This applies most of all to fans of bleepy synthpop like myself, but the wider implications are obvious.
We all knew that this was happening, now its knocking unpleasantly at the doors of one or two of the music fans on this forum.
Clicky
Comments please
For the attention of music fans
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Carpathian Psychonaut
- Utterly Bastard Groovy Amphetamine Filth
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- Location: Faaaar beyond the black horizon (Gateshead)
I started typing a reply but realised it would seem like a rant and people would tune out half way through. I'll summarise instead and chip in if any of them pique interest !
1) In this day and age a physical CD should not cost more than it did a few years ago. MP3 albums shouldn't be nearly as dear as physical albums are. 70p for one mp3 track is verging on the ridiculous - once it's made it doesn't need duplication, shipping or any of that. Even the bandwidth used to d/l it from an online shop is the buyers to provide !
2) In the old days an artist or band would release a number of singles and EP's and gradually build a following. The album would then come out and, on the whole, contain 10 or 11 tracks of strong material built up over time. The label would have faith in an artist to do this and know that it won't be an instant return. These days I've seen a first single released one week and the album two weeks later, trading purely off the back of one quick hit. This leads to rushed filler-laden albums with some obviously low grade extras tacked on. People won't go back after being stung.
3) Labels have no quality control, seemingly. While the record industry continue to throw megabucks at boys in suits doing covers on TV panto-talent shows, or the 37 latest newcomers of the current sound "in" with "the kids", they will have a large number of failed and dropped artists. They seem to employ a scattergun rather than sniper approach. I find myself somewhat angered by being made to feel that a label peddling such things doing badly is somehow my fault even though they'd have nothing anybody with half an ear of taste would want.
4) I download albums and, scarily for my bank balance, I buy more music now than ever. There are bands I would never have chanced on buying a cd by but having heard a few first I've been happy to grab some and build a collection. I have a personal approach such that if I download something and like it I'll put it on a list to buy. If I d/l something and it's trash then I delete it and not even store it anywhere - this is my quality control buffer. To think I could have paid £n for that is insulting.
These are all common sense, to me. If labels rush out artists before they're ready and sign up reams of bands without a longsight scheme in place they will have artists fall by the wayside and will have poor sales on their investment. This isn't due to the demon of downloading but due to short sighted chasing of the English Zlot and not the love of the artist they're pushing. Can you imagine a label these days letting a band put four or five singles out before the album like they used to, even if the first few only caught a few peoples attention ? No, thought not.
{climbs down from soap-box AND high horse}
Phew, I feel better for that...
1) In this day and age a physical CD should not cost more than it did a few years ago. MP3 albums shouldn't be nearly as dear as physical albums are. 70p for one mp3 track is verging on the ridiculous - once it's made it doesn't need duplication, shipping or any of that. Even the bandwidth used to d/l it from an online shop is the buyers to provide !
2) In the old days an artist or band would release a number of singles and EP's and gradually build a following. The album would then come out and, on the whole, contain 10 or 11 tracks of strong material built up over time. The label would have faith in an artist to do this and know that it won't be an instant return. These days I've seen a first single released one week and the album two weeks later, trading purely off the back of one quick hit. This leads to rushed filler-laden albums with some obviously low grade extras tacked on. People won't go back after being stung.
3) Labels have no quality control, seemingly. While the record industry continue to throw megabucks at boys in suits doing covers on TV panto-talent shows, or the 37 latest newcomers of the current sound "in" with "the kids", they will have a large number of failed and dropped artists. They seem to employ a scattergun rather than sniper approach. I find myself somewhat angered by being made to feel that a label peddling such things doing badly is somehow my fault even though they'd have nothing anybody with half an ear of taste would want.
4) I download albums and, scarily for my bank balance, I buy more music now than ever. There are bands I would never have chanced on buying a cd by but having heard a few first I've been happy to grab some and build a collection. I have a personal approach such that if I download something and like it I'll put it on a list to buy. If I d/l something and it's trash then I delete it and not even store it anywhere - this is my quality control buffer. To think I could have paid £n for that is insulting.
These are all common sense, to me. If labels rush out artists before they're ready and sign up reams of bands without a longsight scheme in place they will have artists fall by the wayside and will have poor sales on their investment. This isn't due to the demon of downloading but due to short sighted chasing of the English Zlot and not the love of the artist they're pushing. Can you imagine a label these days letting a band put four or five singles out before the album like they used to, even if the first few only caught a few peoples attention ? No, thought not.
{climbs down from soap-box AND high horse}
Phew, I feel better for that...
