The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
So, today I saw that Newsround program... you know, the one on the BBC in between the kids programs. Well anyway, it had this thing about the music industry and HMV having a scheme for people to download songs legally for a monthly fee. For this fee you can listen to a certain number of songs (like stream them, you can’t download/save them), 'rent' a certain number (you get them for a month I think) and download properly a certain number of songs (5 I think it was) to burn to a CD.
Anyway, I was thinking about this. Who will actually do it? I mean, many people download free MP3s. But you can actually get free MP3s legally from a fair few sites. Some bands / labels official websites have free MP3s for download, which is totally legal. And why do people use MP3s anyway? I for one use them to check out a band so I don’t waste money buying their CD before I know what they sound like. Sure, I may listen to an MP3 song, enjoy it, and never get the bands CD. But if a track really blows me away, I will usually make the effort to buy the real deal. Why? To support the band. If I really like a band, I want to support them, I want to have the real CD, I want the band to succeed. And I’m sure there are a fair few more out there like me, who use MP3s primarily to check out bands / artists to see if its worthwhile getting a CD by them.
But I also know that many people do just download MP3s and don’t get the CDs. Certain bands (GreenDay did it with Warning I believe...) have released whole albums over the internet before the CD is even released. And it’s not illegal, because the band did it. This is probably harming the music industry, but a lot of bands just want to be heard and enjoyed, so they have no problem with free MP3s. Of course there are also plenty of other groups who are concerned (Metallica for instance sued Napster) and obviously the record company execs are going to be very worried.
But going back to my original question, who is actually going to pay for this privilege of getting MP3s? Someone like me who uses MP3s to check out bands certainly won’t, if I really like the band I’ll try to get their CD. People who want to download whole CDs etc. aren’t likely to, as they won’t be able to download enough tracks permanently or afford them all. So basically it’s the few people who feel guilty about getting free MP3s from an industry that pretty much screws over everyone from the fans to the bands. There’s a band called Fugazi who charge about $10 for all their albums. That’s about £6-7. And they are actually a popular band. They remain pretty underground, but they are popular. They could charge a lot more. If they were on a major record label the label would be squeezing as much profit from the band as possible at the expense of fans.
So is the music industry going to fail to ever make a profit from MP3s? Whenever they sue the proverbial underwear off one download service (ie. Napster, Audio Galaxy) another one will pop up soon enough. And when many bands support free MP3s there’s little the industry can do. But there is one problem. While you’re not funding the music industry if you’re getting your free MP3s, you’re also not funding the artist who makes the music. And while the prospect of your little sister getting Britney Spears songs without funding her may sound welcoming, if you actually like the artist, you may not feel so good about it.
I don’t see MP3s as causing the downfall of artists making a living out of music. In fact it actually helps spread the word. You can recommend a band to a friend who lives miles away from you and transfer the song in minutes over the internet. So, while I don’t see MP3s making the music industry redundant, or making them a big fat wad of cash, they do have good and bad points for both bands and their fans.
So next time you are downloading a Counting Crows (for Rasta), Linkin Park (for Jericho), Far (for MWA) or Mandy Moore (*sigh*, for Cooky) song for free, maybe you’ll think about it in a different light...
Anyway, I was thinking about this. Who will actually do it? I mean, many people download free MP3s. But you can actually get free MP3s legally from a fair few sites. Some bands / labels official websites have free MP3s for download, which is totally legal. And why do people use MP3s anyway? I for one use them to check out a band so I don’t waste money buying their CD before I know what they sound like. Sure, I may listen to an MP3 song, enjoy it, and never get the bands CD. But if a track really blows me away, I will usually make the effort to buy the real deal. Why? To support the band. If I really like a band, I want to support them, I want to have the real CD, I want the band to succeed. And I’m sure there are a fair few more out there like me, who use MP3s primarily to check out bands / artists to see if its worthwhile getting a CD by them.
But I also know that many people do just download MP3s and don’t get the CDs. Certain bands (GreenDay did it with Warning I believe...) have released whole albums over the internet before the CD is even released. And it’s not illegal, because the band did it. This is probably harming the music industry, but a lot of bands just want to be heard and enjoyed, so they have no problem with free MP3s. Of course there are also plenty of other groups who are concerned (Metallica for instance sued Napster) and obviously the record company execs are going to be very worried.
