Walmart & music downloads...

Though this was interesting...

Quote :

Dear Walmart Shopper,

As a valued music download customer at Walmart.com, we're writing to inform you that we'll no longer offer this service as of August 29, 2011.

You will still be able to enjoy the digital music you purchased and downloaded from Walmart.com. Your complete purchase history and the ability to authorize/deauthorize any DRM-protected WMA files you may have purchased is currently available until August 29 at http://mp3.walmart.com and, after we close the service, will be available again beginning September 12. Any MP3 files you purchased from Walmart can be moved to multiple new computers, as usual.

If you have credit left on an MP3 Music Gift Card that you've used in the past, we will send a Walmart eGift Card of equal value to this email address automatically. No action is required on your part to receive this eGift card, which will be sent to you by September 12.

If you have an MP3 Music Gift Card that you haven't used, we will provide you a chance to convert them. Please visit http://mp3.walmart.com on or after September 12 to redeem your current gift card for a Walmart.com eGift Card of equal value, which can be used as cash to purchase any available items from Walmart.com.

For more information about how to use the music files you've purchased, or to ask any other questions about this service, please contact our customer service team at: musicdownloads@walmart.com.

We appreciate your continued business with Walmart.com and look forward to serving you in the future.

Sincerely,
Your Walmart.com Customer Service Team
http://www.walmart.com

did you rely on Walmart pretty heavily for your music?

They apparently can't compete with Amazon MP3 & iTunes. Plus, the whole censorship thing...who wants to download an edited song?

I don't download and I don't rely on Walmart for my music, so this doesn't effect me one bit. However, for thse NASCAR fans that have dial-up in their mobile homes, this will be quite a disappointment when the next Toby Keith album comes out.

mc666 wrote:

did you rely on Walmart pretty heavily for your music?

No, I bought a CD at Wal-Mart a few years ago and it had a free download on it for a song not available on the album. I took advantage of the free download. Can't even remember what song that was now.

Just found it interesting that they were discontinuing this service AND downgrading their CD sales as well.

Not surprising. Most of the digital music stores that were around when I was working in the industry (2004-2006) are gone now.

Our big "push" was to compete with iTunes, but they had such a large head start there was no way to compete. Plus, they had the software...and nothing we could come up with even came close to offering as well rounded of an experience as iTunes. We started out with a design WAY better than iTunes, but design cutbacks kept chopping off features until what we were left with was laughable and not even mildly competitive.

So the business owners sold the digital music store and I was laid off.

Digital downloads suck. I never understood why anyone in their right mind would download an album - rather than buy it in it's true form. Kinda like paying for a hamburger and getting a piece of hamburger chewing gum instead. It still 'tastes' like a hamburger, but it's not a freeking hamburger! When you download albums you own NOTHING!!! A file on a computer should be free. The physical format of a CD or record. Now that I'll pay for. I don't pay for downloads. And I don't download at all - unless I'm after something rare.

I still play vinyl.....so I don't get it....oh well !

Metallic Blaze wrote:

Digital downloads suck. I never understood why anyone in their right mind would download an album - rather than buy it in it's true form. Kinda like paying for a hamburger and getting a piece of hamburger chewing gum instead. It still 'tastes' like a hamburger, but it's not a freeking hamburger! When you download albums you own NOTHING!!! A file on a computer should be free. The physical format of a CD or record. Now that I'll pay for. I don't pay for downloads. And I don't download at all - unless I'm after something rare.

great post MB!

James B. wrote:

I still play vinyl.....so I don't get it....oh well !

I recently started collecting and listening to vinyl records again, and I'm not sure why, but I'm really enjoying my listening experience more. I don't know if it has something to do with finding and polishing up some of those old gems or what. It's just been more of a complete experience.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I don't download and I don't rely on Walmart for my music, so this doesn't effect me one bit. However, for thse NASCAR fans that have dial-up in their mobile homes, this will be quite a disappointment when the next Toby Keith album comes out.

"WUT? Ah cain't down-load me that thar new Toby duet with Miranda Lambert from Walmart? Well, sheeeeee-it." (SPIT)

If don't buy downloads either (although back when emusic was a good deal I did), but the reason is because they don't offer lossless versions (flac, alac, ogg, etc).

Lossless files are identical to the CD, so if they would make them available in that format I would definitely buy them...providing they are cheaper than the physical versions.

