Amie Street

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**Amie Street**


Opened:	July 4, 2006
Pricing:	USA: 0¢-98¢ per song, demand based
Platforms:	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Linux
Format:	MPEG Layer 3 (.mp3)
Restrictions:	None
Catalogue:	1000+ artists, 8000+ songs
Preview:	Song clip
Streaming:	Previews and purchased songs
Protocol:	Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http://)
Availability:	Worldwide
Features:	Demand-based pricing, ability for users to earn money through RECs
Website:	AmieStreet.com

Amie Street is a music website created in 2006 by Brown seniors in Providence, Rhode Island. Based on a demand algorithm to determine song prices, artists upload music onto the site to allow users to purchase it for whatever price the song is currently listed at.

1 Demand-based pricing
2 Selling music
3 RECs
4 Notable artists
5 Notable press
6 External links

[edit] Demand-based pricing

Prices start at zero when a song is uploaded onto the site. The prices then rise according to the increased demand and purchase of the song. The maximum price any song will rise to is 98¢US. A pricing calculator is available and it shows the simple model used to determine pricing; for example, 25 buys equals 15¢ and 50 buys equals 50¢.

[edit] Selling music

Artists upload their music on the site. As other users pay for their songs, they are compensated. Artists keep 70% of their proceeds after US$5 in sales per song.

[edit] RECs

Non-artist users can earn credit as well. They do this by "REC"ing a song. When a user finds a song they believe will be a hit, they can REC (recommend) it. If the song price increases from the moment they REC it, they will receive compensation based on the price increase. For example, if one RECs a song currently at 5¢ and it rises to 95¢, the user will cash out half the spread: 40¢ (95 minus 5, divided by 2), just for recommending the song. If a user RECs a song when it is free, they are compensated with the full spread. RECing also differentiates more popular music from less, as songs that are believed to be good will be REC'd more often.

[edit] Notable artists

[edit] Notable press

Amie Street has been mentioned in several notable websites and newspaper articles due to its unique and innovative business model. These include the Wall Street Journal,[6] Business Week,[7] TechCrunch,[8] and Wired magazine's music blog[9] to name a few.