But going back to my original question, who is actually going to pay for this privilege of getting MP3s? Someone like me who uses MP3s to check out bands certainly won’t, if I really like the band I’ll try to get their CD. People who want to download whole CDs etc. aren’t likely to, as they won’t be able to download enough tracks permanently or afford them all. So basically it’s the few people who feel guilty about getting free MP3s from an industry that pretty much screws over everyone from the fans to the bands. There’s a band called Fugazi who charge about $10 for all their albums. That’s about £6-7. And they are actually a popular band. They remain pretty underground, but they are popular. They could charge a lot more. If they were on a major record label the label would be squeezing as much profit from the band as possible at the expense of fans.
So is the music industry going to fail to ever make a profit from MP3s? Whenever they sue the proverbial underwear off one download service (ie. Napster, Audio Galaxy) another one will pop up soon enough. And when many bands support free MP3s there’s little the industry can do. But there is one problem. While you’re not funding the music industry if you’re getting your free MP3s, you’re also not funding the artist who makes the music. And while the prospect of your little sister getting Britney Spears songs without funding her may sound welcoming, if you actually like the artist, you may not feel so good about it.
I don’t see MP3s as causing the downfall of artists making a living out of music. In fact it actually helps spread the word. You can recommend a band to a friend who lives miles away from you and transfer the song in minutes over the internet. So, while I don’t see MP3s making the music industry redundant, or making them a big fat wad of cash, they do have good and bad points for both bands and their fans.
So next time you are downloading a Counting Crows (for Rasta), Linkin Park (for Jericho), Far (for MWA) or Mandy Moore (*sigh*, for Cooky) song for free, maybe you’ll think about it in a different light...
Page:
Well, personally, I sympathise with the music industry's fears about MP3s.
In a few years time, CDs will be obsolescent, while more flexible media like "smart" media and small hard drives will be available to anyone who wants it.
When that happens, why buy the cd? You can download entire albums, edit the playlist to your preference, slap it on a portable hard drive or "MP3 player" and off you go. How many hundreds of people already do this? You can count them in the millions. Millions of people who instead of buying 10 albums have instead just effectively stolen them. It doesn't take a genius to work out the maths on that.
In a few years, millions of people will become tens of millions, even hundreds. Sure, there will be a large following of devoutly honest people who will always buy albums if they like what they are hearing, but the heart of the average man is as black as slate, and about as honest as a turkish fashion designer. Eventually, the music industry will feel the pang, and will feel it sting hard.
Sure, smaller bands won't feel it as much, often not having record deals anyway, but for those who have felt the call of fame, they will be getting robbed blind by the very people who appreciate their music.
A terrible irony, don't you think?
In a few years time, CDs will be obsolescent, while more flexible media like "smart" media and small hard drives will be available to anyone who wants it.
When that happens, why buy the cd? You can download entire albums, edit the playlist to your preference, slap it on a portable hard drive or "MP3 player" and off you go. How many hundreds of people already do this? You can count them in the millions. Millions of people who instead of buying 10 albums have instead just effectively stolen them. It doesn't take a genius to work out the maths on that.
In a few years, millions of people will become tens of millions, even hundreds. Sure, there will be a large following of devoutly honest people who will always buy albums if they like what they are hearing, but the heart of the average man is as black as slate, and about as honest as a turkish fashion designer. Eventually, the music industry will feel the pang, and will feel it sting hard.
Sure, smaller bands won't feel it as much, often not having record deals anyway, but for those who have felt the call of fame, they will be getting robbed blind by the very people who appreciate their music.
A terrible irony, don't you think?
Thank you for the replies. The general feeling seems to be that Jessica Simpson is fitter than Mandy Moore (comments Cooky...?) and that MP3s are certainly not the huge threat to the music industry that certain bands and most record labels make them out to be. I have certainly bought bands CDs after getting some MP3s, and at the moment am actually watching a few CDs on Ebay of bands that I found out about through hearing their MP3s.
I generally try to get CDs either direct from the record label (especially if it's an independant label) or else try to get the CD off of Ebay. I rarely buy stuff from HMV and other music stores as generally they're a rip-off. Unless they have special offers...
I generally try to get CDs either direct from the record label (especially if it's an independant label) or else try to get the CD off of Ebay. I rarely buy stuff from HMV and other music stores as generally they're a rip-off. Unless they have special offers...
On a slightly different tack. I got the new Coldplay album delivered to my door on the day of release from play.com.
£8.99 was the cost, as opposed to something like £11.99 from Tesco.
So it seems the whole music industry is changing quite significantly. As long as the fat cats don't get their greasy little paws on it we could have a very customer friendly relationship, and the only people who are against this is the record companies. Which is understandable due to the fact that they stand to lose the most from it.
But instead of winging about it they could just move with the times and adjust their practices to embrace this new form of consumerism.