There's no money in it for the artists either:

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/how-much-do-music-artists-earn-online/comment-page-3/

exact33 wrote:

Metallic Blaze wrote:

Digital downloads suck. I never understood why anyone in their right mind would download an album - rather than buy it in it's true form. Kinda like paying for a hamburger and getting a piece of hamburger chewing gum instead. It still 'tastes' like a hamburger, but it's not a freeking hamburger! When you download albums you own NOTHING!!! A file on a computer should be free. The physical format of a CD or record. Now that I'll pay for. I don't pay for downloads. And I don't download at all - unless I'm after something rare.

great post MB!

One i disagree with, I see your point MB but theres more to it than that. Some bands offer unreleased stuff as digital download only, your telling me that if your #1 favorite band had unreleased stuff that you would not download it?

Personally I like both. I like digitial music because I can throw hundreds of songs into a player and not have to worry bout carrying cds and what not. Its convienant.

Having grown up in the time period that we are, Its natural to perfer the physical copy of the album. Because you hold tangible proof of your purchase. Where as with a file its not so. What I do now, is I write down songs I want that I dont want to buy the cds of. So when I get say about 10-15 i go get an Itunes card and get the songs. Ive appreciated digitial music more now that im working again cuz i can play my mp3 player while i work

What happens if your computer or hard drive dies, is corrupted beyond repair, with all the downloads you paid for?

that is one main reason why I don't consider downloading "stealing" as it can disappear in a blink, unlike a cd or cassette or vinyl.

Paying for wav or flac files which are as close to CD quality as you can get, I suppose can be worth the money, but not mp3's.

mlotek wrote:

What happens if your computer or hard drive dies, is corrupted beyond repair, with all the downloads you paid for?

that is one main reason why I don't consider downloading "stealing" as it can disappear in a blink, unlike a cd or cassette or vinyl.

Paying for wav or flac files which are as close to CD quality as you can get, I suppose can be worth the money, but not mp3's.

This is gonna sound cold but then your screwed and if you didnt take percautions to have a back up or two then you deserve to lose them. Alot of people lose stuff cuz they fail to take the time to back it up either on a cd or dvd or an external storage device. My mp3s are on both an external hdd and dvds

I'm actually a fan of downloading music. First, it almost always costs less than a CD, and a lot less than vinyl. Second, it's very convenient, like Addy said; I can throw 200 artists worth of music onto my ipod, and listen to any of them, anytime, anywhere.

The setbacks I see are things like decreased sound quality and the fact that all I have are a bunch of files, but since there are high-quality downloads which sound basically the same as the CD version, and I can burn them to CD myself, I don't see those as too much of a hindrance.

As a young person with not much money, I really like being able to just go online and download an album for half the price my record store would have it. And then, when I buy a new album in CD form, I like the convenience of being able to put it on my computer for the same reasons above.

Thought this was an interesting post from Luke Easter of Tourniquet

Luke Easter wrote:

The digital distros (iTunes, etc.) built the infrastructure, provide the hosting, and do all the work of keeping track of the sales so that the artist gets paid. In return they take a piece of the pie. Regardless of how much they take, it still keeps artist overhead lower. There are no costs for replicating CDs, shipping, storage, etc., which translates to the artist getting paid more quickly than they would via the outdated label/physical product model.

Personally, I favor the digital only model. I understand that our core wants physical product, and so we will have CD's available, but the writing is on the wall - physical distro and labels as we have known them are on the way out. Subscription streaming (see Spotify) is the future. It's largely eliminate the need/demand for piracy, and it will ensure that the artists get paid in a more accurate, timely fashion than in the past. The reality is that sales have never been a big generator of payments to artists except in the case of the increasingly few who move millions and millions of units, and even then with the way label accounting works they don't always get paid. Publishing is where the money is. If you own your publishing, you get paid whenever your songs are used. That's why licensing is so potentially lucrative,and that's why subscription is going to be a game changer.

50 years ago the notion of paying for television seemed ludicrous. 30 years ago it was the norm. 10 years ago the notion of paying to stream movies instead of buying or renting discs/tapes seed laughable, but between Netflix, VUDU and Amazon it's increasingly becoming the norm. In another 5 to 10 years, the idea of having a big record collection will seem silly and anachronistic. Why waste the money and space on all those CDs, tapes and LPs when you can pull up almost any song ever recorded via the net or smartphone? Decry and denounce all you want to; it's the future, and you can't stop it.

Instead of having a closet full of CDs you can't get rid of and blaming the industry for it, why not be a bit more forward thinking and proactive? Embrace digital distro and improve your chances of seeing a return on your efforts. The game is no longer about who has the better deal. It's about who is willing to embrace change and who is willing to take a chance of new technology.

