Distributors going bankrupt

[Proof]

I love you Gen.

[[IN]Head-Kay]

totally agreed Gen, but it has to be said, illegal downloading is like drugs, once your hooked your basicly effed, and it will take alot to get you to stop! So dont expect people to be convinced that easily, because its just like pirated dvds, theyre on the streets everywhere in lebanon and people find it very normal to buy them, its a culture that has grown in Lebanon over the past decade, and it will take a long time to get over.

[DonSerj]

It has nothing to do with being addicted.
Gen, how did you decide to stop illegal downloads?
If you have read my post well, I said that I do buy albums and compilations.

Anyway, this problem isn't just about the members who illegal download tracks (there are many on this forum who are afraid to say that they do.)
It's a whole F****** community.
Millions of people.
Sign a petition or something, even with that it won't work.

I don't believe what some say: "ahh well I used to download illegally around 30 songs per day, but now I pity the DJs so I'm spending everything I earn on Beatport".

If someone gave you a free ticket for an event, will you throw it away and go buy another one?
That will be stupid if you ask me.

Lower the price of the songs, so that people will buy more and DJs will earn even more, that's an idea.
Anyone disagrees?

[silver_edge]

kay ...it aint just in leb...most of the sites i use for downloadin music are either british or polish...its all over the world,its not like were that different...u made a good point back there Gen...will try 2 take ur advice in the future

[[IN]Head-Kay]

^ Yea i know, but im saying that the lebanese mentality allows us to be more accepting to piracy since its really everywhere.

[Genesis]

Lebanon or not, this is everywhere.

Serj, I stopped downloading because -

1- It's the right thing to do. More and more labels went bankrupt and I wasn't going to let myself be a contributor to this. I didn't quite altogether: I started buying from selected small labels then gradually I decided to quit it altogether. Think about it - what kind of a music listener needs to download 30 tracks a day anyway (give or take)? Do you really like so many kinds of EDM that you have to own them all? Is your taste really that broad? Because if it is, you have to narrow it down a bit - prioritize. What do I like more: Bonzai releases or Global Underground? JOOF Recordings or Vandit? Plus, most if not all record labels and online shops offer samples that are easily over a minute long. You won't waste your money on a tune that you don't know what's it like. And let's face it, most tunes we get are those played on some big DJ radio show that brings them out to the world from the first place.

2- Got fed up looking for links everywhere and bumping into everything irrelevant on my way when I can simply go to the shop and pick the album, the art work, the sleeve notes, put on my ipod then keep the CD on a shelf among others. I like the physical feeling of a album. I don't buy downloads online as much as I buy actual CDs. Then you have the download speeds that are never good, your bandwidth limits, dead links, stolen rapidshare accounts, queueing up for it then downloading at 0.1 kbps/s on a ftp/torrent - is it worth it? No. Not for me anyway.

It's just like the clubbing scene in lebanon where you go to the VIP and pay a bit more cash for your enjoyment rather than swarming among sweaty stoned kids in the main dance floor: money well spent.

Many on the forum are afraid? Serj, it's not a secret: everybody downloads. And everyone knows it. We're against sharing it and taking pride of it because as crew we know it's wrong plus that we're a public forum and are obliged to stick to certain regulations including prohibiting illegal file sharing (something which many of you ignore).

You don't have to spend everything you earn on Beatport. That would be stupid and show that people are beyond help in terms of controlling your finance. Again, narrow down your taste: what do you like to have in your library and what can you live without or rather, what can you be happy enough about when listening to it on one of the 100s and 100s of free DJ sets floating all over the web?

Free ticket? Yea, if your friend paid for the ticket and decided to offer it to you then you'd be an idiot not to take it. Downloading illegally is not a free ride - It's ILLEGAL. STEALING IS ILLEGAL. Would you steal a ticket? If so, then you and I have moral differences.

Lower the price? Ok, go to Virgin and tell me how much is the CD over there. Then go to iTunes and tell me how much would they charge you for it. Serj, an actual CD is cheap. No CD is cheap. Buying it online from an internet download shop is cheap. I bought ISOS2 in Virgin in Beirut for 25000LL years ago when no one even knew what Tiesto is at the time. Now you can buy a tune for less than 2 bucks and you want it to get cheaper? This is not Sony or Fox or Universal Pictures that make millions day in day out. This is some peed off young producer in his bedroom trying to produce music and can't even make a living out of it.
It's cheap enough.

