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Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)

There was a time (about five years ago) when I was addicted to watching those 30-minute infomercials for Time Life CD sets. Usually falling in the late night hours, I watched the one with Davy Jones over and over again. Playing a number of hits from the Sixties I had never heard before, I was really intrigued by what I heard. Less than a year later I was working for a radio station whose playlist had most (if not all) of those songs in their library. I learned a lot then and still appreciate what Time Life does.

But I recently wondered about how downloading has affected Time Life's sales. Since one of their biggest (and strongest) selling points was how there's no filler (or depending on how you look at it, adventure in hearing songs you've never heard before) on them. These are just the popular hits, nothing more or less. So how can they compete in a downloading world?

There's a clear advantage in having a full CD of songs you really like instead of having to hunt down each individual track. Still, the convenience of downloading is nicer. If you just want "Young Girl" instead of "Young Girl," "This Magic Moment" and "Georgie Girl," well downloading is the way to go.

We hear enough from the RIAA about downloading, but what about the Time Life people, or even the BMG or Columbia House record clubs? How are they fairing? I'm just glad they're not suing their customers . . .

Comments

Stephen said…
I almost ordered the Gentle Soft Pop one late one night. True story.

SAAAAIIIIILINNNNG SAAIILING AWAAAAYY
1:30 PM
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