Distribution and Piracy. A Rant.
| Written by: | BitterCOld |
| Published: | 30.11.2011 |
(edit! if you cannot read more than a whopping 300 words without changing the channel, skip to the end. that's the important part of the article. if you cannot make it to the crux and insist on commenting, i will mock you. unrepentantly. )
So by this point we are all pretty aware of how piracy and illegal downloading are killing the record industry. The labels won't shut up about it... but their points make sense. The less revenue a label is seeing for an investment the more it hinders the ability to sign other acts or even continue to work with current ones. You cannot fault a label for merely wanting to break even.
And while some of you might get your rocks off about "sticking it to the man" when you download something illegally, the reality is how many of these bands are on mean and nasty major labels like Sony? How many are on labels run out of an office the size of my garage?
I'd bet that most metal labels are run by metal fans who want to make enough money to put out more metal. If they were in it for the cash, they'd have ditched the distortion pedal in favor of auto-tune long ago.
And the "well, the band only gets $1 per cd" argument is bullshit too. The cut that goes to the label is to help cover the cost of recording and promoting the album. If a label puts $5,000 into recording and promoting an album (a completely arbitrary figure), but only gets $1,000 back, how likely are they to piss away another couple thousand dollars on a follow-up album? How likely are they to just cut ties altogether?
And if they lose money hand over fist on several acts, how likely are they to invest in new artists?
and to RAWR is metal.
So I am an ardent supporter of, erm, supporting both artists that make good music as well as labels that sign/put out the albums of artists that make good music.
However what chaps my hide is the whining about piracy in the current technological and ethical environment and yet sticking to antiquated distribution systems.
In this day and age, I find it a reasonable request to have timely access to a new release that has already dropped across the pond. I do not see why there is all too often a 30 day discrepancy.
Enslaved's latest, Axioma Ethica Odini dropped the 27th of September in Europe and a day later in the US. Hooray. Timely access! It can be done!
Yet all too often the gaps between release dates are absurd. You can laugh at my (clearly illustrated) plight in the thread for Candlemass' Death Magic Doom. The album drops April 3rd of 2009, Lucas gets his review published April 15th, and I post how I cannot wait for it's eventual US release... and two weeks later quote myself again, still waiting and wondering. Thanks to Ivan's handy dandy album purchase tracker, you can see I didn't get it until May 6th. And I made weekly pilgrimages to the local shop, hoping for it. A full month and change later.
There have been several other cases through time, and even now with the latest Oranssi Pazuzu. Mr. Doctor has had it since the 26th of October. (Fuck you and your afro too, Roddy!) I checked again today, a month and change later, and not only is it not yet available in the States, it won't be for another three weeks. Hell, it'd be quicker if I sent Marcel $25, had him buy it in the Netherlands, hire a glass blower to encase it in a wine bottle, launch it into the Atlantic, have Dismal Euphony wait for it to wash up in Boston Harbor, and then hire a couple homing pigeons carry it in a net and fly it the remaining 3,000 miles to my house.
The gap is so massive, even an ardent supporter of paying for music like me is about to crack and give in. And if I'm going to break, it likely means the folks who sit on the "Download or Buy?" fence did a while ago. You'll never see a dime out of them. And if the price is $27, as Amazon currently lists it, you might not get mine as well...
I can understand with smaller labels and bands (the Pazuz) that there might be difficulties in being high on the priority list for overseas distributors (there shouldn't for that latest Candlemass)... leading to delays, but don't just sit there flat footed.
Do something to make your fucking music available in the interim. Put it up on iTunes. Put it up on Spotify. Make it available for (PAID) download straight from both the band and label sites.
Put yourself in a position to where you don't fuel the easy out for the "I deserve a trophy for showing up" generation. Because to the youth of today (your largest target demographic), the choice between illegally downloading a copy or waiting a month to fork over cash to hear it is not a terribly difficult one. Particularly when the culture has already painted you "greedy" record execs (currently struggling to get by) as Fat Cats who are morally acceptable targets.
 | Written on 30.11.2011 by BitterCOld has been officially reviewing albums for MetalStorm since 2009. |
Comments page 3 / 5
| JCJen7 Posts: 423 From: USA  |
I download quite a bit of music. However, whether or not I download music doesn't effect how much money I spend on CD's. The money from my construction job goes straight to the bank account. The extra $100 bucks or so a weekend I get from reffing soccer games goes to buying CD's (the occasional vinyl if I like the album cover...), and maybe a subway sandwich or two. I usually buy CD's I have already downloaded, and get whatever interests me. So, in my personal experience and opinion, I am stealing from no one. People like to call it stealing, when really, I have cost the artists nothing. In my eyes, its more like sneaking in to a movie I wasn't going to pay for anyways.
