i am not sure why, but the idea of a recurring sunscription seems to
be viable. instead of paying for releases individually, a yearly fee to
cover any and all downloads.
granted, i do not like every release from a single netlabel. but, i appreciate
their existence enough that i would find a yearly fee fair.
Paying netlabels?
well...if you ask any artists i guess alot of them would like the idea of earning some cash for their effort...and why not, but i think that's in the hands of major labels.
it's a little bit fucked up because why would someone give out really good work to netlabels and not earn a cent, yet he lives alone in his flat, with a girl and pays the damn billz.
most of us dream of making a living out of music, so i guess the money part needs to be involved, i'm only not sure if netlabels are in the right sphere of that business.
there will always be newbie artists like alot of us...only waiting for some netlabel to sign them to get their music heard, so i would like netlabels to stand behind the original idea.
or...as far as i know, maybe it's too hard to get a major label running?
i mean, you got vinyl pressing, distribution and mastering (they all cost and need a lot of connections and friends), so i'm not surprised by the idea of charging netlabel offers.
nice way to start a new style of music business...
it's a little bit fucked up because why would someone give out really good work to netlabels and not earn a cent, yet he lives alone in his flat, with a girl and pays the damn billz.
most of us dream of making a living out of music, so i guess the money part needs to be involved, i'm only not sure if netlabels are in the right sphere of that business.
there will always be newbie artists like alot of us...only waiting for some netlabel to sign them to get their music heard, so i would like netlabels to stand behind the original idea.
or...as far as i know, maybe it's too hard to get a major label running?
i mean, you got vinyl pressing, distribution and mastering (they all cost and need a lot of connections and friends), so i'm not surprised by the idea of charging netlabel offers.
nice way to start a new style of music business...
Drop the idea of becoming someone else, because you are already a masterpiece.
-
alfox
- mnml mmbr
- Posts: 206
- Joined: Tue Oct 05, 2004 10:15 pm
- Location: Montevideo, Uruguay *sth america*
- Contact:
here in uruguay where i live, life is kind of different than the places where most of you live.
I don't want to give u a long, detailed and boring explanation of my expenses... but believe me i have to manage to live with less money and resourses than you...
So I have 2 say that probably I won't pay for downloading tracks from netlabels....because i can't...i really can't
However, I trully believe that it's very important for artists to get what they deserve for their work... and I think it'd be right and logic if some bigger netlabels decide to charge their files...
I don't want to give u a long, detailed and boring explanation of my expenses... but believe me i have to manage to live with less money and resourses than you...
So I have 2 say that probably I won't pay for downloading tracks from netlabels....because i can't...i really can't
However, I trully believe that it's very important for artists to get what they deserve for their work... and I think it'd be right and logic if some bigger netlabels decide to charge their files...
never would have happened...
My 2 (very unorgannized) cents:
Short answer (sort of): I will pay for tracks that should be paid for. No disrespect to the record shops and the people who love shopping and looking at record sleeves, as I totally understand that, but digirtal distribution is definately where things need to be. I don't want to hunt for a release in record stores or go spend an hour searching online record stores who will then ship the record purchases to me for me to enjoy 3 weeks later.. Digital distribution is very important. Especially now that we have final scratch and similar tools. I long for a day when every label is selling their material directly for download from their website. This is where netlabels can succeed I think... bypassing the physical distribution thing completely makes it way more cost effective for everyone. Without getting philisophical (terribly so anywway), I think music piracy is a result of two things: lack of availablity and cost (and possibly the 3rd - we're all lazy and love it, but that's kinda a culmination of the first two results).
