Hnn... I still buy music from the music shops but I'll admit it's more because it's an addiction than anything else. I tend to get a rush from going into a store (new or used), scouring the racks for a couple hours, then leaving with a handful of new material. Plus flirting with any cute gals should they be working there is a bonus.

I did the download thing for a little while but, after aquiring material that was either super-rare or discontinued (and not always in the best audio format), I've had very little interest in it since. That instinctive thrill of the hunt, even if it's just for music, doesn't come about in me when I'm sitting at my computer point and clicking away. I'm sure vinyl diggers can agree to this. Anyone can go out and get a fish from the supermarket, but it sure tastes better the harder it is to hunt for it.

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Electronic Music Critic: Near-Daily Ruminations Of Music I Own, In Alphabetical Order!

quote:

Originally posted by DC- The money IS going where it belongs, there just isn't a whole lot of it.

I agree!

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quote:

Originally posted by Sand Leaper I've heard enough stories about artists getting ripped off by agents, PR men, label execs etc., so either you're very naive or those people are lying.

There are exceptions to everything, but don't make it sound like its something that happens with every label when the truth is, they are mostly 1 man run operations. There are some bigger labels, generally in the UK, that had a bad rep for doing the things you mentioned, but in general, most labels are not like that.

I am not naive, I happen to have the opportunity to see how a label works from an Artist's and A&R's point of view. I know enough about how much money really circulates around a label, how much things cost, etc, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Sand Leaper I've heard enough stories about artists getting ripped off by agents, PR men, label execs etc., so either you're very naive or those people are lying.

Sure not all guys are good guys, but i think i get 95% of the money thats made in the industry. And i have been treated not the way i wanted in the past. But if i have to be honest: I think the copying is ripping more than those guys you are mentioning. And most of the time a story have two sides and you probably heard only one!

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quote:

Originally posted by DC- There are exceptions to everything, but don't make it sound like its something that happens with every label when the truth is, they are mostly 1 man run operations. There are some bigger labels, generally in the UK, that had a bad rep for doing the things you mentioned, but in general, most labels are not like that.

I am not just talking about the trance scene, obviously. And while certainly not everyone is like this, it's enough to make a significant impact on buyer's scepticism towards this matter, which was my point.

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quote:

Originally posted by DC- The money IS going where it belongs, there just isn't a whole lot of it.

I know that but obviously there is something wrong somewhere along the way or otherwise this thread wouldn't have been made, would it?

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quote:

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quote:

Originally posted by GrimReaper I know that but obviously there is something wrong somewhere along the way or otherwise this thread wouldn't have been made, would it?

"Something" is wrong alright. People are not buying music. Why? Is it becuase its really that much worse than it was in 99? I'll have to disagree. Take away Strange Worlds, Out of the Blues and 99 was musically and technically a lot inferior. People just choose to remember all the good tracks and not piles and piles of amateurly produced garbage.

To me the biggest problem (aside MP3s) is the high production cost of vinyl. It costs too much to produce and its a very volotile medium that degrades rapidly with extended use. Who wants to spend $12-13 on a record of questionable quality when they can buy an album that is guaranteed to sound good and atleast have 1-2 good tracks. To me it doesn't make sense.

You would think that CD singles would be the solution to this, but sadly this is not true either. People buy CD singles even less!

There is no clear cut solution, I don't know if there will ever be. We just have to hope that Trance can get out of the gutter that its in currently and get back to its feet before it totally disappears.

i support the try before you buy thing.
also not everything is avaliable for legally digital download, and for those who don't use vinyl (ppl who enjoy listening to trance but have no interest in mixing themself) it's a problem.
But it seems like the legally digital download sites is on the way up.

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quote:

Originally posted by DC- You would think that CD singles would be the solution to this, but sadly this is not true either. People buy CD singles even less!

Reason being because DJs who made their bread and butter using vinyl for so long never gave CDJs a chance for the longest time, essentially making it uncool to use such a medium if you wanted to become a DJ. It was only when the CDJ technology managed to mimic turntables enough that DJs began to clue in a little more.

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Everyone has an opinion. Mine just happens to be a little more informed than most.
Electronic Music Critic: Near-Daily Ruminations Of Music I Own, In Alphabetical Order!

quote:

Originally posted by Sykonee Reason being because DJs who made their bread and butter using vinyl for so long never gave CDJs a chance for the longest time, essentially making it uncool to use such a medium if you wanted to become a DJ. It was only when the CDJ technology managed to mimic turntables enough that DJs began to clue in a little more.

That holds a lot of ground today considering many of the top jocks refuse to play vinyls, and seeing how thats the main source of revenue for a label, that's not a ... good thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Benno de Goeij Sure not all guys are good guys, but i think i get 95% of the money thats made in the industry. And i have been treated not the way i wanted in the past. But if i have to be honest: I think the copying is ripping more than those guys you are mentioning. And most of the time a story have two sides and you probably heard only one!

Getting yr post count up a bit now with this thread, no longer a TA in training anymore lol.

My view on this is that as long as the tracks people download are not being used in the wrong way, like playing them out or even selling them on a site like ebay for a profit it can't be doing that much damage.

IMO it can only be seen as promotion for the artist and the track, I can't see why it is any worse than downloading a live set which is not really viewed as illegal that much now. Because u will still get the same track you wanted to hear but mabey of a bit better quality.

I do download some tracks using file sharing programs and I do also pay for tracks from sites but like most of the replies in this thread shows 90% of us will always get the vinyl or cd if it is avaliable to us.

To me an mp3 is nothing compared to a record and never will be even if I buy the mp3 from a site I will most likely get it on record as well when I put in an order. So sometimes I think to myself why should I go through the hassel of signing up, putting all my card details etc to just download a track which I am going to have to do the same for again when I buy the vinyl copy.

I also agree alot with the try before you buy theory, an mp3 that has a time limit would be great way for people to test tracks out or even lower quality versions that you know cannot be used by peolple to make profit and are soley just for test purposes. Sometimes 2-3 minute samples on record shop websites are not enough to get a good feel to whether or not you should buy that track.