The beat goes on as Amazon launches an “indie” music section
After tuning up with last month’s launch of a classical music store, Amazon.com turned up the volume this week by unveiling a web site section called “Go Indie” featuring the grungy, anti-mainstream (or so they typically present themselves) “independent” bands not associated with major music labels.
Amazon says it has lined up more than 30 independent music labels to sell their CDs on the powerhouse web site. The initial selection includes nearly 700 CDs, with 150 of them going for the reduced price of $9.99. Other titles were priced at $15.98. CDBaby.com, a rival web site that specializes in independent music, sells most CDs for $14.97.
Peter Faricy, vice president of music at Amazon.com, says indie music is often hard to find. “We have teamed up with indie’s most prominent labels to create the ‘Go Indie’ store to help our customers find music and to help music find our customers,” he says.
Among the music labels Amazon is offering are Alligator Records, Anti, Bloodshot Records, Fat Possum, Matador, Mute, Putumayo and Ultra.
There are many smaller sites that offer indie music, such as Amie Street and Fuzzartist, notes analyst James McQuivey of Forrester Research. “They are doing well, if by doing well you mean keeping the music alive and keeping a fan base for the artists targeting this niche,” McQuivey says. “But nobody is making millions on these sites. Amazon is trying to take advantage of their scale and their ability to target people with music they might like based on past purchases.”
Amazon, No. 1 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, says the “Go Indie” offering will be for a limited time, but did not say how long it would continue.
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