It really was an interesting concept, based on some ideas that deserve discussion.

Firstly, the idea that The Album still has meaning in folk music - that the artist puts together a structured programme of music (not necessarily themed, but structured), rather than just lumping together a random selection of tracks. Is that still relevant? Does anyone listen to whole albums any more, or just cherry-pick or randomise?

Secondly, do people just want to buy the artists and songs they already know and like, or are people still open to something new? Yes WWW's catalogue was full of little-known people, but that was surely the point - you could hear something new for about half the price of a regular CD, from people you might never get to hear live.

Third, is anyone interested in recorded music any more? When just about everyone has a CD, is the whole concept devalued? We produced our CDs primarily to bring attention to some self-penned material which we thought might be of interest to other singers, rather than to make money (though it would be nice to break even) and we went for quality - studio recordings, extensive printed booklets etc. Perhaps it would be cheaper to just give away CDRs. What do people want? Cheap/free or quality?

We did sell CDs through WWW, and we had some great reviews from people who found our music there, so the experiment was certainly justified for us, but if it's not what people want, then it's time to close the doors. It would be interesting to hear people's views - call it market research if you like.

Andrew McKay & Carole Etherton
Crane Drivin' Music