When the Arcade Fire released their highly-anticipated third album The Suburbs last month, the album exceeded expectations, clinching the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts in the United States. It was quickly revealed that the Montreal indie rockers took the crown with help from a sneaky marketing strategyfrom Amazon.com, which priced the album at $3.99 during the first week of sales.
New York-based pop experimentalist Sufjan Stevens' upcoming Age of Adz LP is easily the most anticipated album since The Suburbs, but in an email to fans, Stevens's label Asthmatic Kitty urged buyers to avoid Amazon's scheme.
The detailed email can be read in full here [via Pitchfork], but it's summed up best with the following excerpt:
We have it on good authority that Amazon will be selling The Age of Adz for a very low price on release date, not unlike they did with Arcade Fire's recent (and really terrific) The Suburbs. We're not 100% sure Amazon will do this, but mostly sure.
We have mixed feelings about discounted pricing. Like we said, we love getting good music into the hands of good people, and when a price is low, more people buy. A low price will introduce a lot of people to Sufjan's music and to this wonderful album. For that, we're grateful.
But we also feel like the work that our artists produce is worth more than a cost of a latte. We value the skill, love, and time they've put into making their records. And we feel that our work too, in promotion and distribution, is also valuable and worthwhile.
As previously reported, Sufjan's Age of Adz will be available on CD and digital download on October 12, with the double vinyl arriving on November 9. Those who decide to pre-order will receive a digital download of the record on September 28.
New York-based pop experimentalist Sufjan Stevens' upcoming Age of Adz LP is easily the most anticipated album since The Suburbs, but in an email to fans, Stevens's label Asthmatic Kitty urged buyers to avoid Amazon's scheme.
The detailed email can be read in full here [via Pitchfork], but it's summed up best with the following excerpt:
We have it on good authority that Amazon will be selling The Age of Adz for a very low price on release date, not unlike they did with Arcade Fire's recent (and really terrific) The Suburbs. We're not 100% sure Amazon will do this, but mostly sure.
We have mixed feelings about discounted pricing. Like we said, we love getting good music into the hands of good people, and when a price is low, more people buy. A low price will introduce a lot of people to Sufjan's music and to this wonderful album. For that, we're grateful.
But we also feel like the work that our artists produce is worth more than a cost of a latte. We value the skill, love, and time they've put into making their records. And we feel that our work too, in promotion and distribution, is also valuable and worthwhile.
As previously reported, Sufjan's Age of Adz will be available on CD and digital download on October 12, with the double vinyl arriving on November 9. Those who decide to pre-order will receive a digital download of the record on September 28.
