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Stigmata Defined | mp3.com/StigmataDefined |
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Stigmata Defined no longer supports MP3.com, and here's why: When we signed up, they had a wonderful little program called "Payback for Playback". Signing up was completely free, and based on how many hits and plays you got you would make money. Of course we never made a lot (we're talking less than a penny per song) but the potential was there. At this time they were also all about local and small time bands, giving them a medium for competition without trying to make it amid all the Britney Spears and Christina Aguleras. A year or so later MP3.com realized that they were onto something, and making a bit of money so they decided to make more. To start off with, they offered bands the ability to sign up for "premium service". At the low low price of 19.95 a month. At first premium service entitled two things: No banner ads on your website, and faster approval of new songs. Okay we thought, I don't have that kind of cash, but at least we can still be on there. Shortly thereafter, they decided to make "payback for playback" available only to artists signed up for premium service. Meaning all the money we had made before (though it amounted to around 4 dollars) we would NEVER see, unless we paid 19.95 a month. Well fine, we thought, we can always make a DAM CD, and make money (at the time we still believed MP3.com was a chance for us to at least make some money to pay for equipment, and DAM CDs would be the best way for us to get CDs out, since we had to pay nothing up front). See the DAM CDs were made as ordered, keeping the cost low. The artist could set the price with a minimum of 6.99 and a maximum of 30. Well, we set ours to 6.99 (the money still wasn't very important anyways). In an effort to make even more money, MP3.com decided to add on a 3.99 "production fee", and allowing the artist to now set the price as low as 3.99. That means the cheapest a CD on there can be is now around 8 dollars. Of which 3.99 is artist earning (which is still 50% proffit). So now for the same CD we had at 6.99 where we would make roughly 3.50, we have to sell it for 8 dolalrs, and make 2. On top of this, MP3.com is now allowing and supporting already large bands such as Papa Roach and Sister Machine Gun. So now not only do artists have to compete with each other, they must compete with big name bands. So much for a good thing. Our MP3.com page will remain here so people can download, but we will no longer promote for it, as ratings and money mean nothing now. We are sorely dissapointed with a company that started off with good intentions. To clarify one thing, we are not abandoning MP3.com because it is harder for us to make money, but because it costs more for customers, and is harder for bands to be heard. The money never was an issue with us, but their new policies are against everything they used to represent. We still wish good luck to those artists who remain with MP3.com, and those who started small and made it big with the program, and we pity the bands who now have nearly no chance to make it with this evil empire. We're still proud that our song "Screechum Hollow" peaked at #31 in the nation in its genre (out of roughly 60,000), #1 in VA in its genre (out of around 2,000), and #1 overrall in our City (Lynchburg) out of roughly 300. Feel free to visit our OFFICIAL site (where you will not be prompted with advertisements, and where we will not make any money by you listening to our music) at http://www.stigmatadefined.com Sincerely, Steven MacLauchlan
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