ORIGINAL: Adrys
This certainly isn't limited to music. If you're handy with a computer, try helping someone fix theirs and see how much value they assign to your time the next time they lose a printer button, or get a virus, or whatnot.

the trick with that is to call in a favour in return, if people aren't so helpful when you need help become suddenly busy next time they want help.. works for me and in time the person gets the hint

I've recently become a fan of "renting" music, or whatever it may be called. I'm talking about services like Rhapsody, which I'm loving lately. I pay them $15 a month and have unlimited access to music. I can play albums or songs on my computer or on any TiVo in my house. I can load music onto up to three MP3 players. It's all legal as long as you continue to pay your monthly subscription. If your subscription expires, the DRM on the songs also expires and they become unplayable.

It's great if you want to listen to something you liked 30 years ago, but may not listen to again for another 30. I'm amazed by the variety of music available. There are some notable exceptions, as some artists don't participate, notably The Beatles, The Eagles, and Metallica. Maybe they'll come around some day, but in the meantime, I have a ton of music to choose from. The thing I like is that my kids are seeing that you can get your music through legal means.

You know the logical solution to the whole mp3 piracy problem. We need to up the ante on music quality. If we shift to a super hi quality format like DVD-a, complete with amazing artwork and full color booklets like in the old days, then no self respecting kid will settle for a crappy mp3.

At least that's how it was when I grew up with cassette piracy. Sure, some kids would float some muffled, poor quality cassette copies around school. But if you really liked the music, you went out and bought the album so you could lie on the floor and stare at the album art while listening to glorious hifi. Kids today are missing out on that because mp3 is the industry standard. And album art? Who bothers with that anymore?

Basically I'm outlining the law of capitalism. You put out a product. It is imitated & cloned. So you distinguish yourself by putting out a better product. A few bands tried this with interactive CD-ROM albums, and I think that was a great idea (David Bowie, Yes come to mind). But for some reason that petered out.

ORIGINAL: Spaceduck

You know the logical solution to the whole mp3 piracy problem. We need to up the ante on music quality. If we shift to a super hi quality format like DVD-a, complete with amazing artwork and full color booklets like in the old days, then no self respecting kid will settle for a crappy mp3.

At least that's how it was when I grew up with cassette piracy. Sure, some kids would float some muffled, poor quality cassette copies around school. But if you really liked the music, you went out and bought the album so you could lie on the floor and stare at the album art while listening to glorious hifi. Kids today are missing out on that because mp3 is the industry standard. And album art? Who bothers with that anymore?

Basically I'm outlining the law of capitalism. You put out a product. It is imitated & cloned. So you distinguish yourself by putting out a better product. A few bands tried this with interactive CD-ROM albums, and I think that was a great idea (David Bowie, Yes come to mind). But for some reason that petered out.

100% with you there SpaceDuck!

I've thought for a long time how wonderful it would be if they sold CD's (or perhaps the DVD format you mention) in a proper 12inch x 12 inch album cover, even if the disc itself is still 12cm x 12cm!

I am sadly old enough to have very fond memories of full size artwork and especially gatefold sleeves - ahhh... nostalgia ain't what it used to be!

Another point that would repel the home pirates is that 12" album art wouldn't fit onto a standard sheet of A4.

Steve

ORIGINAL: SteveStrummerUK


Hi there Kev

If you let us all steal your music, instuments and you DAW stuff, we'll all feel better and you won't need to feel guilty any more!

Sorted!

I should work for the UN

Steve

Haha now theres food for thought lol cheers steve !

LOL - just thinking about it has made me feel better though Kev

Spaceduck, the thing about all this artwork etc.. older people dig more , looking at the artwork on the sleeve etc. Now younger people don't mind so much about that , just the music content.

As for the dvd format, FSOL and a few more have done that, I think Brian Eno was working on a project in 5.1 also, sure there is more. As for the quality.. it's kinda well a lot will just listen and not mind it being brickwalled etc.. so it's funny in that way.

some of it is just wasted money, sad to say and well the budget for some of the things we got with older albums isn't there now.

Only way is to get people to think "I like this.. I'll support it" , giving out freebies is one angle and making the money up on touring (prince did that with his last album) or radiohead saying.. ok.. what's it worth..

hhmm balancing act really.

ORIGINAL: SteveStrummerUK

I am sadly old enough to have very fond memories of full size artwork and especially gatefold sleeves

Plus, it's hard to separate seeds with an MP3.

ORIGINAL: Fog

Only way is to get people to think "I like this.. I'll support it" , giving out freebies is one angle and making the money up on touring

Now if only it didn't cost hundreds of dollars to take a date to a concert...

Damn it all, you capitalist swine. Last night I updated my Soundclick settings. My stuff is no longer free. Fork over 2 quarters or you get nuthin!

Haha, but I've decided to donate all proceeds to an animal shelter in NYC. So no one can accuse me of exploiting the system for selfish gain. Actually, it's a nifty idea isn't it? You charge money for your music (causing your fans to appreciate it more), but then turn around and give that money to someone who needs it more than you do. That way your music remains true to itself, not to the $$.

We'll see how it goes. I seriously doubt anyone buys downloads on Soundclick anyway.

ORIGINAL: Fog

Spaceduck, the thing about all this artwork etc.. older people dig more , looking at the artwork on the sleeve etc. Now younger people don't mind so much about that , just the music content.

True.

ORIGINAL: Fog
As for the dvd format, FSOL and a few more have done that, I think Brian Eno was working on a project in 5.1 also, sure there is more. As for the quality.. it's kinda well a lot will just listen and not mind it being brickwalled etc.. so it's funny in that way.

some of it is just wasted money, sad to say and well the budget for some of the things we got with older albums isn't there now.

True again. Mp3 quality is already very close to the "best" that avg human ears can hear. Even if we raise the bar to 24bit/192kHz, nobody will notice. The only reason why cassettes never became a medium for widespread piracy is that cassette quality reeks.

I'm still going to try experimenting with offering the [paying] fans something extra. I dunno... a comic book or something. Anything to turn them from the dark side of piracy to the light side of economic participation. I don't think the avg mp3 pirate is a bad kid. Just misdirected.

ORIGINAL: tls11823

Now if only it didn't cost hundreds of dollars to take a date to a concert...

You could always tell your date to wait in the car