CD Baby is renowned for selling unsigned and independent artist CDs, and for distributing content digitally.
Now, the company is broadening its digital footprint by offering downloads directly from its destination. CD Baby is already a major digital distributor of music, and supplies large amounts of content to destinations like the iTunes Store and Rhapsody. Artists now gain an extra sales outlet, though the format is a bundled, MP3-based album download.
That fits into the larger, album-based sales idea that CD Baby revolves around, though anyone seeking a-la-carte singles will be disappointed. Once the album zip file is purchased, the packaged MP3s can be disaggregated without problem, though one-offs are not being positioned. Additionally, digital album buyers will receive a jpeg of the album artwork, and a text file of the liner notes. In terms of payouts, artists receive 91 percent of the digital retail price, a number that easily beats payouts at larger digital download destinations.
Story by news analyst Alexandra Osorio.