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You’ll Disappear Before The Next Star Rises
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You’ll Disappear Before The Next Star Rises
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Maisey
- Slight Overbomber
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They say pretty clearly that people that download and then buy are in the shocking minority. I download and buy what I like, so I therefore don't feel responsible for the demise of a fine label. But the sheer overwhelming amounts of people that do pretty much cancel us outI download albums and, scarily for my bank balance, I buy more music now than ever. There are bands I would never have chanced on buying a cd by but having heard a few first I've been happy to grab some and build a collection. I have a personal approach such that if I download something and like it I'll put it on a list to buy. If I d/l something and it's trash then I delete it and not even store it anywhere - this is my quality control buffer. To think I could have paid £n for that is insulting.
Nationalise the f**king lot.
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Carpathian Psychonaut
- Utterly Bastard Groovy Amphetamine Filth
- Posts: 902
- Joined: 21 Aug 2004, 19:18
- Location: Faaaar beyond the black horizon (Gateshead)
I appreciate that and it is a shame when a good label comes to that sort of end, but I abhor being tarred with the same brush because of the actions of others. That applies to many things but very much to this too.....Maisey wrote:They say pretty clearly that people that download and then buy are in the shocking minority. I download and buy what I like, so I therefore don't feel responsible for the demise of a fine label. But the sheer overwhelming amounts of people that do pretty much cancel us out
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You’ll Disappear Before The Next Star Rises
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You’ll Disappear Before The Next Star Rises
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ShadyRacing
- Road Kill
- Posts: 35
- Joined: 24 Dec 2006, 03:10
if 5000 dowload a certain album. its not said that these 5000 would have bought it at all. (assuming that downloading music for free wasn't possible anymore)
i think the ratio is 1:100 or even worse.
so 5000 downloads is just 50 lost sales. and not 5000.
i think the ratio is 1:100 or even worse.
so 5000 downloads is just 50 lost sales. and not 5000.
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markfiend
- goriller of form 3b
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The music industry is like the boy who cried wolf. While to a certain degree, I do think that this time the wolf is real, anyone remember this?
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
—Bertrand Russell
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Badlander
- Overbomber
- Posts: 3566
- Joined: 16 Feb 2006, 20:17
- Location: At the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
What a nice avatar this would make...markfiend wrote:
BTW the only thing I'm no longer paying for is bootlegs. But right now I'm buying more officially released music than ever.
I'd end this moment to be with you
Through morphic oceans I'd lay here with you
Through morphic oceans I'd lay here with you
I will agree that it's a case of the industry as a whole reaping what it's sown, but it doesn't seem fair on the likes of Dependent who seem to be genuinely trying to do a decent job. Intellectual property theft of any sort is perhaps acceptable if you're stealing from someone who isn't going to be crippled by the loss and whose artistic practices deserve it, but if the demon downloaders don't take that cherry-picking approach then they're just hitting everyone in the industry hard, and that's the rub.Carpathian Psychonaut wrote:These are all common sense, to me. If labels rush out artists before they're ready and sign up reams of bands without a longsight scheme in place they will have artists fall by the wayside and will have poor sales on their investment. This isn't due to the demon of downloading but due to short sighted chasing of the English Zlot and not the love of the artist they're pushing. Can you imagine a label these days letting a band put four or five singles out before the album like they used to, even if the first few only caught a few peoples attention ? No, thought not.
Kiss me, I'm Eldritch.
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markfiend
- goriller of form 3b
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Aye.
And maybe (being generous to his foresight here perhaps) Andrew saw which way the wind was blowing yonks ago, and this is why he's not bothered to put out new material.
You may as well just tour to earn your cash these days, you're not going to make a penny from sales with the ubiquity of downloads.
And maybe (being generous to his foresight here perhaps) Andrew saw which way the wind was blowing yonks ago, and this is why he's not bothered to put out new material.
You may as well just tour to earn your cash these days, you're not going to make a penny from sales with the ubiquity of downloads.
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
—Bertrand Russell
Fair point Mark, why not then make at least even one track available somehow, download or whatever if you are not going to make money from it regardless?markfiend wrote:Aye.
And maybe (being generous to his foresight here perhaps) Andrew saw which way the wind was blowing yonks ago, and this is why he's not bothered to put out new material.
You may as well just tour to earn your cash these days, you're not going to make a penny from sales with the ubiquity of downloads.
We've been round and round this so many times mind you, I refuse to get the grumps on this time
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markfiend
- goriller of form 3b
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Guessing because he's a curmudgeonly old git and can't be bothered.Zuma wrote:Fair point Mark, why not then make at least even one track available somehow, download or whatever if you are not going to make money from it regardless?
Aye, like you say, round and round...Zuma wrote:We've been round and round this so many times mind you, I refuse to get the grumps on this time
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand Russell
—Bertrand Russell