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Company often works with music industry
Published on Saturday, Oct 13, 2007
When the British rock band Radiohead decided to offer its fans the opportunity to set their own price to download the latest album, In Rainbows, many artists and fans lauded the band for taking such a big risk.
Many of those same fans will likely choose to pay very little (the minimum is one British pence) for the 10-track album released Wednesday, but Pure Buttons, a Richfield-based company that produces custom-designed buttons, not only purchased the album but spent a whopping $1,000.
The company also posted an open letter on its Web site (http://www.purebuttons.com) in support of the music makers
and a new business model for the music industry that would shift the balance of power.
''We're not spending $1,000 on the album, we're spending it as a statement to the music industry as to how we feel that bands should make more of what they're worth,'' Troy Hammond, marketing manager for Pure Buttons, said Thursday.
''We're not here to make the solution. It could mean that the record labels need to change or it could mean that the bands need to suck it up and take less money,'' he said. ''Or they could do what Radiohead is doing or maybe the labels will just have to reorganize and come up with new ways to make money.''
The company, which Hammond says works often with the music industry, has posted its receipt under the letter for verification and offers visitors the opportunity to comment.
The company spent the money buying 10 copies of the deluxe ''discbox'' version, which features both a CD and double vinyl versions of the album, plus an enhanced CD of extra tracks, artwork and lyrics, with a set price of 40 pounds (about $80). It also purchased one copy of the download version of In Rainbows (which comes automatically with the discbox order) at the hefty price of 99 pounds (about $204).
So far, Hammond says the Web site has only gotten a few comments but they have been supportive, including one that suggested that the spending spree would ''make up for all the jerks who paid a penny.''
The company said it is not a marketing ploy and that its statement is not just a challenge to the industry, but also a challenge to music fans who don't belive they should pay for their entertainment.
''If everybody were paying a penny for an album or even just stealing music, all entertainment would fall by the wayside and there'll be no forms of entertainment because there'd be no incentive for video-game makers or musicians to do what they do,'' he said.
Several of the company's staff members are Radiohead fans but in-house technical difficulties have made downloading the 11 copies they purchased a long process. Plus, Hammond said there has not been enough time to listen, but the point is made.
''We're hoping to promote change,'' he said. ''We've heard now that bands like Oasis and Madonna and other big musicians like Nine Inch Nails are planning on doing as Radiohead has done. And that's ultimately what it's about, promoting discussion and change and for people to think about and understand that the change starts with you.''
Malcolm X Abram can be reached at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3758.
When the British rock band Radiohead decided to offer its fans the opportunity to set their own price to download the latest album, In Rainbows, many artists and fans lauded the band for taking such a big risk.
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