iTunes Store or CD from Artist--Which Benefits Artist More?

[Phil Vinyard]

Got a few CDs I'd like to pick up. I can buy & download them now in iTunes, or I can wait until I get at Kaufman Kamp and just buy them directly from the artist.

Same price for me either way. But does the artist get more of it in his/her pocket if I go through iTunes and download it or if I buy it directly from the artist but have to have the physical CD and those associated costs?

I clearly can wait if buying direct benefits the artists more!

[Frogstar]

Are they also on Bandcamp? I've heard artists get the biggest cut when their music is purchased digitally there.

[Tom Wright]

I would purchase the CD directly from the artist, even if you also buy a download. Not only does it further support the artist, you get the highest-quality audio, along with the art and copy.

[keithb]

I use CDBaby for digital distribution. For a recent 5-song EP, iTunes gives me about $3.20 for a $4.99 download (so they take around 35%), Bandcamp takes around 15%, and printing a CD costs me around $1.20, so around 25% if I charge $5.

So for me, it's better if someone buys directly from me. Plus it gives you an excuse to talk to the artist

[Paul Kotapish]

When you buy CDs directly from the artists, you are helping them move hard inventory and providing incentive to keep making recordings and making them available in tangible formats.

My bands tend to play for a demographic that still buys CDs, so we've managed to make a little money from all of them--although we're still paying off the newest one. But as they go out of "print," we're opting to keep the older ones available in digital-only format.

[danmills]

I like to buy the CD, partly to benefit the artist, but also in hopes that there might be some good liner notes. I like to know all I can about who wrote the songs, who played which instruments, sang which parts, etc. Even some liner notes don't have all this information, but I wish they always did.