On occasion, I still come across people who are uncomfortable with the economics of ‘pay what you think it’s worth‘. Or ‘pay what you want‘. Or ‘name your price‘. Whichever way you want to describe it.
It’s not really that surprising – we’ve precious little precedent for a transaction like this, especially as it relates to ‘ubiquitous’ products like digital downloads of music. We’re used to things having a fixed price that somehow is marketed to us as representing the value of the thing, and then we choose to pay it or not. If things are available in lots of places then we shop around for the cheapest legal source.
That’s not what’s happening with ‘pay what you think it’s worth‘, obviously:
- The cheapest legal version is free.
- But why should it be?
- How does value translate into money?
- Why should you pay?
- How does paying for something that’s be offered to you for free make you feel?
All questions that are quite alien to us.
So, while the new stuff is still priced like that, I’ve made two of my most successful older albums available for £3, fixed price. No ‘£3 or more’, nothing to make you feel like this is anything other than a normal transaction 🙂 You can, of course, go and buy either of them on iTunes or Amazon, if you want them for more money at lower resolution with worse sleeve-notes. But hey, that’s up to you.
Here they are – listen here, then drop £3 on them if you dig what you hear:
This is most unfair to those of us who wish to overpay you because you are awesome 😉
ha! The option’s always there to pay more for something else and email me to tell me what it’s for.
But not you. You’ve paid enough already. Download whatever you want 😀
😀
Hi Steve,
I’ll definitely check this out and you have some really good points about the “pay what you believe it’s worth model”. Wrestling with the very same questions for my artwork.
I’m really enjoying your album “Believe In Peaceâ€. I bought it last weekend, from Bandcamp and have listened to it solidly since then.
It’s powerful stuff, very reflective – almost dreamlike – but with depth and the occasional moments of intensity (the distorted, fuzzy bass). It’s really emotive.Â
It was something of a discovery, as I’ve recently started to explore Bandcamp and I just wanted to let you know that it’s really made my music-listening week.
Looking forward to exploring more of your work. Have also started following you on Twitter (@AnthonyQuinnArt), just in case you announce any gigs in Sydney!
Anyway, thanks for some great music. Keep up the good work.
Anthony