Sub Pop digital store open for business :: Music News :: Articles

Earlier today, The Daily Swarm posted an interesting little AP news item regarding the effects of digital music sales on indie labels. The main gist of the story: it's becoming more difficult for labels to make money off of digital sales through large-scale retailers.

So here comes Sub Pop, as established and beloved an indie imprint as they come, starting up its own digital store. It seems like a logical decision: axe out the middleman and, like the alternative rock acts that built Sub Pop, do it yourself. The .mp3 downloadable albums on SubPop.com go for $9.90, down from the $12-$14 Sub Pop charges for a typical CD.

Sub Pop's Dean Hudson posted a note on the label's website with some more details: the files come at 192kbps, and once you purchase them you can download them multiple times from your Sub Pop account page. That includes any updates (higher bitrate, bonus tracks) - at no extra charge. Very sweet.

The initial list of digital-available albums includes Paste favorites such as Iron & Wine, Band of Horses, and Sleater-Kinney. Hudson also added in his post that the label should be expanding this section over the next week, and that digital downloaders should keep their eyes peeled for "bribes" (such as bonus downloads and album previews).

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