I have some employees that don't download music at all, nor do they buy CDs, they just pay a monthly fee to listen to music on these cloud sites that allow you to listen to any album you want to listen to. They tell me that is the wave of the future and MP3s are "old-school". LOL!

I think in the end its all personal preference - and whats available. If cds are no longer produced, Ill have to consider my options. I do think though that there is a lot that will be missed in not having a physical collection, kinda like picking up a book and reading it.

I do the point though about the music - if the music is really what your after, the medium shouldnt stand in the way.

exact33 wrote:

I think in the end its all personal preference - and whats available. If cds are no longer produced, Ill have to consider my options. I do think though that there is a lot that will be missed in not having a physical collection, kinda like picking up a book and reading it.

I do the point though about the music - if the music is really what your after, the medium shouldnt stand in the way.

\

I agree. I like my iPod. It's great at the gym and when I'm traveling etc. I use it quite often. It's convenient to have all that music handy.

However, the physical product has brought me a great amount of joy over the years. It's part of the experience that future generations will miss out on. It's like you own a part of the band. When I look at my Kiss vinyl collection, I feel like I own a piece of their history. That will be missed for sure. There was also something about hanging around the record store, flipping through stacks of vinyl or CDs.

Ahhhhhh, well...back in my day, we use to walk to school, barefoot in the snow, up-hill...Haha! Things change. Deal with it.

ultmetal wrote:

exact33 wrote:

I think in the end its all personal preference - and whats available. If cds are no longer produced, Ill have to consider my options. I do think though that there is a lot that will be missed in not having a physical collection, kinda like picking up a book and reading it.

I do the point though about the music - if the music is really what your after, the medium shouldnt stand in the way.

\

I agree. I like my iPod. It's great at the gym and when I'm traveling etc. I use it quite often. It's convenient to have all that music handy.

However, the physical product has brought me a great amount of joy over the years. It's part of the experience that future generations will miss out on. It's like you own a part of the band. When I look at my Kiss vinyl collection, I feel like I own a piece of their history. That will be missed for sure. There was also something about hanging around the record store, flipping through stacks of vinyl or CDs.

Ahhhhhh, well...back in my day, we use to walk to school, barefoot in the snow, up-hill...Haha! Things change. Deal with it.

i had to walk to school uphill both ways!

no one really knows the future of music - it may be like Easter said but records are available again. Ill end up getting an mp3 player at some point but i still like the cd. Digital media will do one thing though - all these people who think their cds are rare and want to charge an arm and leg for them will find a new reality.

ultmetal wrote:

Thought this was an interesting post from Luke Easter of Tourniquet

Luke Easter wrote:

The digital distros (iTunes, etc.) built the infrastructure, provide the hosting, and do all the work of keeping track of the sales so that the artist gets paid. In return they take a piece of the pie. Regardless of how much they take, it still keeps artist overhead lower. There are no costs for replicating CDs, shipping, storage, etc., which translates to the artist getting paid more quickly than they would via the outdated label/physical product model.

Personally, I favor the digital only model. I understand that our core wants physical product, and so we will have CD's available, but the writing is on the wall - physical distro and labels as we have known them are on the way out. Subscription streaming (see Spotify) is the future. It's largely eliminate the need/demand for piracy, and it will ensure that the artists get paid in a more accurate, timely fashion than in the past. The reality is that sales have never been a big generator of payments to artists except in the case of the increasingly few who move millions and millions of units, and even then with the way label accounting works they don't always get paid. Publishing is where the money is. If you own your publishing, you get paid whenever your songs are used. That's why licensing is so potentially lucrative,and that's why subscription is going to be a game changer.

50 years ago the notion of paying for television seemed ludicrous. 30 years ago it was the norm. 10 years ago the notion of paying to stream movies instead of buying or renting discs/tapes seed laughable, but between Netflix, VUDU and Amazon it's increasingly becoming the norm. In another 5 to 10 years, the idea of having a big record collection will seem silly and anachronistic. Why waste the money and space on all those CDs, tapes and LPs when you can pull up almost any song ever recorded via the net or smartphone? Decry and denounce all you want to; it's the future, and you can't stop it.

Instead of having a closet full of CDs you can't get rid of and blaming the industry for it, why not be a bit more forward thinking and proactive? Embrace digital distro and improve your chances of seeing a return on your efforts. The game is no longer about who has the better deal. It's about who is willing to embrace change and who is willing to take a chance of new technology.

I have some employees that don't download music at all, nor do they buy CDs, they just pay a monthly fee to listen to music on these cloud sites that allow you to listen to any album you want to listen to. They tell me that is the wave of the future and MP3s are "old-school". LOL!