Something tells me that this is far from becoming a reality. They would prefer to tell us what to buy and how to buy it then actualy listen to the same people that are making them very very rich.
£8.99 was the cost, as opposed to something like £11.99 from Tesco.
So it seems the whole music industry is changing quite significantly. As long as the fat cats don't get their greasy little paws on it we could have a very customer friendly relationship, and the only people who are against this is the record companies. Which is understandable due to the fact that they stand to lose the most from it.
But instead of winging about it they could just move with the times and adjust their practices to embrace this new form of consumerism.
Something tells me that this is far from becoming a reality. They would prefer to tell us what to buy and how to buy it then actualy listen to the same people that are making them very very rich.
Nooooo....! I just wrote a huge reply to this and its vanished.
Curse you SR!!!!!!!!
Curse you SR!!!!!!!!
Speaking as someone in a band, I couldn't care less about MP3's.
And that's from someone that isn't even making £££ from it so I'm not worried about losing royalties etc.
I want my music to be heard and appreciated by as many people as possible, and if you have a fan then they'll buy the CD to have the complete package.
There are bands that I like and will buy their CDs because I want the artwork and like to have the original.
Then there are bands that I like 1 song from, so I'll download that thank you very much.
Or, like others, I'll download a song that I'm not sure about, check it out and buy the album. Did that with Soil and System of a Down.
Then you have other bands like Clutch.
They put MP3's on their own site, unreleased songs, demos,outtakes etc and have no problems with fans downloading those. Free of charge.
And they encourage live-recording, hosting those MP3's also on their site and link to other sites with their stuff available for free.
Why? To raise awareness, treat the fans right.
I love that band, and I'll buy their CDs without question because I want to support that band. They run their own label, totally self-supportive. They tour to earn money and use that to finance their records (although Atlantic have picked them up now).
But they still allow MP3s and suchlike, because people listening to your stuff is the easiest way to get a fan.
And if 10 people that download you then buy a CD, that's a person that would never have bought if he didn't hear you for free to start with.
Bands like Metallica and Eminem that sued Napster users for downloading their stuff? Bloated corporate pigs that are solely concerned with their money and not the music.
They're on major labels, they get advances.
That's where your money comes from, any sales made are eaten up by the record company and a band like Radiohead will see about £1.39 for every £16.99 CD sold.
Smaller bands deserve support, deserve you buying their stuff if you like it because that allows them to continue and reach wider audiences.
It's feeling like you're doing something for a band that has provided a sountrack to your life.
Lars Ulrich can lick my bunghole if he thinks I'm paying out for his CD so he can get another jet, eat more pies and sue his own fans.
That's disgusting behaviour and the day he did that was the day that Metallica moved from rock into worthless establishment pish.
And that's from someone that isn't even making £££ from it so I'm not worried about losing royalties etc.
I want my music to be heard and appreciated by as many people as possible, and if you have a fan then they'll buy the CD to have the complete package.
There are bands that I like and will buy their CDs because I want the artwork and like to have the original.
Then there are bands that I like 1 song from, so I'll download that thank you very much.
Or, like others, I'll download a song that I'm not sure about, check it out and buy the album. Did that with Soil and System of a Down.
Then you have other bands like Clutch.
They put MP3's on their own site, unreleased songs, demos,outtakes etc and have no problems with fans downloading those. Free of charge.
And they encourage live-recording, hosting those MP3's also on their site and link to other sites with their stuff available for free.
Why? To raise awareness, treat the fans right.
I love that band, and I'll buy their CDs without question because I want to support that band. They run their own label, totally self-supportive. They tour to earn money and use that to finance their records (although Atlantic have picked them up now).
But they still allow MP3s and suchlike, because people listening to your stuff is the easiest way to get a fan.
And if 10 people that download you then buy a CD, that's a person that would never have bought if he didn't hear you for free to start with.
Bands like Metallica and Eminem that sued Napster users for downloading their stuff? Bloated corporate pigs that are solely concerned with their money and not the music.
They're on major labels, they get advances.
That's where your money comes from, any sales made are eaten up by the record company and a band like Radiohead will see about £1.39 for every £16.99 CD sold.
Smaller bands deserve support, deserve you buying their stuff if you like it because that allows them to continue and reach wider audiences.
It's feeling like you're doing something for a band that has provided a sountrack to your life.
Lars Ulrich can lick my bunghole if he thinks I'm paying out for his CD so he can get another jet, eat more pies and sue his own fans.
That's disgusting behaviour and the day he did that was the day that Metallica moved from rock into worthless establishment pish.
