Jagjaguwar Sounds on Drip.FM

Drip.FM offers an interesting new way for music lovers to connect with their favorite record labels. The platform is free to participating labels, with no sign-up costs or usage fees; Drip.FM makes money when the participating labels make money, through a revenue share on sales. Labels set their own user-fees for access to a Drip.FM account. While content varies depending on the label, fans can expect to receive digital files (MP3 and WAV) of new titles on the day they are released (or sooner); randomly selected back-catalog titles; and plenty of enticing perks, such as exclusive, subscription-only tracks and remixes, and other giveaways (imagine: t-shirts, posters, LPs, CDs, concert tickets).

Back in June, AudioStream’s Michael Lavorgna reported on Domino’s new Drip.FM service.

Founded by Ghostly International and currently operating in closed beta, Drip.FM has also partnered with Dead Oceans, Dirtybird, Fool’s Gold, Luaka Bop, Mad Decent, Morr Music, Now-Again Records, Planet E Communications, Stones Throw, Wav.Pool, and now Jagjaguwar.

I recently signed up for an account with Jagjaguwar.

The Drip.FM user-interface is extremely welcoming, intuitive, and friendly. At the Jagjaguwar landing page, or dashboard, I found my first three titles: Moonface’s Heartbreaking Bravery, Foxygen’s Take the Kids Off Broadway, and Bon Iver’s Blood Bank. Upon selecting an album, I was taken to a secondary page where I could stream individual titles or download the entire album in my choice of MP3 or WAV format. I could also read biographical info, leave comments, and share links to the page on Facebook and Twitter.

My Jagjaguwar dashboard also informs me of upcoming titles and lets me know when to expect my next release. As I write, Dinosaur Jr.’s awesome Farm is scheduled to arrive in 2 days, 2 hours, and 25 minutes. I can expect at least two albums per month, plus whatever other goodies Jagjaguwar has up its sleeve. I receive a friendly email notification whenever new titles are available.

My library is automatically updated with each release and I can access my music at any time and from anywhere: All titles are DRM-free and, in theory at least, will be available until the end of time. Or the end of the internet—whichever comes first. The cost: $15/month, taken directly from a credit card. Users can cancel their subscriptions whenever they’d like.

And more fun: The first 50 subscribers to Jagjaguwar’s Drip.FM service will be entered into a drawing for a test pressing of Dinosaur Jr.’s upcoming release, I Bet on Sky!

The Drip.FM user may be sacrificing freedom of choice—signing up for a Drip.FM account is not like walking into a record shop and browsing the racks—but is nevertheless connecting with a record label in a unique and gratifying way. And Drip.FM may not appeal to most casual listeners: It can’t compete with streaming services, such as Spotify or Rhapsody, that offer access to millions of tracks at minimal cost. But that fast-food model doesn’t appear to be Drip.FM’s thing. Instead, Drip.FM is another way for people to make deeper connections with the labels they love most. I think of it as a modern-day fan club. Consider me a fan.

Source : stereophile[dot]com