Date: Sat, 30 Nov 2002 21:26:18 -0500 From: Ellery Eskelin <eskelin@earthlink.net>

Point is well taken and I may yet post some selections. I haven't done it yet since it's tough for me to decide what's most representative of our sound. There's no one or two or even three tunes that sum up what we do.

True, but keep in mind a summary is not necessary, or even what surfers expect, really (those trying this music out, at least). The goal is only to induce purchases, so lack of summary-representation is a non-issue, as long as you yourself can live with the fact.

Having the entire CD is a much better way to experience it and I think there's a much better chance that folks will like it if they hear the whole presentation.

Well, audio offerings on a web site will never substitute for the full and real package, so it's sorta another non-issue. Can you improve your sales and fan base by offering stuff on your site, and if so, how? Those are the most relevant questions I can imagine for this particular topic. Although, personally, I think you're better off just offering a smattering of full downloadable tunes on your site, you can also consider doing full-album streams. Streams are inherently low quality (cuz, well, they need to deliver real-time audio), and are one-time listens (i.e. not downloadable). So they deliver the album unit, and aren't likely (as I see it) to act as a purchase substitute. However, I see these as a bit less useful, because the listener needs to allocate an album-length's time to listening to that stream (something I think many potential customers won't try hard to do), and it's also hard to 'fall in love' with a stream, cuz it's harder to return to without deliberate effort (and it doesn't sound so hot). (I'm comparing to a downloaded tune, which can work its way into mp3 playlists and more-easily-repeated plays.) Both can be effective, I think, and both are imo likely more productive than nothing, regarding website-offered audio. If you do decide to offer any audio, keep a minimum excerpt length of 3 minutes or more. Less, I think (and find), is just about useless for any purchase decision. Just my 2 cents as a user of website-offered audio. -- Vincent Kargatis np: Debris - "Oh Be My Bent Recruit" (Live at Rice University (1993))