Online Store
I’ve finally got around to at least giving you the option of buying some music from me if you want – the online store is up and running (under the Songs link above). I expect there to be plenty of broken links and weirdness, so please let me know if there’s something that looks wrong. A couple of points:
Before you freak out, there is still plenty of free stuff – don’t worry, I’m still mostly an idiot. Most of the songs that were freebies on the old page are still freebies, and if you subscribe to Thing a Week, or even if you just dig around in previous posts, you can get all that stuff for free. There are also a number of ways to get free songs that are not supposed to be free. I’m not going to worry about it. Of course I’d prefer to be paid for everything, but I recognize that there’s value in just getting the music out there.
You can buy individual songs or whole albums, some of which don’t actually exist in CD form. They are full-on virtual albums! This is the future man. Songs are plain old mp3s and albums are zip files containing mp3s. I intend to get some other formats up there too, probably FLAC and Ogg Vorbis.
The store is built using Payloadz, and payment is handled by Paypal. You can use a Paypal account or a credit card. Each song is also streamable on the site, so you can listen to everything before you buy.
Not everything is in there yet. I need to get the old Other Experiments and Little Gray Books sections posted, and I’ve had many requests to put all the old acoustic demos up there. Maybe I’ll even create a box set of EVERYTHING.
So there you are. Let me know what’s broken…
Comments
BM says
It's weird that all this is going on behind the 'Songs' link, and not the 'Store' link, which some of us dimmer and less enterprising sorts might find confusing. The dimmest, least enterprising and most devoted to procrastination might even find it necessary to consult the FAQ. Maybe a combination of the two is in order.
That, sir, is what's broken. Otherwise, an excellent development.
Eric Ginsberg says
I noticed that you very estutely chose to not charge for 25 or 64. Might I make the same recommendation for I Will, Baby Got Back (unless Mix-a-Lot's people got back to you) and the innevitable Bills, Bills, Bills. To sell them, you would need to either purchase the license from Harry Fox, or seriously keep track of everything and write out regular checks. It may not be worth it. On the other hand, if they sell the best, then it may be worth it, after all. Me, I'm lazy. I wouldn't both. That's why I never got around to recording my cover of Britney Spears' "Drive Me (Crazy)" featuring my medly of Marylin Manson, WASP, Bon Jovi, Van Halen and Backstreet Boys. Couldn't be buggered. Best of luck making money! I'll keep referring people.
C Ya,
Eric
JoCo says
BM: hmm, yes I see. That's a good point. I'm wondering if I even need that CDs page anymore, maybe I can just link to them from the new store page (er, the "songs" page I mean). Thinking...
Eric: Yes indeed. I purchased licenses for I Will and Baby Got Back through Harry Fox - it's actually much easier than it used to be. You can buy licenses online with a credit card, and you pay in advance for the number of sales you think you'll get. When you sell that many you just buy more. I will do the same for Bills when I get it posted. Dear copyright bitches: that shit is legal, yo.
Glenn says
The boxed set will consist of... a hard drive. Or, for the 2061 edition, a storage crystal. The deluxe edition will come with a coonskin cap. Until, of course, our robot overlords outlaw all music except certain Herbie Hancock tunes.
Bob says
Before the change, you could click on the song titles to get the lyrics. Now it's gone. That would be a nice thing to get back.
Bob says
Nevermind. I'm an idiot. :-(
Michael says
Glenn: No lobster pelt?
Arthur says
Speaking of lobsters, the "info" link to the Furry Old Lobster lyrics isn't working.
Joy says
As part of a school project on our friend Prof. Mandelbrot, I'm planning on using Mandelbrot Set as an easy way to a.) break up the tedium of explaining a bunch of mathematicians' lives, and b.) fill 4 minutes of a 15-minute presentation.
I'm curious if you have any suggestions as to how to clean up the chorus for a high school audience. Not that I or any of the students care, but I suppose the teacher would...Heh.
~Joy
JoCo says
Arthur: Lobster info is now fixed, thanks.
Joy: Yes, I have a very good idea actually. Here's a PG-13 version: Mandelbrot Set (PG-13).mp3
Joy says
Most excellent! Cheers JC.
~Joy
Eric says
ARGH! Payloadz is giving me an aneurysm! All I can get it to do is make me a button. How do you do the streaming thingy? How do you do the cart thingy? Where do you get those neat cart buttons? Where do you get such wonderful toys!?
Save me,
Eric
JoCo says
Eric: yes, well the payloadz thing is really just for handling the payment and delivery part. I set up the rest of it myself. The streamy thing is from del.icio.us, and the icons are from this free collection.
Jeff says
Jonathan,
The PG-13 version is better—thanks for at least that much!—but I’d still like a truly clean version. Seriously… any way you could clean up the chorus totally? There are SO many four-syllable phrases (“bad quadratic� “bad connected� “compact complex� etc.) that could fit in there and make an otherwise awesome song truly perfect.
Thanks!