New music makes Tuesday a little more exciting.
Ok, so they aren't always awesome…but they are always FREE! The previous two, however, have been pretty great. Last week was Owen Pallett's Lewis Takes Action, and this week is Julie Fader's Goodbye Before Hello. And, if you happen to like the single of the week, it can lead to a whole new world of recommendations. This is a great way to find out about new bands that are similar to ones you already know and love.
But I wonder how the single is chosen? The iTunes description says "Each week we find a track from an artist or band we've been enjoying and bring it to you, for free." This is all fine and great, but these bands and artists have a lot to gain from this exposure. So many bands have blown up after being featured as a single of the week. Can the folks at iTunes be influenced regarding their choices– and if so, how? Can you pitch an iTunes single to them? In the words of Eric Cartman "I'm just asking questions."
Although I wasn't able to find how I could pitch a possible single of the week, I did find this: you can automate the single of the week download with this widget
As always, with the good comes the bad. Although it is possible for bands and artists to have great success with the iTunes single of the week, it can also hurt their reputation. iTunes users can post comments, sometimes negative, and give the song a bad rating. Whether the feedback is positive or negative, however, it still equals free exposure for the featured artist or band.
