22 comments

1. Tom Posted about 3 hours later

   Love the Doberman!

   I had no problem with the MP3 format or the delivery method. In fact for me, MP3 is a MUST! I can't tell you how many miserable commutes on the CTA Brown Line you've gotten me through.

   Thanks for asking.

2. Dave Posted about 4 hours later

   Robbie,

   Being a late adaptor to I-tunes and digital music, have not gotten 50 VC Doberman. Have talked to friends about paying them to down load and put on a disk but have not gotten around to it.

   Never have been one to put headphones/earbuds on/in and cut myself off from the world. Just doesn't appeal to me.

   Is there a method of getting the tunes on a disk? Would pay for the service.

   Also, only place I get to listen to music is in my 1996 Oldmobile 98 with a CD player and sweet sound system.

   Sounding more like a luddite with each paragrpah so will stop here.

   Is there any method to get 50-VC already on a disk?

   Regards
   Dave

3. Curt Posted about 5 hours later

   Hey Robbie,

   I also didn't have a problem with the MP3 format, I will say the quality of sound is not a crisp as a cd but never the less, it is a cheaper way of putting out music, and myself as a fan look forward to getting it in any format. That being said, I more enjoy buying a cd from say a store or off your site, rather then purchasing music in MP3 format, I feel that buying someting from a store is more gratifying and gives me something to look more forward to. With todays technology, I'm sure I'm in the lower percent that feels that way. Other then that, the music is great and I still enjoy it, and look forward to more music in the future.

   Thanks,
   Curt

4. Steve Posted about 7 hours later

   I strongly prefer CDs over MP3s, so you can chalk another one up for the luddites. My preference is based on sound quality, in part. It's also based on the fact that the concept of the "album" (as a potential work of art) seems to survive much better on CDs than MP3s.

   I would definitely buy 50-vc. Doberman on CD if you ever decide to offer it up in that format.

5. John (whose "Name cannot be used," says the form) Posted about 23 hours later

   I've got no problem with the format, the store or the delivery. In fact, since I'd read the quibbles and apologies about the sound quality, I was pleasantly surprised.

   I continue to buy CDs because I enjoy the artwork, the information in the booklet, and knowing that if something happens to the music file, I've got a maximum-quality backup. But after I listen to the whole album a few times, my favorite tracks go into iTunes. (I rip to MP3 at about the same rate as the Doberman tracks. I do hear a difference from CD at rates lower than 256 kbps.)

6. Antoine Posted about 24 hours later

   I thought Doberman was great -- a cool variety of styles, most of which worked. If I had to break it down, I'd say I thought about 30 songs were outstanding, 10-12 were pretty good, and 8-10 didn't work for me.
   
   While I prefer the tactile sensation of looking through a CD booklet while listening to the songs, I didn't have any issues with the MP3s. I, too, have given up the whole audiophile thing in exchange for being able to carry around my entire music library on a little machine.

   One thought on the promotion angle -- perhaps if you made the collection available at your shows by selling some kind of password or coupon that purchasers could then go home and log in with to download, that might generate more sales. I have no idea how that technology would work, but I'm sure it's available.

7. Bender Melon Posted 1 day later

   I like every song on the release. I love about 15. I've tried to build a single CD sized playlist of my favorites but it's too big. So take that for what it's worth.

   Antoine's idea about promotion is a good one. To tie into online distribution at shows, you could sell unique password keys to the download site. Put them on cards with the address, instructions etc.

   As for audio quality, offering lossless files would solve this problem for people who care. These days I mostly listen via my laptop or iPod, but I tend to burn CDs so I can listen on my living room stereo. Lossless files are better for this; I mostly get these via AAC through iTunes, but the open source FLAC would be better for your purposes. This is the open-source, lossless compression available on archive.org and elsewhere. A commercial example: The David Byrne/Brian Eno "Everything that happens..." release was put out in FLAC and MP3.

8. Frank Eastman Posted 1 day later

   I liked the Doberman, which I downloaded and then put on 3 cd's to listen to. I'll probably move to an mp3 player at some point. I have trouble assimilating so many songs, like other giant cd sets, but I realize the Doberman was meant to be a large project.
   To encourage point of sale at shows, would it be possible to have a laptop set up where people could enter their email address, so it would be accurate, and then receive an easy open package for the 'D'? Maybe they could even pay for it there, although it would make the line slower, thus striking the sales angle, while the iron is hot.

9. Nick Barber Posted 2 days later

   If MP3 means that I can get the music instantly and I can put it on shuffle in the car (where I do most of my music listening to and from work) then it's good. I have crackly bootleg rips of the Hank Williams' Mother's Best shows on my Ipod and I don't sneer at the sound quality of those when they come up. At the end of the day, a well produced MP3 and a good song is better than badly produced audiophile jazz mag 36 bit heaven which pays no attention to the song.

   If I like it, format is secondary - format is just a bonus or a convenience.

   I like the ease of shuffling the Doberman too. (Sorry. that sounds rude.)

