pre-order one song instantly

i was just reading about how you can pre-order the new nine inch nails album year zero on itunes and download the single survivalism right now. it got me thinking, why the wait?

doesn’t it seem strange to have a system in place where people can download instantly, yet they can’t download an album until a “release date.” is it because the industry is trying to hang on to cd sales? and if they made albums available for download earlier than the cd, no one would buy the cd (potentially).

i love 4.8-inch pieces of plastic as much as the next person, but do we really need them? i like album art, liner notes, and lyrics. it would be great if you could buy a digital download package that would include all that stuff as well. you could be listening to the songs in itunes and looking at the artwork at the same time.

i think they should try selling an album early online. put a release date out there for the cd, then put it up on itunes before anyone can get ahold of an illegal copy. i wonder how many more sales they would get from people who don’t want to wait for a free version to become available.

i would pay $9.99 right now to listen to the entire new nine inch nails album, not just the first single. i would download the album for free, if i could. whichever is made available first, will be the one i choose. i sincerely hope i don’t have to pay.

this game is about availability, and they don’t seem to understand. with the introduction of digital music and instantaneous delivery, you can’t make people wait. if people are going to wait, then they’ll just wait for the free version, which is usually available before the “release date” anyway.