Digital

Domino launches Drip feed

By | Published on Monday 11 June 2012

Domino Records

Utilising direct-to-fan technologies to formalise the good old fashioned fan club – “£5 a month to be a true fan and to access a load of cool shit” – may just be the future of the entire music industry.

Though that pesky tradition of artists signing exclusivity deals over each aspect of their career with different and competing music companies is hindered that model’s potential to an extent. Nevertheless, the ‘McFly model’, as I like to call it, could yet prevail.

And perhaps it’s not just artists who can benefit from that phenomenon, credible labels having fanbases too. Domino Records is the biggest indie to date to set up its own subscription service via a US-based company called Drip.fm, a direct-to-fan platform set up by American independent Ghostly International.

For ten dollars a month fans of the London-based label will receive two new albums and other digital goodies as both MP3s and WAVs, plus get discounts on physical releases. And new long players from Hot Chip, Dirty Projectors and Animal Collective are set to be part of the deal.

Says the record company: “We’re launching Domino Drip, a membership scheme to connect fans of the label directly to the artists we work with by delivering new releases and exclusive material straight to their inbox. Every month we compile a bundle of two of our most exciting albums, plus bonus material for you to download. At least one of these is guaranteed to be a brand new album and from time to time we’ll also include a classic from our archive”.

Some in the industry may wonder whether such an offer can succeed, when for the same price Spotify and its competitors offer access to millions of tracks, including most of the Domino catalogue. Of course the Drip model offers ownership of rather than access to the tracks, which is still important to some demographics, though if Domino Drip does succeed, it might be less to do with the access v ownership distinction, and more because music fans possibly value having a relationship with certain music makers more than the actual music those makers make.



READ MORE ABOUT: | |