-shudders- I hate anything that can be described as both "technology" and a "cloud". With those cloud things, you literally own nothing, and you really have no control over whether the cloud has something or not. You don't even have the rights to add something to the cloud, so unless you listen to fairly well-known stuff, the cloud might not have what you want. At least with MP3's you can choose ANYTHING you want; with both cloud and CD's, it depends on what the provider has. At least with CD's you get something physical; you get nothing at all with a cloud. And, if your subscription runs out, that means no music. I would die if that happened.

The main problem is what will happen to the used cd market? If you had the choice between buying a used cd for $1.00 or downloading the same cd for $9.99 dont you think the former would be more preferrable?

mlotek wrote:

What happens if your computer or hard drive dies, is corrupted beyond repair, with all the downloads you paid for?

that is one main reason why I don't consider downloading "stealing" as it can disappear in a blink, unlike a cd or cassette or vinyl.

Paying for wav or flac files which are as close to CD quality as you can get, I suppose can be worth the money, but not mp3's.

Yes, my thoughts exactly. Even though digital files 'may copy perfectly' for backup purposes, the storage media devices (magnetic and flash drives) contain imperfections and can degrade overtime. This means that any errors present in copied/stored files will eventually become apparent, until the files become corrupted ... or lost completly. Backing up becomes useless, as you can only copy files inclusive of errors.

Furthermore, pixels don't compare to physical artwork and inserts.

holydiver97595 wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

Thought this was an interesting post from Luke Easter of Tourniquet

Luke Easter wrote:

The digital distros (iTunes, etc.) built the infrastructure, provide the hosting, and do all the work of keeping track of the sales so that the artist gets paid. In return they take a piece of the pie. Regardless of how much they take, it still keeps artist overhead lower. There are no costs for replicating CDs, shipping, storage, etc., which translates to the artist getting paid more quickly than they would via the outdated label/physical product model.

Personally, I favor the digital only model. I understand that our core wants physical product, and so we will have CD's available, but the writing is on the wall - physical distro and labels as we have known them are on the way out. Subscription streaming (see Spotify) is the future. It's largely eliminate the need/demand for piracy, and it will ensure that the artists get paid in a more accurate, timely fashion than in the past. The reality is that sales have never been a big generator of payments to artists except in the case of the increasingly few who move millions and millions of units, and even then with the way label accounting works they don't always get paid. Publishing is where the money is. If you own your publishing, you get paid whenever your songs are used. That's why licensing is so potentially lucrative,and that's why subscription is going to be a game changer.

50 years ago the notion of paying for television seemed ludicrous. 30 years ago it was the norm. 10 years ago the notion of paying to stream movies instead of buying or renting discs/tapes seed laughable, but between Netflix, VUDU and Amazon it's increasingly becoming the norm. In another 5 to 10 years, the idea of having a big record collection will seem silly and anachronistic. Why waste the money and space on all those CDs, tapes and LPs when you can pull up almost any song ever recorded via the net or smartphone? Decry and denounce all you want to; it's the future, and you can't stop it.

Instead of having a closet full of CDs you can't get rid of and blaming the industry for it, why not be a bit more forward thinking and proactive? Embrace digital distro and improve your chances of seeing a return on your efforts. The game is no longer about who has the better deal. It's about who is willing to embrace change and who is willing to take a chance of new technology.

I have some employees that don't download music at all, nor do they buy CDs, they just pay a monthly fee to listen to music on these cloud sites that allow you to listen to any album you want to listen to. They tell me that is the wave of the future and MP3s are "old-school". LOL!

-shudders- I hate anything that can be described as both "technology" and a "cloud". With those cloud things, you literally own nothing, and you really have no control over whether the cloud has something or not. You don't even have the rights to add something to the cloud, so unless you listen to fairly well-known stuff, the cloud might not have what you want. At least with MP3's you can choose ANYTHING you want; with both cloud and CD's, it depends on what the provider has. At least with CD's you get something physical; you get nothing at all with a cloud. And, if your subscription runs out, that means no music. I would die if that happened.

Yes, the idea of subscription based access to digital music does not bode well with me. Imagine if you are out of work (which is already the reality for many folk out there) and can't afford to continue payment of the subsription. You'd suddenly be left high and dry with no music ... only the memory of music. Furthermore, you'd be paying on-going subscription costs (not to mention internet/wi-fi or phone) ... even to if you just want to listen to the same old stuff. Therefore, I can see it becoming a lot more expensive for many folk out there.

There are good things happening though. Vinyl has building up a steady niche market. Hopefully, the same will happen to CDs in the future.