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Posts: 15250  |
The point seemed to be lost on many. i addressed piracy, but my overall premise was calling out labels that complain about piracy for antiquated distribution and general unresponsiveness to technological options that might help them combat it. the point being is that by doing nothing when there is as much as a 7 week gap (or more, i imagine in some cases) between NA drop and Euro drop, they are passively steering people towards engaging in the practice they dislike. the nuts and bolts of my suggestions were just examples of ways to provide access in the gap. don't just bitch about the problem, be active in providing alternatives... there are plenty. (PAID DOWNLOADS STRAIGHT FROM BAND/LABEL SITE seems easy enough to implement and ensure compensation to all parties...) i cited Spotify as i use it. and it offers more beyond meager compensation. seems to me knowing where your audience is might be beneficial to things like drawing up tours, etc. not sure if, say, soundscan or itunes provide just raw numbers (you sold this many/were played this many) or provide more specific geographic detail. selling 50,000 copies in the UK doesn't mean a band should engage on a full-blown UK tour because the raw number shows they are clearly popular. what if 45,000 of those units moved in some Welsh town with 24 consonants and 1 vowel and the rest were scattered across the Island? Maybe it would make more sense for a stop in Wales before heading to mainland Europe rather than dragging yourself up and down the entire place.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| strade Posts: 677 From: USA  |
Truly great point. I've complained about this a million times before, and most recently ironically with that same Oranssi album!
---- My lo-fi synth project: http://luciddreamer.bandcamp.com
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| Warman Erotic Stains Posts: 7695 From: Sweden  |
All I can do is:  Great rant, Bitter! I never download. I wanna support the artists and I wanna collect the albums, get as much as I can from a band. Just look at my Iron Maiden collection to see all the unnecessary stuff there. I love every album in my collection. I even buy the shitty ones from a band. It may sound weird, but to have friends over and take out a shitty album is just as pleasing as taking out a great one. "Hey look, just how bad is this album, really?" and then have a laugh.
---- 
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| vezzy Stallmanite Posts: 3493 From: Bulgaria  |
 So start uploading torrents, people.
---- Licensed under the GPLv3. Relinquish proprietary software for a greater GNU/America.
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| Milena gloom cookie Posts: 4603 From: Norway  |
Written by BitterCOld on 02.12.2011 at 08:09 Well, that would mean bands would never stop by to some eastern parts of Europe where they also have fans. Aaaaand, they pretty much don't. That's our punishment for being poor and stealing from the band, I guess 
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| BudDa Posts: 887 From: Uganda  |
I own and still buy CDs/DVDs, but illegally download as well. I actually download a whole lot. Why? Coz buying is damn expensive. Just to put that into perspective, a $15 CD(and thats without shipping fees) is about UgX 40,000 which can buy me food for atleast 1 week. Plus it takes atleast 3 weeks before the damn thing shows up in the post. By then I have moved on to something else. Its such a drag. I also don't trust our postage handling stuff like Vinyls. Its abit frustrating. I though wouldn't be anywhere musically if it wasn't for illegal downloads. I wouldn't have found out about all these artists and their music(howz that for consolation). And living in a country were the nearest metal festival is approx 3 days away(by road), I don't get to pay for live music..so downloads are usually my way out. I still continue supporting artists that I like by buying their merch and music
---- Freeze! Step away from the hubris.
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| NocturnalStalker Metal Addict Posts: 889 From: Spain  |
I see the point of this article and agree with it. I also experienced the same problem. Good thing is I have enough patience to wait for the album of my favourite band to be released here.  Another aspect is... I never hesitate to buy the album I like 'cause I like owning a CD. But there are so many albums being released nowadays that it's hard to keep track of everything, and I don't want to spend my money on album that will end up being a disappointment.
