Seether Becomes The Latest Group To Release New Music On iTunes Originals by Nick Law - December 20, 2008 The South African post-grunge band known as Seether has become the latest in a long line of bands to release a new album exclusively on iTunes. The move to a straight digital release is becoming somewhat of a newer trend in the music industry with such musicians as Willie Nelson, David Gray and The Red Hot Chili Peppers each trying their hand(s) at it. These series of digital releases are known as iTunes Originals and are available exclusively through the iTunes Store. While each release contains only the work of that single artist, most contain more than 20 tracks with some bordering around 30. Every release is different based on the agreement with the artist. Some contain just music while others can have spoken word and video mixed in. While this exclusive medium is no doubt great for Apple investors, where does it leave the average music fan that may not be up on the times? Where does it leave the avid music fan that may not lack the technology, but lacks the funds necessary for an iTunes account? Remember when a new album came out and all you needed to do was venture down to the used record store or even the closest mega retail chain store to buy it? Those days are long gone. Remember when groups like Metallica were angry with the Internet for stealing their profits? Those days are long gone too. It seems that some bands have caught on and found ways to use technology for their own benefit. But are fans really going to pay for an iTunes account just for the opportunity to purchase hard to find music in advance? The answer, apparently, is yes. Most iTunes Originals are available in the American iTunes Store, with availability in other countries’ music stores varying between each release. Most releases are longer than even the lengthiest 90-minute Meatloaf albums, so fans know that they are getting their moneys worth. Look, I’m one of the cheapest people in the world when it comes to this stuff. Even I recently signed up for an iTunes account and have been loving it ever since. I wouldn’t say that it’s taken over my life like fantasy football, but I’ve found myself going to great, painstaking lengths to find the album cover artwork for almost every track in my playlist. Honestly, who is this ever going to impress? The fact remains, however, that for the very limited number of artists that have taken advantage of the new medium so far, most have made a worthy product. Something that their most die-hard fans can truly appreciate. It remains to be seen whether or not iTunes Originals will catch on like the DVD player or fade away faster than laser discs (I still remember buying Jury Duty starring Pauly Shore on Laser Disc and thinking, “I paid 40 bucks for this?”). As long as it’s the only game in town for certain album releases, however, it looks like it’s here to stay.  Subscribe to Latest Articles

1 Response

Kumar McMillan December 21, 2008 9:39 PM I'm confused. Are you saying it costs money to open an itunes store account? I thought I signed up for free (just needed a credit card) but it was a long time ago. That said, a person would spend the same money buying an album on the iTunes store (sometimes less) than she would buying it at a retail music store. I don't see how someone could lack the funds to buy music on itunes if he could already afford to buy the music elsewhere.

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