$0.99 Downloads Now Available!

You can now download songs off my website!

Believe it or not, the title of this blog post, as well as the title of the heading, which both refer to downloadable files on my website, are really more about me bragging in sheer excitement of the fact that I actually figured it out, rather than advertising it. But before I brag about having stayed up late last night and finally managing to add the digital downloads, I think it's important to touch on why this is even important.

Music in the digital age

I don't believe that music in general will ever go "out of style". There are certain things that do go out of style, though, and for good reasons (like mullets). But music is one of those things where people have always listened to it, some more than others, and while styles of music can often morph, change, develop, and even mingle within one another (i.e. punk-jazz fusion, or symphonic rock, to name a couple of examples of these music hybrids), there is no time in history that I can think of when music just wasn't "in". I think the reason for this is, simply, that people love listening to it. Why people enjoy listening to it is an entirely different discussion, which for me would delve into issues of neuroscience, the science of sound, how music affects the psyche and how it generates different reactions, memories and emotions in people. We can save that for another discussion.

What does seem to go out of style, however, is the medium through which music is used. This is something that has clearly changed, and changed rapidly. My parents, as well as other relatives in their age bracket, have talked very nostalgically about how common vinyl records were, as well as 8-track players. And if you're well into your 30's, like me, you can surely remember a time when cassette tapes were still popular. The shift in popularity to the use of compact discs was obviously inevitable and not surprising, and owning a CD collection is (sort of) still somewhat common.

But even CD's are now showing signs of decline in popularity -- because now you have digital downloads. David Nevue, a composer who performs piano pieces all over the country and has released eleven piano albums, talked about this in his book How to Successfully Promote Your Music On The Internet. He explains that over half of his Internet sales are the one-song digital downloads, and not the physical CD's. People like buying downloads because it's quick and convenient, and because they can add it right into their iPod playlists. It also allows them to "cherry pick" from an album. You know, when you listen to a CD and you absolutely LOVE the first song, and you love the second song also, but the third song is kind of blah, and yet you love the fourth one, but the one after that sucks, and the last one is great for when you're feeling sad. That kind of thing. People skip tracks when they listen to CD's, and so the downloads allow them to pick out the ones they like and make their own "customized" album.

This obviously raises the question of whether the concept of a "CD album" is a dying art. However, there are two things I think I can say with certainty: one, the music industry isn't dying out, but it does seem to be constantly morphing. For all I know, in 50 years the downloads will become obsolete and people will just look at the song title on a telepathic-sensitive screen, save it onto a chip and then inject the chip into their brains so that they can listen to it whenever they want.

In any case, it's been brought to my attention that any musician attempting to make a livelihood by selling music must be willing to offer digital downloads of their songs -- otherwise they will starve. For many composers, songwriters and other musicians it's a huge chunk of their profits.

All buy myself...

As of last night, the CD page of my website is up and running, with the option to purchase the Heart of Storms album as a physical CD. Fully aware of the necessity for me sell digital downloads as well, I spent a few hours tinkering and researching, and finally figured it out. So yes, the downloads are now available for purchase! I even tested it out, and I bought myself a download for me, which I myself purchased (from myself) and charged myself $0.99 on my own credit card, by myself and from myself and then instantly gave myself a $0.99 credit into my bank account... so I essentially bought a $0.99 download for myself and from myself, by myself and paid it to myself and then made (and paid) the $0.99 from and to my own account. It was the most confusing transaction I've ever made, but, you know, I had to test it and make sure it worked. In retrospect I could have just had a buddy buy a $0.99 download from me to see if it worked, but watching my credit card get charged $0.99 and then seeing the same amount pop up into my bank account was just too much fun to ignore. The only question is do I report the $0.99 sale to myself on my taxes?

Incidentally, all of the pages on my new website are up and running, with the exception of the "Samples" page, which I'm working on and will have up either today or tomorrow. The Film Soundtrack pages are all in order, the CD's and Sheet Music or all up and running, and for sale, and I finished the "About" page (with a bio), the "Contact" page, the "Creative Writing" page and others. As far as the downloads are concerned, if you buy one you will instantly get an mp3 of the song emailed to you after you pay the $0.99. At the moment, only the songs from Heart of Storms are on there, but other songs will also be featured on there soon. 

Links:

Thor's digital downloads

David Nevue's website