---- "And we are not who we think we are We are who we're afraid to be" - Lux Occulta "The Opening of Eleventh Sephirah"
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Posts: 15250 |
Written by Milena on 02.12.2011 at 11:08 i live in a city of 1,000,000 people. we are seldom more than a pit stop on most US tours. if i am lucky, they might play a bigger city 100 miles away, else they don't come within 350 miles of us. if it doesn't make economic sense for a tour to stop here,they won't. touring can be expensive.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| rodion-z Posts: 9 From: Ukraine  |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 02.12.2011 at 00:22 That's the part you don't understand - it's not about the right to steal. It's about the possibility. You don't have the right to steal. But you can. You have the right to buy, but you can't. And about "can't buy" - that's another point entirely. I don't know about Serbia, but in Ukraine distributors' idea of metal is Green Day and My Chemical Romance. So good luck finding any of the albums you can see on the left here. Metallica's Death Magnetic was late here 3 months, because it's too extreme for Ukraine apparently. Oh, I waited for it, I bought it even with my low income, but for stuff like Mastodon I can sit here waiting all my life. Forget the mentioned "one month" in the article. "Never" is what many people have to deal with. As far as labels are concerned Ukraine doesn't exist at all, so who gives a fuck?
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 8978 From: Canada  |
I download bands i havent heard, if i like them i buy an album. is that so wrong?!?! 
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Posts: 15250 |
Written by Boxcar Willy on 03.12.2011 at 02:33 no but your reading skills are. you missed the point... the entire second half of the rant.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| Vombatus Potorro Posts: 2354 From: Spain  |
Hmmm maybe ordering it from a european mailorder shop that already has in stock ? I don't know from the US, but when I ordered stuff from US to europe I had it in less than a week. But I usually don't get over-excited for these things... hell, I even want to listen the pazuzu album but I'll wait a while for next order 
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Posts: 15250 |
Written by Vombatus on 03.12.2011 at 03:50 i actually do get a chunk of my doom from overseas. when searching google's shopping option, it only brought up US pre-orders like Amazon rather than those overseas. the big "excitement" on my part is that the year is closing out... which means MS Awards time. kinda tough to judge/vote on an album that is not available. I missed Cobalt two years ago because I didn't see/get a copy until after we staffers completed the selection process and had begun the write-ups. to my mind it was the single worst omission we've made. damn near missed Procession last year in doom for similar reasons.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| JCJen7 Posts: 423 From: USA |
Written by BitterCOld on 03.12.2011 at 03:43 I think he did a decent job at addressing the first half though...
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 8978 From: Canada |
Written by BitterCOld on 03.12.2011 at 03:43 i didnt even read it 
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| WorpeX Made of Metal Posts: 1347 From: USA  |
I buy everything except for those stupid fucking singles and "bonus songs for certain areas". For the bonus songs, I don't feel bad cause I still bought the album it just didn't have the special Japanese only song on it. As for singles... they're stupid anyway. I'm pirating those songs!
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Posts: 15250 |
Written by JCJen7 on 03.12.2011 at 04:28 which isn't the point. he, like many, didn't bother to read the second half (as he admitted one post after yours), which was the primary thrust of the argument. but i guess i had high hopes in expecting some folks to read (let alone comprehend) a full 850 words, especially a guy whose primary hobby was creating fake accounts to argue with himself... but hey, he got the first chunk kinda right. i guess that deserves a golfclap.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 8978 From: Canada |
Written by BitterCOld on 03.12.2011 at 06:24 i swear to god that was NOT me!  prick.
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Posts: 15250 |
Written by Boxcar Willy on 03.12.2011 at 07:00 sure. right. whatever. funny it stopped. if it was truly people looking to harass poor precious you they would have done it from home as well. we warned you YOU would be banned next, after the IP. it stopped. imagine that.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 8978 From: Canada |
Written by BitterCOld on 03.12.2011 at 07:02 i didnt have internet at home. i used my schools internet, kids are dicks, they saw that i was different and wanted to poke fun at it, im sorry for whatever trouble ive caused you. but it was NOT me! i cant put that any clearer.
