I am noticing more and more that people are supporting their top 5 artists in a way that is reminiscent of the record store days of old. I actually found myself buying a digital single last week for the new Trent Reznor project featuring his wife, Mariqueen Maandig called, How To Destroy Angels. The single dropped and initially, the only way to buy it was Amazon. I snatched it up. It was the first time I ever bought music on Amazon and I will say that it was a good experience. I bought it because it was relevant to Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails first and foremost. I think he might be on to something here. The power is in our hands on how to release an album or a single. If it is only available in one place then people will buy it there or steal it somewhere else. This sort of compartmentalizes things a bit. I am proof that a real fan will buy it wherever it may be sold. This was a quick way to release a single. Anyone can release music online anywhere. I have always had the mindset that having stuff for sale in as many places as possible is the key. High visibility. It seems with only one place to go like Amazon to buy a track, there is no clutter. People don’t like a million ways to find one thing. They want one thing that is highly visible and easy to find. Trent seems to always be ahead with music and the way it is marketed and released. Maybe we have something to learn here?