Longer aanswer:
The "netlabel" thing is weird... it's a weird mix these days of groups of people who simply want to get good music out there, direct descentions from the "MOD" scene
and people who want to try out the label business without comitting to the financial requisites of a physically distributed label. There's tons of netlabels, new ones starting daily, and often seemingly of very poor quality or in many cases - another group of people releasing the same sound as the rest. It's a crowded market and I think it's hard for both artists and (net)labels because some labels seem to be taking anything and releasing it, probably due to the lack of availability of quality material and some groups/labels just don't want to sit it out and cave in, releasing loqer grade material. Artists aren't becoming better, there are a few who make it to the "big leagues" and the rest become content with the way their production is because they find channels where they can easily release their music without either party really realizing that it's not ready for the masses. I think the idea of charging for releases is a GREAT idea, partly because it would weed out and seperate the good from the bad. I am not totally sure we're all ready for it though... we're lazy people and many of us just don't want to pay for anything in life. I however would pay for material that I KNEW was top notch and was something I wanted. A possible problem, though, is that I have to KNOW about music being great before hand ... reading paragraphs written by some obscure (net)label's staff in a mass email isn't going to convince me to even download and check out a release half the time these days just because there's so much out there. If someone I know and trust tells me somethings "hot", i'll often check it out, but I've never had that experience with a netlabel.
Anyways, i'm sort of goinfg off on amillion tangents, but you get what i'm saying probably..
As per my own netlabel(s), I've been contemplating similar things. I'm not sure the public is ready for pay downloads, although i'm sure of you trustworthy fdfans would want to purchase goodies if we charged for them. If I can't say anything else, I guess the important thing is that if people pay for music, it definately enables the label to release more and better material more often and you will start to see a real difference in the quality of material available. And one last thought: pay download joints, like BeatPort and even iTunes... tend to be a little expensive. If youcompare what it costs to buy a CD or record to what is being charged.... it's a little weird. I think Beatport, for example, should cost the same as buying the material on record minus all the production costs for physical product. Pay downloads need to be CHEAP, but at the same time we've got to to charge what a release is worth and if people like a release, you've gotta pay for it... otherwise it'll never get any better (netlabel scene)
my appologies for ranting semi-incoherrently... just got home from a long voyage.
Short answer (sort of): I will pay for tracks that should be paid for. No disrespect to the record shops and the people who love shopping and looking at record sleeves, as I totally understand that, but digirtal distribution is definately where things need to be. I don't want to hunt for a release in record stores or go spend an hour searching online record stores who will then ship the record purchases to me for me to enjoy 3 weeks later.. Digital distribution is very important. Especially now that we have final scratch and similar tools. I long for a day when every label is selling their material directly for download from their website. This is where netlabels can succeed I think... bypassing the physical distribution thing completely makes it way more cost effective for everyone. Without getting philisophical (terribly so anywway), I think music piracy is a result of two things: lack of availablity and cost (and possibly the 3rd - we're all lazy and love it, but that's kinda a culmination of the first two results).
Longer aanswer:
The "netlabel" thing is weird... it's a weird mix these days of groups of people who simply want to get good music out there, direct descentions from the "MOD" scene
and people who want to try out the label business without comitting to the financial requisites of a physically distributed label. There's tons of netlabels, new ones starting daily, and often seemingly of very poor quality or in many cases - another group of people releasing the same sound as the rest. It's a crowded market and I think it's hard for both artists and (net)labels because some labels seem to be taking anything and releasing it, probably due to the lack of availability of quality material and some groups/labels just don't want to sit it out and cave in, releasing loqer grade material. Artists aren't becoming better, there are a few who make it to the "big leagues" and the rest become content with the way their production is because they find channels where they can easily release their music without either party really realizing that it's not ready for the masses. I think the idea of charging for releases is a GREAT idea, partly because it would weed out and seperate the good from the bad. I am not totally sure we're all ready for it though... we're lazy people and many of us just don't want to pay for anything in life. I however would pay for material that I KNEW was top notch and was something I wanted. A possible problem, though, is that I have to KNOW about music being great before hand ... reading paragraphs written by some obscure (net)label's staff in a mass email isn't going to convince me to even download and check out a release half the time these days just because there's so much out there. If someone I know and trust tells me somethings "hot", i'll often check it out, but I've never had that experience with a netlabel.
Anyways, i'm sort of goinfg off on amillion tangents, but you get what i'm saying probably..
