i don't think that a track is inevitably gonna get ripped if you send out copies of it. hell, there are a lot of tracks out there that i can think of that are only on promo or even released that haven't been ripped and made widely available. it just depends on the people you're sending it to.

Complaining about mp3 leaks is a little like complaining about crime. Sure it sucks, but it's a fact of life and you have to do what you can to make yourself less likely to be a victim.
The idea of making a tweak to each release so you can identify the leak would be the best thing I've read on this thread. This ties in with keeping your promo group to a small and trusted group.
mp3's aren't going away, so consider how you could work this to some sort of advantage. As much as some people like to look down on cd players, I for one almost always pick up a cd single over a record when i can. Since they cost in the range 1/3 to 1/2 the price of a record, and really the selection of music I have is a bigger issue for me than any format issues, it's an obvious choice. That said, those tracks I have on both I usually play on 12" (it's more fun).
You mentioned also the cost of pressing vinyl, so maybe cd's are a more effective medium, and probably more profitable. Consider something like beatport with the mail-out CD-R service. So long as you can overcome their huge freight charge (ie use regular postal services as an option for those of us out in the colonies) I could see myself buying very regularly.
The biggest advantage of this is you could get the time between promo and general release time down, so less time for the desperate folk to resort to mp3 when a better quality version is available.

I think both sides of the picture have good arguments and bad arguements, so I'll try to add my 2 cents.

IMO, it is ultimately the producers/labels/artists responsibility with whatever tracks they produce or sign. The ball is in their court as they can do what they want with the music. If promo or advance tracks are sent out, these people are responsible for who they send the track to and must be aware of the possibility that the track could get ripped (most likely by a release group) and put on the internet. If a track gets ripped like this, the producers have no right to bitch and whine because they know the risks. If they are going to throw a hissy fit, then the track should not be sent out like that and locked in a damn safe until the release date. I'm sure there are other ways of promoting music other than the tradition of handing out promos.

Bagguley, earlier in the post you said that tracks get sent to A and B list people. Who might this be? People as high up as Tiesto possibly? Why would any people of this callibur have the time, energy, or the want-to to rip the tracks? Just wandering.

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Lets be honest, most of the people on this board dl illegally, its just the way things are and its not going to change anytime soon, if at all. Any track I dl I try to go out and buy it whenever it gets released, so whenever Alaska come out I will go out and buy it. Personally I like to dl tracks so I can play them and figure out how it will fit into a set so the mp3s help out a lot.

Everyone shut up!

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"I don't know Karate,
.....but I do know Karazy!"

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Originally posted by Buddhistics Everyone shut up!

imo this is a great discussion, it started out low by the topic starter, but it's good discussion unlike tiesto or pvd..

keep going!

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Originally posted by Octanesyco Greetings. My name is Casey. You can call me Moose. -Moose

quote:

Originally posted by Nell you dont get pops crackes etc from CD's though, AND the idiots who record vinyls like to feed it through their mixer with all the equalizer settings changed for their sound system so the recordigns come out with the bass booming. With CD ripping, you rip via your CD ROM drive and the levels are at the same settings as the original masters therefore. It's pretty easy to tell the difference. CD Rips are better to have imo quality wise.

Not necessary...you run the output from your CD-ROM/Source through a Driverack and then into your recorder you can change a lot of frequencies.
Nonetheless...since CD is digital domain it is free from pops and cracks...personally I prefer vinyl rips..

you forgot one thing ...a cd may be free from pops and cracks..it is NOT free from skipping which is way annoying then an occasional often barely audible pop/crack.

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Spacy dreamer

quote:

Originally posted by bagguley You may dissagree with my actions but when you're in my position running a label.. action needs to be taken against these individuals!!! Andy Bagguley

You ever consider that these DJs playing your track is getting it more exposure which leads to increased popularity and more sales?

In my experience, the people who download MP3s do NOT buy music at all so you are not really losing any sales from them because they never would have paid for the track to begin with. In the end you are only gaining more exposure.

quote:

Originally posted by XaNaX In my experience, the people who download MP3s do NOT buy music at all so you are not really losing any sales from them because they never would have paid for the track to begin with.

In other words, they dont want it if its not free.

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I blame the CD deck. The file sharing not only allows access to the tracks, but allows DJ’s to burn them on to CD and then play them out. A cheaper alternative when one considers the price of vinyl.

Of course, the other side of the coin to this catch 22 is that by making music free (even though it is illegal) you are automatically are promoting the tune/ artist on the net. This does have its benefits as seen with past tunes like Sandstorm, but how many would actually buy the vinyl version of a tune they hear on the MP3 format ?

Seriously Andy, there is nothing you can do about this, it’s a shame but if you cant beat them, join them.

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Oh, and it will be interesting to see how many people will actually download this track after reading this thread.

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www.dancecritic.org

quote:

Originally posted by Dancecritic but how many would actually buy the vinyl version of a tune they hear on the MP3 format ?

I play 99% vinyl. Ill play out a download if i 100% cannot get it anywhere or am not sent the promo by my lists.

I do agree tho the cd deck has a lot to answer for.

On the one hand companies are pushing cd decks with mp3 etc playback, but on the other doing nothing to halt the music piracy and dodgy downloading going on.
Bit of a conflict of interests

remember, any publicity/promotion is good publicity/promotion