Aye, Jessica Simpson is much fitter than Mandy Moore. Although Mandy Moore is still pretty fit.
jessica simpsons fitter than mandy moore. JS is better propotioned and looks a good deal more shagadelic (to quote our dear friend austin)!
Firstly, well done Cooky...Many Moore is fit. When I first saw her I was like :-O! Then I had to go to the bathroom.
I buy a bands CD after hearing them on the internet, liking them and then I buy the CD because I want the actual official thing in my hand. For example, I had been listening to Far for a long time and so took the trouble to buy their CD's as I wanted the real thing sitting there and me listening to it. I bought Water & Solutions and Tin Cans With Strings To You, imported. The others were really hard to get, nearly got their first once but it went :-(
Now those CD's are one of my proudest possessions. I am like "Look at that album, it looks...so...good"
Soon I'll be buying some of the Sunny Day Real Estate stuff, I love it. Quicksand also too. Thing is, I really get into a band before I buy the CD. The thing is aswell is that if people done more what I did then the charts for example would be more true and not filled with the things which people buy and don't actually like as they've never heard any of it before. And ALOT of people do that.
I wouldn't pay to download MP3's. If it happens theres always somewhere to get them again, always. That's the truth. Napster shut, AudioGalaxy came, that shut, now we have Kazaa. That'll go soon and we'll have something else. If all the file sharing programs go then there will always be sites. But some sties may be hard to find rare stuff, its got to be a community (and a large one at that) or I, and others, won't be able to get what we want at times.
People use to share mixes etc, they still do. It's just the internet has become the new mail system, now we can sedn music to each other so quickly etc. Just with the MP3 stuff it's gone so popular that the industry is cracking down on it (and greedy big money making bands). If they stop MP3's (which they will never do) then smaller bands around the world will find it harder, whilst the larger will find it even easier then now.
I buy a bands CD after hearing them on the internet, liking them and then I buy the CD because I want the actual official thing in my hand. For example, I had been listening to Far for a long time and so took the trouble to buy their CD's as I wanted the real thing sitting there and me listening to it. I bought Water & Solutions and Tin Cans With Strings To You, imported. The others were really hard to get, nearly got their first once but it went :-(
Now those CD's are one of my proudest possessions. I am like "Look at that album, it looks...so...good"
Soon I'll be buying some of the Sunny Day Real Estate stuff, I love it. Quicksand also too. Thing is, I really get into a band before I buy the CD. The thing is aswell is that if people done more what I did then the charts for example would be more true and not filled with the things which people buy and don't actually like as they've never heard any of it before. And ALOT of people do that.
I wouldn't pay to download MP3's. If it happens theres always somewhere to get them again, always. That's the truth. Napster shut, AudioGalaxy came, that shut, now we have Kazaa. That'll go soon and we'll have something else. If all the file sharing programs go then there will always be sites. But some sties may be hard to find rare stuff, its got to be a community (and a large one at that) or I, and others, won't be able to get what we want at times.
People use to share mixes etc, they still do. It's just the internet has become the new mail system, now we can sedn music to each other so quickly etc. Just with the MP3 stuff it's gone so popular that the industry is cracking down on it (and greedy big money making bands). If they stop MP3's (which they will never do) then smaller bands around the world will find it harder, whilst the larger will find it even easier then now.
So, today I saw that Newsround program... you know, the one on the BBC in between the kids programs. Well anyway, it had this thing about the music industry and HMV having a scheme for people to download songs legally for a monthly fee. For this fee you can listen to a certain number of songs (like stream them, you can’t download/save them), 'rent' a certain number (you get them for a month I think) and download properly a certain number of songs (5 I think it was) to burn to a CD.
Anyway, I was thinking about this. Who will actually do it? I mean, many people download free MP3s. But you can actually get free MP3s legally from a fair few sites. Some bands / labels official websites have free MP3s for download, which is totally legal. And why do people use MP3s anyway? I for one use them to check out a band so I don’t waste money buying their CD before I know what they sound like. Sure, I may listen to an MP3 song, enjoy it, and never get the bands CD. But if a track really blows me away, I will usually make the effort to buy the real deal. Why? To support the band. If I really like a band, I want to support them, I want to have the real CD, I want the band to succeed. And I’m sure there are a fair few more out there like me, who use MP3s primarily to check out bands / artists to see if its worthwhile getting a CD by them.
But I also know that many people do just download MP3s and don’t get the CDs. Certain bands (GreenDay did it with Warning I believe...) have released whole albums over the internet before the CD is even released. And it’s not illegal, because the band did it. This is probably harming the music industry, but a lot of bands just want to be heard and enjoyed, so they have no problem with free MP3s. Of course there are also plenty of other groups who are concerned (Metallica for instance sued Napster) and obviously the record company execs are going to be very worried.
