Not only do I love Matador Records' band roster (Cat Power, Pavement, Yo La Tengo, Brightblack Morning Light), but I also love the label's ways of getting people to continue to purchase tangible albums in such a digital world. I was stoked on the fact that they've included download codes with their vinyl, but I just learned about a newer trick (Well, new-ish... it started in '07) involving The New Pornographers' album "Challengers" as well as Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks' "Real Emotional Trash" (March 2008), and others.
Buy Early, Get Now means you can buy a CD or box-set, such as The New Pornographers case, in advance with a few stipulations. First, you can buy it at participating stores like Dimple Records for a mere $3 or on Amazon for $4. The crazy part: it's just a box of decorated CDRs for you to download the album online with a code (to have it immediately). This includes live footage, bonus tracks, etc. I think it's a cheap deal for only a little bit more work (especially with the NPs case. With Malkmus, it was the full album price... more than a few bucks.)
It's a bit confusing at first, but seems like a great idea, especially for iTunes kids who still want some type of tangible thing to go along with the record.
I just hope they do this with another new release, since I found out about it after The New P's and Malkmus albums were already released... (i.e. it would be neat to do it pre-street-date.)
