sharing programs.
From the site:
The Pirate Bay has started a unique collaboration with the members of the Swedish rock band Lamont and their manager Kristopher S. Wilbur. After lengthy discussions about the future of the record industry and its implications for the many talented artists and songwriters around the world, we discovered that we held the same vision. The shared insight that the record industry—with its current business model—is outdated inspired the birth of Playble.com.
This innovative music site will allow users to download music by artists for free and still support them financially. Playble.com will give companies with strong brands the opportunity to support music and artists directly. Welcome to Playble.com.
That’s why the beauty of Playble.com is that it will support MUSIC AND ARTISTS DIRECTLY! Unlike iTunes and other music download sites where the music label collects, and more often that not it seems, keeps the royalty payment generated by each purchase, the music artists themselves get a portion of a users subscription fee each time a user downloads one of his songs.
Even better is how users “..will have the option of paying whatever monthly subscription fee they can afford.” Considering that the reality is that all music download sites have to in essence compete with the free content available using P2P programs like BitTorrent, the ability to pay a subscription fee that YOU can justify rather than the service itself actually makes a lot of sense. Combined with the fact that your fees go to directly to artists makes the subscription service an even somewhat noble endeavor.
The content will obviously relatively Indie for now but, who knows, maybe other artists will find this new model to their liking.
Sunde of The Pirate Bay apparently approached an executive at one of the big music labels to discuss some sort of partnership arrangement, an idea that the exec apparently “…did not take kindly to.” The exec then “…accused the Pirate Bay of perpetrating a disturbingly Viking-like act on the executive’s livelihood and family,” said Sunde.
The Pirate Bay’s Brokep made a cryptic blog posting last week about how “it’s coming.” That “…maybe less than two weeks. or something like that. Yes. maybe. a couple of days.” He obviously leaves the door wide open for speculation but, taken in the context of the interview they gave to the LA Times and how they are working on this new music sharing site, it stands to reason Playable.com is “what’s coming.”
Moreover, Playble.com ought to be an interesting development in the world of subscription-based music download sites. Can you imagine paying a monthly fee that might actually make you feel good inside? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/tech_deals/The_Pirate_Bay_to_launch_new_Playble_music_subscription_site’;
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Sorry for the spelling we really need to be able to edit news in the comment section I tend to write my comments when I am far too tired to be doing so. Heres my own Correction of the above post.
This is is the the type of model I believe would bring the most success to artists. Hopefully they will not stop with just giving the artist a medium to share their music. They should take it one step further by helping the artist go from having songs to having songs in digital format. This could be accomplished with tutorials on how to make your own recording where it can be done and what can be used to make them outside a sound studio using your computer. On top of a tutorials a store should be set up so as people familiar with the artists material they can later browse their merchandise and support them through the store. They should even go so far as to simplify the business connections for artists by giving them contact information to venues radio stations possible investors for a tours and a online/offline ticket office system. If these measures were all placed on one site while offering music for free I think you would see a huge change in the industry.
Frankly I think it is comming to the point to where the music industry is going to HAVE to accept the fact that people have gotten their music for free for way too long to start to pay 99 cents a pop like itunes wants.
I think that eventually ads will replace pay sites….but this idea IS a very good one….though I doubt it will be taken seriously by the music industry as they see TPB as a bunch of “pirates”anyway.