Nonsense from Coldplay?

 So lots of people downloaded the free single from Coldplay last week. EMI claimed that the total number of downloads was 4 times the combined sales of the Top 40. Well great. There are always some great stats about how free stuff outperformed paid for content, just ask the IFPI! 

It gets worse. They are offering buy one get on free on the album tracks and Chris Martin has swallowed the no one buys albums anymore line:

“As I said before nobody buys albums any more, certainly no body buys full albums and we’ve made an album that you have to have from start to finish.”

The thing is some music fans do buy albums. Especially if then album is good. NEws travels fast on the internet. Maybe it is even some demographics do. It’s strange but the buy-on-get-one-free approach seems to undermine the value of the music, and this album in particular, much more than either Radiohead’s pay what you like or Nine Inch Nails giveaways or tiered pricing.

Coldplay may have received some great covereage with the single download. With the requirement of an email address in exchange for the track they may also have substantially grown their email database.

These subsequent comments make them look a bit desperate – or is it the label? I remember the unconvincing reports that EMI’s move to DRM-free had been a success. Question is did or will EMI make any money by consequence of this stunt?

Update: It gets worse…

“It doesn’t matter whether the record is good or bad,” he said.

“It matters that it’s colourful. The songs are supposed to be flavours, things we haven’t tasted before.”  

 

 

 

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