10. Bob Doetsch Posted 2 days later

    Off topic: I just heard a live-in-studio version of "Let's Kill Saturday Night" on WDET-FM Detroit's "Essential Music" program. Smiled throughout. The song originated from Acoustic Cafe, the syndicated radio program out of Ann Arbor, about 10 years ago. Rob Reinhart (sp?), the force behind Acoustic Cafe, was guest host for Essential Music today and played the song, complimenting and recommending Robbie to all. I saw Robbie perform that record and other greats at the Magic Stick in Detroit that day. Best to all, and the Wings will be back.

11. Derek Cantrell Posted 3 days later

    Robbie,

    I've really enjoyed your Doberman release. Like many people have mentioned, years of conditioning have left me wanting to hold a booklet and read along with lyrics and stare at the artwork. Fascinating. The delivery method is great. Not having to search hi and lo for a cd somewhere is nice and I would rather buy straight from you that give amazon or borders a cut.

    The past couple of years I've been buying some new releases on vinyl if they also include a dowload. I really enjoy that option. Country Love Songs on vinyl would be pretty dang cool!

12. Todd Stennes Posted 3 days later

    Luddite that I am it took me a couple tries and ultimately my wife had to figure out where the download ended up and move to itunes, but the sound on ipod with good headphones is pretty good. Way easier than trying to figure out how to download to itunes the Little King/bw Jean Arthur 45 that I bought at the Vu for a buck or 2 a long, long while back. (but a really good 45).

13. Mike Posted 3 days later

    Thanks for asking. First and foremost, the music is amazing, and fun as hell. There are just a few cuts I could do without, and to put out a collection of this size with so many good and great songs over such a range of styles and sounds is amazing to me. Worth every penny, continues to get lots of play at home and in the car. One thing about a 50 song collection vs. the usual 9-12 songs is that it does take a while to get to know them all well, and you can listen often without it quickly wearing out its welcome.

    On the technical side, I am somewhat of an iTunes novice and it did take me a while to figure out how to get the file downloaded. Instructions could have been clearer for the less experienced user. Still not exactly sure what I did, but eventually got them into iTunes. Also, even after burning to (three) discs at the slowest burn speed on a newish Dell laptop, some songs stutter on the CD player in my car. Does not happen with pre-recorded CDs. Oddly, the CDs work fine in my wife's car and the home stereo. Problem seems to be some combination of these CDs and my car stereo. Point is that purchase of CDs vs. download might have made for less hassle for someone like me.

    No opinion on the sound quality question. Sound fine to me in the delivered format, but I'm no audiophile and my ears are not what they used to be.

    Thanks again Robbie - in whatever format, keep 'em coming!

14. george Posted 5 days later

    Hi there, well a technical point, you needed winzip to receive the album which is a few dollars. An option to download tracks one at a time would have been good for us cheapskates. Keep em comimg. Cheers. George.

15. Brad Carr Posted 5 days later

    RF - this is NRBQ guy from Greenville, SC - love the Doberman! "Coastal Girls" has ruled my world since I unzipped. I have converted powerpop weenies with this tune. I actually love everything on here, even the stuff that made my wife ask on a roadtrip if we could listen to something a "little more normal". Like my hand upside yo' hayud? Thas what I said. Anyway, as always, you are too good. That Costello bitch needs to have you on Spectacle. He's probably jealous of the Dobie Gang. I want more insight into the tunes though - where the eff did CG come from? Grant rules as always, glad to see Scott on here, he was incredible with Mr.Adams on tour last year. The sound is fine, the zip worked great (I have a Mac), so keep up the good work. Love 'ya, mean it.

16. Tom Posted 6 days later

    I have the sampler and I've never gone in for the whole enchilada. Paying to load songs on a PC and then have them sit there doing nothing just doesn't make sense to me. I'm not a person who stuffs silicone in my ears to shut out the world around me. Too paranoid for that I guess. I do believe in supporting musicians however, and thus I still feel guilty for not buying the Dobey for this reason. Maybe you need to get your skinny ass back to Houston so we can discuss this further!

17. Chris Fredbeck Posted 8 days later

    Overall assessment of the Doberman: I'm happy with the purchase.

    As with any of your releases, there are tracks I really like, some that are growing on me, and some that are... less likely to be perennial favorites. If these were hastily or cheapy produced, they definitely don't sound that way to me, and although I'm not an audio pro, I would say I'm an avid enthusiast of recorded music. I don't have a problem with mp3s, but prefer a maxed-out bit-rate, more for affected audiophilia than for any percieved sound quality differences.

    The payment and delivery methods worked fine for me. I will say that even though I'm a big fan of your work, Robbie, I did delay a few days before ponying up the cash- $35 seemed a little steep for digital-only. I download a lot of music (all legally, RIAA, I know you're watching), but I rarely pay itunes retail, preferring eMusic or deals on Amazon that break down to closer to .30/track. I may be a sentimentalist or Luddite, but I still prefer a professionally-pressed hard copy of the releases of artists I like. If that $35 would have bought me two discs of these tracks, I wouldn't have delayed.

