The Dandy Warhols Flip Off Labels

So take a look at this. The Dandy Warhols have forsaken record labels in favor of distributing their own music, but not necessarily in the way you would suspect. No, in fact, it goes far beyond "whatever-you-want" pricing that Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails have used recently, to something more dynamic: Subscription service.

For $35 a year, you can subscribe to The Dandy Warhols. What does this mean? Well, let me make a list of what you get:

--The latest album, ...Earth to The Dandy Warhols..., available immediately as a download.

--The latest album is then sent to you as a packaged CD album in the mail, along with " a limited edition silkscreen poster created just for us by our friends, The Christopher Twins."

--10% off all merch on their website.

--Free B-sides, live tracks, and videos to DL whenever you want.

--Pre-sale ticket access to (US) shows.

And, as they say on their website, with all of this you can " Listen to them on your computer, your iPod, burn them to a disc, throw it in the garbage - whatever you want."

The entire album is up for streaming, so you can, in fact, LISTEN to the album before you decide to purchase or subscribe. Which is smart. And as a huge Dandy Warhols fans, this isn't such a bad deal. I'd spend probably $15 on the album anyway, and with the addition of the poster, that probably brings the total up to $22 (ish). 10% off merch in the store would probably save me an additional $3-5 a year, so we're up to $27. getting tickets before they sell out? That's priceless. And free B-sides and live tracks? I think that's worth notching the total amount to $35. So essentially, it's prepaying for what you would, as a big fan, pay anyway.

Alternatively, if you are NOT a huge fan, this deal is unappetizing. While I am of the belief the album is being self-released to record stores, this deal is not a particular boon for casual fans, or new fans. So what does this do?

Well, it limits music as a sort of mass pop-art form. Were every band to go this route, music would become much more stylized to the particular preferences of an individual. And at $35 a year, how many different bands would you subscribe to? Music no longer becomes mainsteam, and instead becomes niche. Which isn't a bad thing, but, at the same time, is hard to analyze because it's so contrary to the current system. 

So am I going to subscribe to The Dandy Warhols? I don't know. I honestly don't. Because I love the band, but... really... is this the future? Do I really want to spend this much money? Is it worth the time and the effort (even though it is essentially effortless)? This system brings up all sorts of questions. And it's something I'm going to have to think about before I take the plunge, regardless of the fact that I cerebrally support it.

Anyway, there's a lot that this brings up. Thoughts? Comments? What bands would you subscribe to. What bands would you stop listening to if this were the only way to get their music? 

-RoboNixon