Who Pre-Orders CD’s?
Does anyone pre-order music albums? I always see advertisements for album pre-orders and sometimes am interested in purchasing them but rarely, if ever, do. I have a feeling most people don’t either but why is that, and is there something better that could be done?
I think I have only pre-ordered an album one time in my life and that was for Inkwell’s “These Stars Are Monsters”. The reason I pre-ordered that album was because I didn’t know if I would be able to find it in stores or later on so I knew I needed to jump at the chance to get it. It also came with a free t-shirt which didn’t hurt. So why don’t I pre-order more albums? I guess I just hate the idea of paying money for music only to not have it that moment. Paying to download a CD or purchase it in the store is instant gratification and for music it is almost a necessity.
Are you a person who pre-orders CDs? If so, what makes you want to buy something you could go out and buy the day it comes out? I guess I’m too worried that some factor will cause the CD to be delayed and I won’t be able to enjoy the music as soon as other people can. What if the mail gets lost that day or even if it’s late that Tuesday? What if the record label doesn’t get the CDs shipped quickly and they are a week late? I wouldn’t be able to stand waiting, knowing I could buy the CD at the store before it arrives.
Why do record labels even want to do pre-orders, is there some reason they want to sell a record before it’s released? With no knowledge on the exact subject, my guess would be that they are able to get valuable information about the album based on how many people pre-order. A few of the things may be how much demand there will be and in what locations. The biggest reason to do a pre-order is that it does not cost anything to do them, so why not.
Is there anything that could make more people want to order a CD before it comes out? Yes, I think there is something that could improve pre-order sales, if the record company is looking to do so. The thing they need to do is to ship the CD early. I would definitely buy the CD direct from the label before it was released if they guaranteed that I would get the CD a week before it was in stores. The other thing is being able to download the album then (or early) and then get the physical CD in the mail when it is released. That would be a perfect solution. Yes I know there is a risk of piracy, but with the option for people to purchase and receive something early I think it puts the convince on actually paying.
So are you someone that pre-orders CDs? Why or why not.
September 12th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
I pre-order cds on occasion. If any preorder ever includes some sort of vinyl, than I’m all over it. Or if I know I might have trouble finding it somewhere. For the most part now, I’ve realized that as long as a band is on a record label, I can easily request it at my local indie record store.
I’ve preordered from some record companies before and found that they were always shipped out later to where I could have picked the cd up in stores. Because I would be so impatient for it to come, I’d buy it off of Itunes.
Last year my friend did the PWT’s preorder where you got a free shirt with it. They didn’t even show you the shirt you were going to receive. It ended up being this ugly looking shirt that was to small for her.
Sometimes its fun going to a store and seeing the cd you’ve been waiting to be released for such a long time. Don’t get me wrong I order cds online all the time from unsigned bands but I still love going into a record store to pick cds up. Plus at small record stores the employees are always helpful to make sure you have what you want. I’ve also gotten good deals from them to.
September 14th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
I preorder stuff when there’s a packaged tshirt or something like that- for instance, I did that for both Circa Survive’s On Letting Go and The Sound Of Animals Fighting’s new DVD. It’s nice to get stuff like that in the mail and be able to wear the shirt around. Lauralee’s story about the tshirt mishap is unfortunate, so far I’ve had great luck with bundled tees. I’m inches away from preordering the new MCS- the shirt is pretty cool…we’ll see how it goes.
September 14th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
ya a shirt can often push it over the edge.