But going back to my original question, who is actually going to pay for this privilege of getting MP3s? Someone like me who uses MP3s to check out bands certainly won’t, if I really like the band I’ll try to get their CD. People who want to download whole CDs etc. aren’t likely to, as they won’t be able to download enough tracks permanently or afford them all. So basically it’s the few people who feel guilty about getting free MP3s from an industry that pretty much screws over everyone from the fans to the bands. There’s a band called Fugazi who charge about $10 for all their albums. That’s about £6-7. And they are actually a popular band. They remain pretty underground, but they are popular. They could charge a lot more. If they were on a major record label the label would be squeezing as much profit from the band as possible at the expense of fans.
So is the music industry going to fail to ever make a profit from MP3s? Whenever they sue the proverbial underwear off one download service (ie. Napster, Audio Galaxy) another one will pop up soon enough. And when many bands support free MP3s there’s little the industry can do. But there is one problem. While you’re not funding the music industry if you’re getting your free MP3s, you’re also not funding the artist who makes the music. And while the prospect of your little sister getting Britney Spears songs without funding her may sound welcoming, if you actually like the artist, you may not feel so good about it.
I don’t see MP3s as causing the downfall of artists making a living out of music. In fact it actually helps spread the word. You can recommend a band to a friend who lives miles away from you and transfer the song in minutes over the internet. So, while I don’t see MP3s making the music industry redundant, or making them a big fat wad of cash, they do have good and bad points for both bands and their fans.
So next time you are downloading a Counting Crows (for Rasta), Linkin Park (for Jericho), Far (for MWA) or Mandy Moore (*sigh*, for Cooky) song for free, maybe you’ll think about it in a different light...
Anyway, I was thinking about this. Who will actually do it? I mean, many people download free MP3s. But you can actually get free MP3s legally from a fair few sites. Some bands / labels official websites have free MP3s for download, which is totally legal. And why do people use MP3s anyway? I for one use them to check out a band so I don’t waste money buying their CD before I know what they sound like. Sure, I may listen to an MP3 song, enjoy it, and never get the bands CD. But if a track really blows me away, I will usually make the effort to buy the real deal. Why? To support the band. If I really like a band, I want to support them, I want to have the real CD, I want the band to succeed. And I’m sure there are a fair few more out there like me, who use MP3s primarily to check out bands / artists to see if its worthwhile getting a CD by them.
But I also know that many people do just download MP3s and don’t get the CDs. Certain bands (GreenDay did it with Warning I believe...) have released whole albums over the internet before the CD is even released. And it’s not illegal, because the band did it. This is probably harming the music industry, but a lot of bands just want to be heard and enjoyed, so they have no problem with free MP3s. Of course there are also plenty of other groups who are concerned (Metallica for instance sued Napster) and obviously the record company execs are going to be very worried.
But going back to my original question, who is actually going to pay for this privilege of getting MP3s? Someone like me who uses MP3s to check out bands certainly won’t, if I really like the band I’ll try to get their CD. People who want to download whole CDs etc. aren’t likely to, as they won’t be able to download enough tracks permanently or afford them all. So basically it’s the few people who feel guilty about getting free MP3s from an industry that pretty much screws over everyone from the fans to the bands. There’s a band called Fugazi who charge about $10 for all their albums. That’s about £6-7. And they are actually a popular band. They remain pretty underground, but they are popular. They could charge a lot more. If they were on a major record label the label would be squeezing as much profit from the band as possible at the expense of fans.
So is the music industry going to fail to ever make a profit from MP3s? Whenever they sue the proverbial underwear off one download service (ie. Napster, Audio Galaxy) another one will pop up soon enough. And when many bands support free MP3s there’s little the industry can do. But there is one problem. While you’re not funding the music industry if you’re getting your free MP3s, you’re also not funding the artist who makes the music. And while the prospect of your little sister getting Britney Spears songs without funding her may sound welcoming, if you actually like the artist, you may not feel so good about it.
I don’t see MP3s as causing the downfall of artists making a living out of music. In fact it actually helps spread the word. You can recommend a band to a friend who lives miles away from you and transfer the song in minutes over the internet. So, while I don’t see MP3s making the music industry redundant, or making them a big fat wad of cash, they do have good and bad points for both bands and their fans.
So next time you are downloading a Counting Crows (for Rasta), Linkin Park (for Jericho), Far (for MWA) or Mandy Moore (*sigh*, for Cooky) song for free, maybe you’ll think about it in a different light...
Page: