How the fuck does this happen EVERYTIME? If I was dropping some major shit, I wouldn't give it out to anyone. It fucks everything up...For example, that new Luniz got pushed back what? A YEAR!! I don't understand how shit constantly gets leaked and bootlegged ALL over the net. Let's hear some thoughts on this.
Why can't record labels keep their shit from getting LEAKED!?
- Thread starter Cantankerous
- Start date
Well why would they do that if they know those fucks will just leak it?...I don't understand why they would send out promo cd's...Why don't they just send 1 minutes clips of songs instead of letting the whole album slip into the wrong hands (which happens almost every time) I don't think they have anyone to blame but themselves.
Bootlegging HELPS artists. Simple as that. It's promotion - and very cheap promotion in which you don't have to do things. In most cases, if people enjoy the album - they will go buy the retail. Bootlegging is the reason that Cormega's "The Realness" album pushed over 100,000 units without any sort of promotion - word of mouth means a lot, I can't reitterate it enough. I could go on and on about the pros and cons, but the pros are definately greater.
Today, most emcees are what I like to call 'MC's in a can', meaning they come pre-packaged consisting of a few party joints, a few skits, and a few sub-par tracks - one video with a lot of women in it, and call themselves artists. More and more, Hiphop is transforming from an ocean of thought, cleverness, and tradition into a sea of liquid hardcore pop trash. Thus, anyone with a head on their shoulders would rather try their music before they purchase it, like me.
I know several artists who have given me their material personally to put on the internet because they see all of the advantages it provides in regards to distribution. Do the labels see it? Partially. Most underground A&R's adknowledge that the internet makes a significant contribution to their unit sales because it's the best promotion, free promotion. The internet is the reason that Cormega's "The Realness" album sold over 100,000 units on Landspeed with minimal advertising. Record labels also realize that the scene is beneficial for their distribution and advertisement because it creates a buzz for their artists - however, the artists see it only as a decline in unit sales, rather than the positives. No one wants to take a decline for the better of the whole, so they complain because most have God Complex's in the first place.
Overall, the scene does more for the industry that it's given credit for - common sense states that. I do not however condone the burning and selling of CDs for the sake of profit..to me, that is much more immoral than spreading music to be heard, so that people are able to 'try before you buy', like myself. This is about more than just piracy, but about consumer rights. It's about time we stand up and tell the executives that we are fed up with the trite nothingless that they are force feeding us through every media avenue possible.
Also relating to this - why doesn't the anti-piracy advocates and labels go after the DJs? They are the ones downloading music from the internet and selling it for their own personal profit. Artists tend to be buddy-buddy with mainstream DJ's such as DJ Kay Slay, Funkmaster Flex, DJ Clue, DJ Kool Kid, Cutmaster C, and others - which are doing the exact same thing people on the internet are - putting pre-released and unreleased music out there for the public, except the DJ's are being paid from it. When you gain a reputation as a networking DJ, the artists will recognize you as a positive for their sales, yet since bootleggers are not recognized - they are the villain? Industry double standard.
As one of the most influential artists in our lifetime and an internet-music advocate Chuck D would say, "Fight The Power"!
I know several artists who have given me their material personally to put on the internet because they see all of the advantages it provides in regards to distribution. Do the labels see it? Partially. Most underground A&R's adknowledge that the internet makes a significant contribution to their unit sales because it's the best promotion, free promotion. The internet is the reason that Cormega's "The Realness" album sold over 100,000 units on Landspeed with minimal advertising. Record labels also realize that the scene is beneficial for their distribution and advertisement because it creates a buzz for their artists - however, the artists see it only as a decline in unit sales, rather than the positives. No one wants to take a decline for the better of the whole, so they complain because most have God Complex's in the first place.
Overall, the scene does more for the industry that it's given credit for - common sense states that. I do not however condone the burning and selling of CDs for the sake of profit..to me, that is much more immoral than spreading music to be heard, so that people are able to 'try before you buy', like myself. This is about more than just piracy, but about consumer rights. It's about time we stand up and tell the executives that we are fed up with the trite nothingless that they are force feeding us through every media avenue possible.
Also relating to this - why doesn't the anti-piracy advocates and labels go after the DJs? They are the ones downloading music from the internet and selling it for their own personal profit. Artists tend to be buddy-buddy with mainstream DJ's such as DJ Kay Slay, Funkmaster Flex, DJ Clue, DJ Kool Kid, Cutmaster C, and others - which are doing the exact same thing people on the internet are - putting pre-released and unreleased music out there for the public, except the DJ's are being paid from it. When you gain a reputation as a networking DJ, the artists will recognize you as a positive for their sales, yet since bootleggers are not recognized - they are the villain? Industry double standard.
As one of the most influential artists in our lifetime and an internet-music advocate Chuck D would say, "Fight The Power"!
That's nonsense.
If an artist wants to put their shit on the net, cool, go to MP3.com or something... But how many MP3's on Kazaa, Morpheus, Napster, Audiogalaxy, MIRC, etc. do you think were put there with permission from the artist or label? At that point it's not promotion, it's theft. Also, DJ's will put one or two tracks on their mixtapes, and yell over em so you wanna buy the real version when it's out... Spreading MP3's is just making an album available so you don't have to pay for it.
