I mostly buy music on physical format because… I don’t know. I’m old? Right. So included in the latest batch was the new single from 80s phenomenon Soft Cell:
And as is often the case these days, there’s a download code included so that people presumably can avoid actually listening to the vinyl:
Now, I usually ignore these download codes, because my experience with them is pretty negative: You usually get a badly-organised zip file with some crappily encoded mp3s, and no cover artwork or anything, so it’s just a lot less work for me to just sample the vinyl, really, since I’ve got that pipeline set up nicely.
And besides, mp3 eww dude!
(The exception here is the excellent Bandcamp site, which gives you perfectly-organised zip files of high quality FLAC files, including nice cover artwork. Virtually all the music I’ve bought online is from Bandcamp.)
But this download code said “download the free digital album”, and I though “uhm, there’s an album? The vinyl is just two songs but perhaps there’s an album included somehow?” I mean, it’s unlikely, but it’s possible. Things are weird in music these days.
So I go to The Sound of Vinyl, and there’s this page:
So I tried clicking on the “enter this code field”… but that turns out to just be a picture.
But there’s that big red button! Let’s try clicking it!
…
So to get the “free” “digital” “album”, I have to do a social media hookup thing? Or give them my email?
Yeah right.
But?
Argh.
So the scam here is to gather contact information, I guess? Well, fuck you then, The Sound of Vinyl.
Feel free to use the secret code if you want to. I guess it’s first come first served?
It’s not a very good single.