C. Liebing gives away digital track versions to vinyl buyers

[Thomas D and Jack Thomas]

I'm genuinely surprised more labels aren't doing this. When I buy a record I usually want to listen to it as well as DJ with it, and since I listen to most music off my laptop I end up having to either download it off some blog (obviously not unless I bought the vinyl!) or rip it myself, which is a massive pain.

Vinyl isn't dead, but not that many people have a turntable in their bedroom. The notion that DJs will buy a release on vinyl and then pay for it again on Beatport just so they can listen to it at home is laughable. Bravo Liebing et al.

The problem is there isn't a very reasonable system in place...yet. There isn't really a cheap and easy method of distributing MP3s to people who have actually paid for the vinyl. Liebing is using what seems to be the cheapest and simplest option yet (pictures), but there's downfalls to this method:

-People probably don't want their picture taken.
-People are too lazy to take pictures.
-There's a lot of lag time between emailing your photo and receiving a link back.

Once you receive that link, how is it processed? Is it a public directory link that anyone could easily email to their friends? That's a huge piracy leak. Is it a automatically generated linking system? the software for generating one-off private links for people can't be cheap (then again, Liebing makes a ton of money).

this leads me to my next point. Take a label like "Dinner," from Holland. It's a hard techno label from Radial and Anton Pieete. They include a card with each vinyl that has a special code that allows you to grab the digital versions. Each of these cards are individual and must be hand inserted into the vinyl. By the time you pay for the material, coding, web space, and someone to put them in the packaging, you're looking at over 500 euros, just to be generous.

I'm sure technology will soon usher in something useful and economically priced, but the reality is any label without a big DJ's fees to help keep the label up and running is going to struggle with this idea, given the current options.

[nowayback]

kinda clever, but a bit too 90ish imo.
and with some basic photoshop knowledge + the assistance of sites like
discogs or juno, one could rip off the entire collection of mr Liebing's label.
at least there would be some creativity alongside lol:

[patrick bateman]

Thomas D is spot on!

[damagedgoods]

kinda clever, but a bit too 90ish imo.
and with some basic photoshop knowledge + the assistance of sites like
discogs or juno, one could rip off the entire collection of mr Liebing's label.
at least there would be some creativity alongside lol:

I'm not sure I agree - anyone willing to go to the effort of forging a photo of themselves in order to blag a copy of the mp3 would undoubtedly have no problem with pirating the entire discography off soulseek or bittorrent anyway, which would probably be a lot easier.

In other words, anyone who'd actually do that probably already illegally downloaded all the CLR releases they'd want. I can't really see the scheme actually *increasing* piracy, it's just a nice (and very useful) gesture to the people who actually bought the music in the first place.

[Hugues31]

I'm not sure I agree - anyone willing to go to the effort of forging a photo of themselves in order to blag a copy of the mp3 would undoubtedly have no problem with pirating the entire discography off soulseek or bittorrent anyway, which would probably be a lot easier.

Haha that was my first thought too !!!
What a hard way to do something that lots of people do with some few clicks !!!
Some kind of more funny and more deserving piracy !!?? I don't think so

[nowayback]

@ damagedgoods & hugues31:
well there was a certain amount of sarcasm in my above post
but funny to see you guys found that an almost serious possibility
however, i bet CLR would reward any attempt like that even if they sensed
a spoof, i know i would

[Hugues31]

@ damagedgoods & hugues31:
well there was a certain amount of sarcasm in my above post
but funny to see you guys found that an almost serious possibility

My bad !!! didn't get it at all

[chrisdisco]

i think it is more about the option of future vinyl releases coming with a free digital download. and that's a great idea. the photo idea for past releases will probably have a limited response, and regardless, they've probably made almost as much money as they'd hope to out of older stuff. good on him, i say.