Sub Pop, the iconic indie music label that launched acts like Nirvana and the Shins, is now offering MP3 downloads from a rapidly expanding catalogue. But don't expect to buy music piecemeal. Not yet, anyway. You have to buy music by the album, which are priced at $9.90. That's cheaper than what albums cost on iTunes, plus they're on the 192kbps MP3 format, which means you can play them on any application or device. You also get the album art embedded in the MP3.
I like that you need to buy the whole album, and that's what makes the Sub Pop store so different.
MP3s by the Album
Sub Pop Online Store
Trend Themes
1. Album-only Sales - Sub Pop's album-only sales approach offers a disruptive innovation opportunity for other music labels and digital music stores to consider adopting.
2. Direct-to-consumer Selling - Sub Pop's direct-to-consumer selling approach offers a disruptive innovation opportunity for other music labels and artists to consider adopting, cutting out intermediaries like music retailers and streaming platforms.
3. High-quality Mp3s - Sub Pop's high-quality 192kbps MP3s offer a disruptive innovation opportunity for other digital music stores to consider upgrading their sound quality to better compete with the label's offerings.
Industry Implications
1. Music Retail - Sub Pop's novel approach to album-only sales presents a disruptive innovation opportunity for other music retailers to consider implementing.
2. Digital Music Stores - Sub Pop's direct-to-consumer approach and high-quality MP3s offer a disruptive innovation opportunity for other digital music stores to improve their offerings and compete with the label's store.
3. Music Label - Sub Pop's move into direct-to-consumer selling and album-only sales approach offers a disruptive innovation opportunity for other music labels to consider diversifying their sales channels and exploring new ways to package and sell music.