Jason Parker Quartet

Just discovered the JPQ via the web.  JP has a view of the music business that's similar to my own.  Record companies are the past and the web with direct distribution is the future or more accurately it's now.

He has made his own version of Nick Drake's Five Leaves Left.  I'm a great admirer of ND's work and the vast majority of covers either fail to understand what ND was about or go too far off piste and ruin those beautiful songs.  What I can say is that the quartet are quite superb.  They have no interest in recreating the ND "tortured soul" but give the songs a fresh perspective.  The solos never become too self-indulgent (my main gripe with jazz musicians).  I even found myself tapping my feet to the songs !

The album is available on the website.  You can listen to the tracks and there is a store if you want to purchase.  What I find interesting is the pricing.  Let's compare........

If you must have the cd then it's available on Amazon for £20.74, from Jason's own website for USD12 (£8) or available as a download where you pay what you feel is appropriate.  The album is available from mp3 to flac (sadly no wav).

My thinking is that a download should be priced at 2/3 of the cost of a cd so I paid USD8 for the flac which sounds very nice through my NDX.  I would really appreciate some comments on the pricing.  Did I pay too much or too little compared to the cd price and why are Amazon charging so much ?

I think that JP understands the music business in the 21st Century.  If I was starting out as a musician I'd use a similar model.  Musicians should be making a living by playing music - not by making an album and then sitting on their backsides for years doing nothing.  It's no coincidence that as music sales fall so concert prices are rising.  When I was a teenager and the World was in black and white, a ticket to see a band cost the same price as an album.  The price of a cd just about covers the cost of the tour programme today.

You can find Jason Parker at http://oneworkingmusician.com/

Enjoy !

Regards

TMWNN