As seen via Slashdot, the Register is currently reporting that the major record labels feel they are getting a raw deal on online downloads. Currently, per-track pricing has been set around $0.88 to $0.99 at the larger online music stores. Per-song downloads are already set that high to help protect full-album purchases, but according to the Register, the major labels would like to raise this fee anywhere between $1.25 through $2.50 per song. Apparently, online sales are already starting to slide, and a price increase of this magnitude seems to miss the point entirely. While full-album downloads are clearly better for the label, and definitely desirable for independent artists that still view the album as a cohesive work of art, the fact remains that the bread and butter of the industry is "one-hit wonders" and popular radio singles. Consumers are all-too-happy to avoid paying for the filler tracks that most popular records contain. While a individual song price-hike would seem to suggest that people would purchase the full album instead, it is perhaps more likely that the consumer would simply purchase lower-priced independent music or resort to file-trading instead.
Read Breakdown's ongoing reviews of online music stores, each with an emphasis on independent music and fair use rights.