What is INDIEBURN.COM?
INDIEBURN.COM in the simplest terms is an online music store selling titles from ONLY independent musicians and labels (meaning NO major label titles here).

The more complicated answer is that INDIEBURN.COM is a music community where people can congregate to speak about music (incl. the industry, how to get discovered, etc.) and discover new artists.

Why do you only sell MP3's?
Because MP3's are universal. Everyone that owns a computer can play MP3's. There is no digital rights management involved on INDIEBURN.COM so that music lovers can play these songs wherever they want. No restrictions.

Without DRM, can't people steal the music?
Yes. But we at INDIEBURN.COM believe that music fans will support the artists by purchasing their music. This isn't a matter of a large record company getting $8.00 - $9.00 of the CD price, while the artist only gets a $1.00 or $2.00. On INDIEBURN.COM, the artist gets 50% ($4.00 of every full-length)…so if people choose to steal (which is what illegal downloads are), they are taking the money away from the artist directly.

What about the price structure?
The price structure was established as it was for two reasons:

1) No one wants to spend more than $9.00 or $10.00 for a full album from an established artist… So, why should material from an unknown artist cost more than that?
2) If a CD from an artist at a club costs $10.00, why would you want to pay the same amount if there is no physical CD or artwork?

Why do the artists have to sign a Digital Distribution Agreement?
The Digital Distribution Agreement is set up to protect both the artist and INDIEBURN.COM. That being said, the agreement is a NON-EXCLUSIVE agreement. This means that as an artist you can sell your album wherever you want (i.e. Record store, club, trunk of your car, other online retailers, etc.).

Why does the agreement last for one year, and can't we just get out of it?
The agreement lasts for one year, to make the paperwork a little easier for everyone involved. INDIEBURN.COM is staffed by a whopping two people (not including lawyers, accountants, etc.) If we spent time every week contacting artists to make sure it was STILL ok to sell their downloads…we wouldn't get anything else accomplished.

And no, you can't just get out of it. There is no point in doing an agreement if either party can leave whenever they feel like it.

What makes INDIEBURN.COM different than other online retailers?
  • We ONLY sell MP3's, and we ONLY sell independent artists (and labels).
  • Artists get a 70% cut of the GROSS profits, which is unheard of in the record industry.
  • Artists work directly with INDIEBURN.COM. We are not a "middle man" for other online retailers.
  • There are NO sign-up fees or monthly charges for the artist.
  • Artists are FREE to sell their music anywhere else in addition to INDIEBURN.COM.

Are there any FEES on INDIEBURN.COM for artists?
Nope. You get 70% of what we sell of your titles.

What types of material can artists sell?
Anything. Most genres' are included during the sign-up process, but if your material doesn't fit into a specific genre…make up a new one!

Also, don't be limited to your newest CD…if you have an older CD that is out of print, a great live show that you recorded that you never wanted to spend money to manufacture or some new demos…all of these can be put up for sale. As long as you legally own the rights to the material, you can sell it on INDIEBURN.COM.

When will the store be launched?
With the exception of unforeseen circumstances (like Rhode Island being buried in snow for the "new ice age"), the INDIEBURN.COM store will launch on June 30th, 2005.

What will the artist pages consist of?
The artist pages (if you provide them) will have a band picture, small bio, album covers, and :30 second snippets of each song.

Also, you can choose a song to give away as a FREE download.

Why no singles?
We will actually have singles for sale on INDIEBURN.COM, but we aren't going to make every song from every album available as a single. We believe that it is important for music fans to discover artists…not singles…

Why the "sounds like" section? We don't really sound like anyone else...
The "sounds like" section is there to help music fans discover new unsigned artists that have a similar sound to some of their favorites. There will be a lot of titles on INDIEBURN.COM, and the hope is that the "sounds like" section will help music fans navigate their way through the maze of amazing music.

Who should we contact if we have any further questions?
You can contact Brian Colton (General Manager of INDIEBURN.COM) at brian@indieburn.com and he'll be happy to answer any additional questions.