    I'd argue against single track downloads, by the way. I like you experimenting, working in different sounds, trying new things, and I'm afraid that that direct of a relationship between output and compensation would ultimately drive you toward what would sell best.

    As for at-venue sales, how about USB drives? They're getting cheaper all the time, and in bulk they're probably cheaper still.

    OK, long post, that's it. Looking forward to Martyrs next month...

18. Alex Posted 11 days later

    Have all your cds (or albums as i still tend to call them) but don't have squat from Doberman. And I won't (not a threat) until i see it on a cd. Was a computer science major back in 1985 so comp saavy but I don't need all the mp3 stuff. Like somebody earlier said not into the mp3 and headphones-shut everything out-while i ride my metrolink to work-thing. I'm no unabomber but i'm no ipod guy either. Don't believe the hype on this crap. Americans like their techo-garbage but its all about convenience (aka being lazy) and they'll come back to throwing a disc in their shopping basket (bricks & mortar or virtual) vs. firing up their laptop and clicking on songs. Check out my twitter where I tweet constantly about how mp3s suck. Can somebody tweet me back and describe Doberman's songs?

19. Rune Posted 14 days later

    I just found this by chance, after listening to Georgia Hard (one of the best albums ever) and deciding to se what you were up to.

    I totally enjoy this way of selling music, and my tiny band have sold our music this way for the last three years.

    What we do, I have learned from Jay Farrar:

    Offer your music in two formats:
    320kbs MP3
    Flac.
    Let people decide which one they wanna buy.
    Offer cover for those who wanna burn and print.

    When it comes to the guy saying you need WinZip to unpack, and that it costs money - please use google from time to time.
    All OS have free versions of unzippers.
    Windows have it built in. Linux has got it built in (and is free for all anyway) and Mac also has free programs for this.

    A small "how do I unpack and play" faq has also saved us from having to answer questions.

    Just my view on things.

    Keep them coming! Michael McDermott has also released his stuff in this way for years. Works out great for us abroad, who already have problems getting the non-über-commercial american stuff over here.

20. MB Posted 25 days later

    I haven't got 50-Vc yet, I'll be one of those stragglers in the next four months, but I'd be quite surprised if the people who say they don't like MP3s could really pass the Pepsi Challenge. MP3s encoded at 256 (although I wonder why not go with a variable bitrate at 320, just in case?) should sound pretty much the same as a CD to the ears of a normal human. I imagine with a blindfold they'd be hard-pressed to call out which is which...it's probably mostly in their heads. As is the notion that anybody's gonna go back to buying music (or movies, etc) in stores.

    I enjoy the comments acting like headphones (and the wearing of them in public) were just invented. Maybe they're still mad about the advent of the Walkman? What do this fella Tom's CDs do when he's not listening to them? I picture a Toy Story type scenario, where Rain Dogs gets drunk and beats up Graceland.

21. Log Posted about 1 month later

    Prefer buying CD's but Doberman likely could not have existed in that format so the download works for me. Don't own an iPod but I burned them all to a MP3 CD that I play on shuffle in the home player. Also burned a favorites mix for the car (doesn't play MP3 discs) but stupidly omitted "I'll Trade You Money For Wine" which is my current favorite.

    If you're searching for ways to further utilize the webernets to sell music I like what Bill Frisell and King Crimson are doing - offering entire live shows in FLAC and MP3 formats. I would happily purchase a download of one of the trio shows you are currently playing.

    Are you saving those MJ covers for the Bear Family box set?

22. Mike Orr Posted 6 months later

    Robbie, I know this is very late, but I only found your site yesterday. I have been a fan since I heard some of your music on NPR many years ago. I was listening to Georgia Hard again when I thought I'd just check our what they had of yours on Napster. I noticed the Doberman sampler. Liked it immediately so I downloaded the whole 50 pack from your site. Have now spent 24 hours listening to nothing else. I think the MP3 downloads are great. All my music I load into Media Monkey anyway so avoiding the CD step works better for me. Favorite tracks in sequence are:

    1. Guess I Got It Wrong
    2. Little Brother
    3. My Promises
    4. You Can't Go Back
    5. Irreplaceable
    6. Vanishing Jane
    7. Look at Her Cry
    8. That's Where I'm From
    9. Coastal Girls
    10. Arthur Koestler's Eyes
    11. It's About the Money
    12. Charles Thomas Samuels
    13. Try Leaving
    14. Stolen
    15. It Was Love That Ruined Me
    16. Angela
    17. Blaze of Ugly

    So that's 17 tracks that I truly love. There are another 13 that I almost love, another 12 I like a lot, 6 are good and 2 are ok. No stinkers. Best $35 I've spent in a long time and I'm glad it almost all goes to you. Sound quality is excellent, and so many truly original ideas. Some of the hooks are so catchy I wondered if you'd been hitting the Fountains of Wayne Hotline?

    Would love to see you play Phoenix sometime soon.

    Cheers
    Mike