Going to the Future
Lulu.com dropped Compact Disc sales, and I’ve decided to embrace the future and drop them as well. I can understand that some folks would much rather have physical media, but I’m afraid the future is one without. You can always download song files and burn your own CD if you wish. There’s no copy protection on my song files from iTunes or CD Baby.
CafePress goes the way of the Dodo
Hot the heels of Lulu forgoing CD replication services, CafePress is now bumping up all its fees relating to inactivity and account termination. In other words, the people who’ve created cool t-shirts and logos and stuff better keep selling them or CafePress will shut them down. So much for the long-tail of the Internet.
Also not so cool: CafePress’s email that begins “Thanks for helping make CafePress the world’s destination for customized products.” They then proceed to hose the very people who helped make CafePress popular. Upshot: No t-shirts or other personalized items until I can find a new vendor. If you’re a musician, I’m going to advise you stay away from CafePress.
Lulu drops CD sales
Lulu, the company I’ve used since 2009 for my on-demand Compact Disc sales, is dropping CDs entirely so they can focus on eBooks. I’m going to look at transitioning the CD on demand to Digital River (per Lulu’s recommendation) but it is possible that CD sales will be dropped altogether.
Therefore: If you’re intent on owning a physical copy of One Man Garage Band, best to order via Lulu before September 19, 2011. After that, OMGB will not be available at Lulu.