[DonSerj]

[Proof]

Its funny how everyone gets defensive. It's not like we're blaming you or something. Just take it into consideration.

As Gen said. If your friend offered you a free ticket, then fine ... there was an expense taken care of to receive that ticket. But the 'scene releases' ... weren't paid for (at least most of them). There are leakers in the promo pools who are working with certain scene groups ... once the tracks reach Beatport / Junodownload, the scene group releases the pack.

I went through the same thing Gen did as well. I used to massively download tracks, I signed up for AnjunaBeats promo CD service in 2004~5 ... but then they stopped it, just in time for my subscription to finish as well. I still went on downloading illegally as well, and buying tracks if I can't find it. But then I started seeing a lot of producers facing so many problems, many of whom are friends of mine. Everytime I DJ'd or put up a set online ... I made sure that all the tracks I played were paid for by myself or received as a personal promo from the label/artist.

Look at this:

Beatport's agreement with labels (rough estimate):

50% -> Beatport
50% -> Label

With that 50% that the label makes ... 50% of it goes to the artist (Royalty) and 50% (to the label itself).

Now, since a track is priced at 2.49$ (Exclusive) & ~1.49$ (Regular) ... the artist would only make 0.6$ (Exclusive) & ~0.3$ (Regular).

Lets give a sample track, for the sake of TH ... C-Rouge's track "Dle Yaman".

10 copies = 6$, 3$
100 copies = 60$, 30$

For all that work that he put into his track, don't you think he deserves at least that much? Don't tell me that you don't have 3$ or 2$ in hand. You'd rather f*ck your health up by drinking liquor or save it to buy a pack of cigs to smoke up ... than support an artist for the right reasons? Hmmm.

[silver_edge]

Proof,y u talkin like were bunch of alcohol addicts or addict 2 cigs?
i dont smoke,i do drink though but not 2 the point of gettin drunk everyday...
i do support the producers and djs that can barely make money 2 eat at the end of the day,but do u want me 2 spend my money that i really need,in buyin albums for above and beyond or armin for example?and they got millions and they wldnt give about ur 2$ per track but i do?wat should i do then?dont listen 2 it?and bout the online radio...wat if i had no time back then 2 listen 2 it...wat if i wanted a specific track?and how could u compare downloadin stuff 2 stealin or anythin like that?
do u know,in the islamic faith or in the christian 1,theres no such thing as "copyright" or anythin like that?

[Fawzi]

I think it has to be more than just "support the artist". It's not a helpful cause, it's not a charity, not a donation. It's simply what you have to do. I didn't pay to get Defined on beatport by Mat Zo just because he's a nice guy. But because if I want to have that track and abuse it by listening to it over and over again, I have to pay its price. You don't pay 6000 for Big Mac meal because you find Ronaldo McDonald nice and sexy. You pay it because you have to. People need to get over that mentality. It's not something that youcan do from time to time. It's something you have to do everytime.


^Silver, It's not a copyright issue. It's stealing something. They have put something up for sale with a price. You taking it without paying its price, is stealing, isn't it? Be it a song, an album, a car, a chocolate bar, anything... If you take something for free, when it does have a price... it's stealing.

[silver_edge]

i eat 2 survive....how could u compare it that way?it doesnt make sense...im not tryin 2 argue just 2 argue but some people cant pay,and yes id rather spend them my money on food rather than supportin some guy 10 000 miles away that wld never give a fuck bout me ...i know wat kind ofreplies im gonna get after this post...if someone cant support 2 pay,wat do u want him 2 do?stop eatin just not 2 download some tracks?

[[IN]Head-Kay]

[Genesis]

[DonSerj]

60$ isn't much for 100 copies I agree Proof
Some are full-time Djs, it kind of sucks, putting so much effort into a song, working day and night, and find out later that it's all over the web, being illegally downloaded by thousands all over the world, and it's getting positive feedback lol while the poor DJ isn't earning shit

[silver_edge]

listen Gen,this aint the 1st time u disrespect me...u better stop doin so...u callin me a fool?