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| The Voyager The Table Posts: 152 From: USA  |
I don't think this is as big of an issue as a lot of people make it. I mean, sure, it decreases revenue. But in all honesty if a band is good enough, enough people are going to go see their shows and buy merch so that the band will stay afloat. There are tons of bands that are virtually unknown, where you almost have to download their music to get it. These bands continue to release albums somehow. So they're getting the revenue someplace. I'm sure it has affected some bands to the point of disbandment, but these were probably bands that weren't good enough to make it to begin with. Just a thought I had while reading the article. Make of this comment what you will.
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Posts: 15250 |
I take it back. even as the product of the supposedly inferior American Public School System, i can read 850 words. apparently most people cannot make it past the halfway mark. i give up. i will just use twitter for future reviews and columns. apparently anything beyond 165 characters or whatever is too much for Generation ADD. THE FUCKING ARTICLE IS LESS ABOUT PIRACY THAN THE LABELS SLOWFOOTED RESPONSE TO AN ALTERNATIVE. is that clear enough? should i edit the article to say "if you cannot read more than three paragraphs without changing the channel, just skip to the end?" fuck, as someone who has plowed their way through Anna Karenina despite hating virtually all characters within, i cannot get over how many people seem unable to get through a measly 850 WORDS. if you are 30+ and happen to read this, KILL YOURSELF. it will be easier. remember, metalheads think they are "smart" and these people are our "future."
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Posts: 21306 From: Canada  |
Written by The Voyager on 03.12.2011 at 08:12 Well there's a few things to that... Some bands make music with software and don't need a label or a Rick Rubin to help with production. Some of those bands release physical albums, others stick to digital uploads. Some of those uploads are paid-only downloads, others offer albums for free with a donation option. Some bands continue to release albums because they pour literally every cent they make from their day jobs into making their dream come true - sometimes time and time again, sometimes just a one-and-done deal. Some bands - popular, some not popular - don't even perform live. That saves a lot of expenses, but then you're relying solely on sales figures. Meaning some bands don't even care about the money. And those are the best bands. The ones where the members just focus on writing music and making art and reaching across the world with their own take on something, as opposed to greedy shits like Metallica who take action against companies like Napster.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Posts: 21306 From: Canada |
Written by BitterCOld on 03.12.2011 at 08:22 O_o I don't think people share your rage for the "response to an alternative" bit as we're the download generation, so the conversation veered more towards why we download as opposed to what labels should do about those who download. I don't think it's any reason to blow up. :/
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Posts: 15250 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 03.12.2011 at 08:26 i guess that is perhaps the case, but i would still expect even the "download generation" to make it to the end of a measly 850 words before chiming in. the whole point is to present an alternative so your generation DOESN'T download (edit: should have been ILLEGALLY Download. yay drunk!) thinking that the only/best/most convenient way to get their tunes. every time someone illegally downloads something it damages label/band in one fashion or another... from cash in the door to providing them some "intelligence" to where their fanbase actually is so they can plan shows/gigs accordingly. there are alternatives that can ensure at least the band/label derive something of value from the process. they are being oft overlooked in an effort to bilk cash from an ever shrinking consumer base. i guess i should be the one apologizing for looking for fixes or a way to work the system to everyone's benefit when it's all lost to "the download generation."
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Posts: 21306 From: Canada |
I think jup put it best when he said it's virtually all on the labels and bands who refuse to embrace the modern way of distribution. You definitely shed light on an issue we're all aware of, and any time someone looks to fix something broken it's good for the community. In this case, what you would would benefit everyone. I don't think there's any need for apology in that. About people who can't finish an article: are they really worth getting upset over? Let's be honest, the vast majority of people who visited this page likely took what you said seriously and read through your thoughts.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Posts: 15250 |
It's an increasing number that cannot finish the thing, so why not flame away? encourage them! push them! maybe then i can get my face on one of those "Just Read!" posters at elementary schools and encourage the next generation to read...  there needs to be a meeting halfway between the old way (for max profit) and the new way (for free) or the system will collapse. as one of the other threads around was stating, most touring bands are just getting "paid vacations" - making ends meet, but ultimately breaking even. at some point, touring itself might just disappear in the same way record sales have...
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| Vombatus Potorro Posts: 2354 From: Spain |
I think it isn't a reading issue... they see the words "piracy" and jump on that topic, since the debate "downloading or not downloading" is something that concerns alot of people here. They don't care at all about the "distribution" issue since they don't even know what it is. Why would they bother with album availability if they only download stuff ? That's the only explanation I see to all the off-topic comments.
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