In recent years there have been major changes in the music industry. Sales of optical discs have declined while interest in other ways to get music albums including music downloads, streaming and formats like LPs and even Analog Tape are on the upswing with sales of some albums reissued on LP by Mobile Fidelity reaching 7500 copies.
The challenge to find new ways to make and sell albums has led both record labels and music sellers to explore some innovative options. This has been demonstrated recently by two music download sites that are offering new ways to buy high resolution music at a discount.
Buy A Record Label?
The first of these new programs arrived in an email weekly newsletter from NativeDSD Music. NativeDSD was formed by famed Recording Engineer and Producer Jared Sacks and his son Cinematographer and Trumpeter Jonas Sacks. The company offers music downloads in Stereo and Multi-channel Direct Stream Digital (DSD) that are sourced from record company edit masters of albums recorded in DSD, Analog or Direct Extreme Digital (DXD). According to the company's web site this includes over 1300 albums with almost 18,000 tracks from almost 60 record labels in Direct Stream Digital.
Since its start over 4 years ago, NativeDSD Music has offered listeners many options to buy these DSD recordings. This includes buying an entire album or buying one or more tracks from an album. You can buy some albums in Stereo DSD or Multi-channel DSD—or both using the "ST+MCH" (Stereo + Multi-channel) option which prices both edition of an album at just $2 or $3 above the cost of the album in Stereo DSD alone. Finally, listeners can download lower DSD bit rates at no added cost when they purchase an album at Double DSD 5.6MHz (DSD 128) or Quad DSD 11.2MHz (DSD 256).
Now there is another option. Listeners can "buy a record label" as NativeDSD describes it and pick up the entire catalog of one of the 59 record labels available on their website at a discounted price.
Inspired by a Customer Request
A year ago, a NativeDSD Music customer asked a simple question "Could I buy all of the DSD recordings from one of the labels at the NativeDSD Music store?" When the request was clarified, it turned out that by asking about "all of the DSD recordings" he meant all the albums not just in Stereo DSD but also in Multi-channel DSD. And to make it interesting, the record label in question was Channel Classics with over 200 albums! (You know what they say "Go Big or Go Home")
Telemann: Essercizii Musici by Florilegium (Channel Classics)
NativeDSD considered the request and said Yes. They developed a proposal and the customer is now the owner of the entire Channel Classics DSD catalog at a discounted price.
A New Program and More Requests
After successfully selling a record label to a listener, NativeDSD then added the Buy A Record Label program to their weekly newsletter. Enabling more listeners to buy all of a record label's DSD release—Stereo DSD, Multi-channel DSD or both—at a discounted price.
The good news is that the program has continued successfully. NativeDSD tells me that they have since sold all the Harmonia Mundi DSD releases to a customer with a request to buy all the Fone DSD releases pending.
If you want to "Buy A Record Label" in DSD at a discount, all you need to do is send an email to Jonas Sacks at NativeDSD Music at [email protected]. Tell him which record label - or record labels—you would like to buy in DSD. And whether that includes the albums in DSD Stereo or DSD Stereo and Multi-channel—and he will provide a discounted price and all the details.
A very creative and interesting way to expand your library of music in DSD in a hurry.
Blue Coast Prime
NativeDSD Music is not alone in coming up with new ways to buy music at a discount. Now, Blue Coast Music has launched a new program named Blue Coast Prime which offers a different spin to listeners.
Producer and Recording Engineer Cookie Marenco is well known in the audiophile community for her fine artisan DSD recordings of talented acoustic singers and musicians, many of whom she first met and worked with during her days at Windham Hill Records. These albums are recorded with an Analog Console to Analog Tape or DSD (in some cases at DSD 256 Stereo) and then released in Stereo DSD (up to DSD 256) as well as WAV and FLAC files.
So, how do you build up your collection of these excellent recordings?
Enrolling In Blue Coast Prime
Becoming a member of Blue Coast Prime is easy. When you visit the Blue Coast Music web store, you will see Blue Coast Prime as one of the selections at the top of the screen. Click on the link and you will reach the Blue Coast Prime page.
Blue Coast Prime Episode 1 Sampler in DSD 256 Stereo
With Blue Coast Prime, listeners pay $120 per year to become members of the program. (As an incentive to join now, Blue Coast is offering Prime memberships for $100 for the first year plus a Free Album Download until May 15, 2018). The Prime membership provides several benefits that include a 30% discount on all Blue Coast Music albums purchased during the year and a monthly 3-track sampler of music from Blue Coast. (Episode 1 of the Blue Coast Prime Sampler featured music from Fiona Joy, Jenner Fox, and Jenna Mammina). Blue Coast notes that "If you're a DSD 256 buyer, Blue Coast Prime is a savings of more than $250 in high resolution music purchases."
This looked like an excellent program, so I signed up as an early member. I selected pianist Fiona Joy's new album Story of Ghosts as my Free DSD 256 music download. Giving me a wonderful album of piano music before even getting to the 30% discount coupon for the Blue Coast Music store!
Fiona Joy's Story of Ghosts – A Free DSD 256 Album Choice with Blue Coast Prime
It's also worth noting here that Blue Coast releases all their DSD 256 recordings as music downloads and only a few of the very top sellers are released later on SACD disc. Making the Prime program even more valuable to fans of their artists.
Since signing up, I've received the first three Blue Coast Prime Samplers in DSD 256. (A nice way to hear the music of the artists on the Blue Coast roster and, of course, encourage listeners to use that 30% Blue Coast Prime discount during the year of membership).
What Does The Future Hold?
I applaud Blue Coast Music and NativeDSD Music for their creativity and innovation with the new Blue Coast Prime and Buy A Label discount programs. Both are excellent ways to introduce listeners to the fine music downloads available from these two companies.
Will listeners see more of these new ways to buy music in the future. Let's hope that the answer is Yes!
NativeDSD Music
Blue Coast Prime