The consumer rights stuff is ridiculous. No consumer is FORCED to buy anything. If you don't hear it first, don't buy it. If the artist/label isn't out there putting out snippet CD's, putting clips up on websites, etc., that's their bad, it doesn't give any who got their hands on a promo copy the right to distribute the entire album for free.
If an artist wants to put their shit on the net, cool, go to MP3.com or something... But how many MP3's on Kazaa, Morpheus, Napster, Audiogalaxy, MIRC, etc. do you think were put there with permission from the artist or label? At that point it's not promotion, it's theft. Also, DJ's will put one or two tracks on their mixtapes, and yell over em so you wanna buy the real version when it's out... Spreading MP3's is just making an album available so you don't have to pay for it.
The consumer rights stuff is ridiculous. No consumer is FORCED to buy anything. If you don't hear it first, don't buy it. If the artist/label isn't out there putting out snippet CD's, putting clips up on websites, etc., that's their bad, it doesn't give any who got their hands on a promo copy the right to distribute the entire album for free.
MP3 sharing would be a completely different thing if the software companies were willing to put a filter on them so people could remove their songs, but they won't, because they know the majority of their audience is just interested in stealing music... That's why it took lawsuits to get Napster & Audiogalaxy to agree to that.
Most people who download music also support quality music - music worth their money - to try before you buy is not theft, especially when 90% of the music coming out is junk from the get-go - it is our rights as consumers to be able to distinguish good from bad and to pay for what we like - not a mirror of illusions - eventually, we may see the day when this is made legal. WE are to a point - more and more artists are on mp3.com promoting their singles - which is still not enough to get a feel for an album or music - because they are the product or clone of another man's ideas.
Here's the thing... It's the label or artists responsibility and ONLY the label or artists responsibility to let people know that their music is good, whether it's through snippets, videos, songs on the radio, etc. If the artist or label doesn't do that, then it doesn't mean it's ok to go download the album. If you don't know what an album sounds like, don't buy it, it's as simple as that. If you've only heard one song, don't buy the album, consumers know that there are 10 or 14 or 19 other songs on an album, and they might be better or worse than the single... Every consumer makes a conscious decision to buy the CD, they're not being tricked into anything.
Besides, albums with snippets up on CDnow.com, the artists official site, etc. are still bootlegged, so it's obvious that most people aren't using MP3's to 'get a feel' for the album before buying it.
Besides, albums with snippets up on CDnow.com, the artists official site, etc. are still bootlegged, so it's obvious that most people aren't using MP3's to 'get a feel' for the album before buying it.
Music sales were up 18% while Napster was active - it would be up this year as well if it weren't for the economic slump. Most people hear music from a certain artist, get exposed - then purchase their music. It's a great tool for promotion - executives just want to have something to blame on because of sales - not to blame themselves because they put out a piss-poor product trying to capitalize on someone else.
Whether sales are up or down doesn't matter (even though I've seen no official proof that bootleggers are actually buying music, most of them I know aren't.) The bottom line is bootlegging is distributing copywritten material without consent, which leads to it's theft. Is that ok? No... Is putting out piss-poor product ok? Yes, if that's what they want to do... It's their music that they're putting out... They can do what they want... If you don't like it, don't buy it, but don't download it either. If you never hear of an artist, or hear enough of their album to want to buy it, too bad for them, they lost a possible sale, and only then would it be their own fault.
i think bootlegging helps most small artists. so do mp3s and the internet. ask artists on the board.
but its known rappers, whether is rapers that are 6x plus platinum like jay z or someone with a platinum single and a shitload of talent like the luniz, they get fucked over.
but i still wonder how albums are bootlegged MONTHS in advance? Like Knocturnals I remember seeing songs 3 months before the album was due out? Someone on the inside i guess...
but its known rappers, whether is rapers that are 6x plus platinum like jay z or someone with a platinum single and a shitload of talent like the luniz, they get fucked over.
but i still wonder how albums are bootlegged MONTHS in advance? Like Knocturnals I remember seeing songs 3 months before the album was due out? Someone on the inside i guess...
/\Yep that's real.
I just wonder why these MAJOR LABELS send out the full album to people...It ALWAYS gets leaked. There isn't too many albums that aren't bootlegged before their release date. I can't think of too many. I don't think the new Spice album got leaked but I could be wrong...That new Daz got leaked about a week before it's release date. I don't see how that happens...The labels spend all that money promoting and making the album then they are careless enough to give it away to the whole world for FREE!
I just wonder why these MAJOR LABELS send out the full album to people...It ALWAYS gets leaked. There isn't too many albums that aren't bootlegged before their release date. I can't think of too many. I don't think the new Spice album got leaked but I could be wrong...That new Daz got leaked about a week before it's release date. I don't see how that happens...The labels spend all that money promoting and making the album then they are careless enough to give it away to the whole world for FREE!