Duke Listens! : Weblog

I went to the local shop to pick up the new Deerhoof CD - but it was not to be found - and outside of the dreaded Best Buy, the CD was probably not to be found in a 20 mile radius of my home. And so I finally decided to try out eMusic.

An amazingly direct example of the patronage model: Discover Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape -- exclusively selected music available as free downloads

When you go there what you get is a playlist that renders in the browser via a Flash app. The visuals are sparse and clean in an upscale eurotrash style with the Mercedes logo displayed prominently but not garishly. Visitors can download any or all of the tracks as unencumbered MP3 files; if you hang on to the songs, you will presumably continue to associate them with Mercedes.

The musicians are getting paid, their patrons have a realistic revenue model, and there's no DRM, CD industry, or compulsory licensing. Not bad.