Anywhere(CD) is Better Than Nowhere

Filed in archive Commentary , Companies on April 24, 2007

This article is part of a series reviewing the AnywhereCD bundled CD+MP3 album store.

1. Anywhere(CD) But Here (Warner Music).

2. Anywhere(CD) But Singles.

3. Anywhere(CD) is Better Than Nowhere.

4. AnywhereCD 30 Cent MP3s

AnywhereCD takes its name from its distribution of open format MP3 files that can be played on virtually any PC or mobile device. But there's a catch. You can't just buy individual singles or only MP3s. You must buy the CD too.

Instead of being a significant innovation, like itune's offering of MP3 files, this restriction limits Anywhere to being a minor service. But it does have real consumer benefits.

I checked Anywhere CD+MP3 pricing versus Amazon CDs. There were a few cases where AnywhereCD was actually cheaper and few where it was substantially more. In general the typical $15 Anywhere CD+MP3 was a $3 premium over a $12 Amazon CD.

AnywhereCD's consumer appeal comes in two flavors.

1. You're going to buy the CD. You'll pay $3 extra for the convenience of AnywhereCD ripping high quality 192kbps MP3s for you.

2. You're buying the MP3 album (typically $10). You'll pay $5 more for the CD.

The difficulty with both of these approaches is that the market is small. It's confined to consumers who are ready to buy and not try, have not yet bought either the CD or MP3s, desire both formats, and are willing to spend more than a dollar for single or $10-12 for the CD or digital album.

I hope we'll see an upgrade option in the future, similar to Apple's Complete My Album (see Apple Pimps the single). Upgrades remove risk and will significantly enhance the appeal, and sales, of AnywhereCD's bundle. Customers should be able to buy the CD first with an option to add the MP3s later if they like the CD, or to buy one or more MP3s and upgrade to the whole package.