As per my own netlabel(s), I've been contemplating similar things. I'm not sure the public is ready for pay downloads, although i'm sure of you trustworthy fdfans would want to purchase goodies if we charged for them. If I can't say anything else, I guess the important thing is that if people pay for music, it definately enables the label to release more and better material more often and you will start to see a real difference in the quality of material available. And one last thought: pay download joints, like BeatPort and even iTunes... tend to be a little expensive. If youcompare what it costs to buy a CD or record to what is being charged.... it's a little weird. I think Beatport, for example, should cost the same as buying the material on record minus all the production costs for physical product. Pay downloads need to be CHEAP, but at the same time we've got to to charge what a release is worth and if people like a release, you've gotta pay for it... otherwise it'll never get any better (netlabel scene)
my appologies for ranting semi-incoherrently... just got home from a long voyage.
I didn't read it all (I will later), but yes, i agree it needs to be cheap. It's more or less a token of appreciation we want. That was the Thinner idea ever since they implemented the paypal donation system. But that idea never really got anywhere as people don't see the point of giving money since music is offered for free. It's sad because they don't realise that even if the philosophy of free, music has a cost and most musicians are poor...adam wrote: it's a little weird. I think Beatport, for example, should cost the same as buying the material on record minus all the production costs for physical product. Pay downloads need to be CHEAP, but at the same time we've got to to charge what a release is worth and if people like a release, you've gotta pay for it... otherwise it'll never get any better (netlabel scene)
my appologies for ranting semi-incoherrently... just got home from a long voyage.
And it's one of the reason you won't see any Pheek music on Netlabels for a while unless some exceptions.
oh, and for anyone complaining it would too expensive to buy a release 2$, I'd say, think that some of the musicians actually stopped smoking to be able to pay some gear. I'm sure you can skip a pack of smoke for music - it's way better for your health
I would be interested in paying for netlabel releases as I think offering the music for free will only last so long.
For me the important thing would be to avoid using paypal. I really dont like how the services runs although I am a member of paypal and do use it to donate to artists I dont feel that its as good as using a subcription service with a credit card company.
Which brings me to my next point of using a subscription service rather then a per download payment which would be better for me as I dont want to have to think about paying each time I want to download something.
If the price is right and there are some perks I would be all over it. By perks I mean maybe a yearly t-shirt and cd for subscribers?
I love netlabels and the artists that offer their music and I feel its something we need to support more if we want the quality to remain high.
For me the important thing would be to avoid using paypal. I really dont like how the services runs although I am a member of paypal and do use it to donate to artists I dont feel that its as good as using a subcription service with a credit card company.
Which brings me to my next point of using a subscription service rather then a per download payment which would be better for me as I dont want to have to think about paying each time I want to download something.
If the price is right and there are some perks I would be all over it. By perks I mean maybe a yearly t-shirt and cd for subscribers?
I love netlabels and the artists that offer their music and I feel its something we need to support more if we want the quality to remain high.
Keepin' the beats deep in the groove bunker
Part of the problem is that there isn't alot of low-cost, low-commitment alternatives to Paypal.. credit card companies don't offer packages to people that operate projects like this.. you usually have to apply for merchant accounts with banks and all sorts of things, which costs some good money to begin with.gillsans wrote:I would be interested in paying for netlabel releases as I think offering the music for free will only last so long.
For me the important thing would be to avoid using paypal. I really dont like how the services runs although I am a member of paypal and do use it to donate to artists I dont feel that its as good as using a subcription service with a credit card company.
Which brings me to my next point of using a subscription service rather then a per download payment which would be better for me as I dont want to have to think about paying each time I want to download something.
If the price is right and there are some perks I would be all over it. By perks I mean maybe a yearly t-shirt and cd for subscribers?
I love netlabels and the artists that offer their music and I feel its something we need to support more if we want the quality to remain high.
Subscription is an interesting idea, it would have to be carefully planned though. Hard to keep a label consistant sometimes when there's a dry spot as far as talent goes. I don't think it's a viable alternative to individual album purchases though. I'd never subscribe to something just to get the one release I wanted and there hasn't been a netlabel yet that has consistantly delivered stuff I liked and I wouldn't want to commit like that.