I probably don't buy even half of what I download - to tell the truth, my cd
purchases are geared towards what I can't download (for instance the SA Smash
album on Def Jux - if any cd stores in my town actually stocked it, i'd
actually buy the cd, because I can't find it for download) but my vinyl
purchases are almost always the result of mp3s i've downloaded. I first got
introduced to the whole German electronic pop scene (for lack of a better thing
to call it) when I downloaded ms john soda, lali puna, and christian kleine's
albums on carracho. now I own almost all of their records - and a fat stack of
stuff from the morr music and city centre offices labels - on vinyl. I download
all sorts of stuff, buy the ones I want to use in my dj sets, and mostly buy
cds that I can't get online.
if it weren't for the internet - and more specifically the carracho servers and
soulseek channels I frequent - then my musical scope would be severely stunted,
and honestly i'd just be picking up the interesting low-pressing downtempo
records that turntablelab stocks. through the magic of filesharing, i've been
exposed to all sorts of interesting musics that I wouldn't normally have access
to, as a consumer.
hopefully by the end of the year i'll have started up my own record label. i've
already bought some webspace, and before too long i'll have a site up where
people can download tracks and mixtapes from myself and other artists for free.
The plan, at least for my releases, is to put out a series of 6-track eps, all
dowloadable for free, and then put out the best 6 tracks on a 12". Then we'll
put out a remix white label (because people love those) and another 12" of
collaborations with different artists. eventually, we'll put out a cd of the
12" releases a la Immediate Action, which hopefully will garner some notice
from the quality 12"s we put out.
modest plans. I understand that this probably isn't the best time to start up a
record label, but I think that if we have very specific goals and don't get
overambitious, we stand a chance of staying around for a while, continuing to
put out quality records.
as for the free mp3 downloads, the way I figure it is that we'll sort of follow
the model of anime fansub groups - that is, tracks that we put up will be
available until they are either licensed or a commercial release has been put
out. I want to be able to provide a good amount of free content without
shooting myself in the foot, business-wise. also, i've been thinking that we
could release all of our retail cds as mixtapes (either live or
studio-produced) to make things more inconvienent for downloaders and encourage
people to actually purchase the cd. nothing bothers me more than seeing
The idea is to push vinyl sales - because I think that vinyl is still extremely
important, as djs are probably the best advertisers a label can get. Then
again, my goal here is not ultimately to start a thriving commercial
enterprise, but rather to (hopefully) attract some attention to the music we're
producing and maybe make some spare change at the same time.
anyway, I guess what i'm saying is that in order for the music industry, or for
musicians and record companies to be able to turn a profit, they need to have a
better understanding of their customers' buying habits, and how the internet
has changed the way people listen to and purchase music. my current plan is
kind of based on the assumption that i'm not a unique individual and that there
are enough people out there with buying habits like mine to be able to support
this sort of venture, and since we're talking record pressings of 500-700
copies, it's not like there's a lot of capital at risk here. hopefully we'll
get a chance to put out some memorable records...
-Wil M.
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