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Topic: Buy or boycott? (Read 3460 times) previous topic - next topic
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Buy or boycott?

Hi all.
I love music. I buy it at various websites that provide convenient service for this and the best quality. I supported so many musicians. But unfortunately, not all musicians enjoy such convenient services. The only opportunity to buy their music, is to order a disc or vinyl. Is 2015, I still am unable to buy any album in the best quality on the Internet. I have to pay more for the physical media, for disk / vinyl player, for delivery in another country, then go to the post office to bring home the parcel, copy music to your computer and take the disk to the closet room. I do not know what to do. On the one hand I want to support the musician, have music legally. On the other hand, when you are forced to pay more to have extra problems because the music industry can not adapt to present conditions, lost all desire is to buy. What is your opinion on this issue?
P.S My english is terrible, I know it

Buy or boycott?

Reply #1
Artists and distributors have no obligation to provide their products in formats other than the ones they deem necessary. If they want to distribute something only on physical media, or even as a limited run of 8-track cartridges, that's their prerogative. Likewise, it is your prerogative to simply not buy the album.

By doing this, they obviously risk alienating a certain percentage of potential customers, but that decision is up to them. The best thing you can do is reach out to the artist and politely express your intention to buy their album and the frustrations you face when said album is only available on physical media.

Buy or boycott?

Reply #2
The best thing you can do is reach out to the artist and politely express your intention to buy their album and the frustrations you face when said album is only available on physical media.

Frankly speaking, I extremely pessimistically treat it. First, I don't know contacts of many authors. Secondly, considering that that behind authors there are silly labels, they will hardly meet halfway and most likely will tell "you can buy our music on iTunes and Google Play in mp3 320, or buy a disk" Perhaps, it not so, but something prompts me such succession of events.

Buy or boycott?

Reply #3
Then the only thing you can do is to vote with your wallet. Buy music from other artists that sell uncompressed downloads.

When sales drop far enough, hopefully they will get the message.

Buy or boycott?

Reply #4
Then the only thing you can do is to vote with your wallet. Buy music from other artists that sell uncompressed downloads.

When sales drop far enough, hopefully they will get the message.
Sales of physical media in the music industry for the past ten years falls and falls, but most of the labels most that can offer is iTunes and Google Play. Sadly at all.

Buy or boycott?

Reply #5
Sales of physical media in the music industry for the past ten years falls and falls, but most of the labels most that can offer is iTunes and Google Play. Sadly at all.


The customers have spoken, and iTunes/Google Play/streaming is what they want, at least for mainstream music.

Non-mainstream and indie stuff is a lot more varied, either self-distribution with direct CD-quality downloads, pay-what-you-want offers and limited LP/cassette releases, that sort of thing. Personally, I like that a lot more than streaming.

Buy or boycott?

Reply #6
Sales of physical media in the music industry for the past ten years falls and falls, but most of the labels most that can offer is iTunes and Google Play. Sadly at all.


The customers have spoken, and iTunes/Google Play/streaming is what they want, at least for mainstream music.

Non-mainstream and indie stuff is a lot more varied, either self-distribution with direct CD-quality downloads, pay-what-you-want offers and limited LP/cassette releases, that sort of thing. Personally, I like that a lot more than streaming.
Unfortunately, this is true. 

Me too. I bought many tracks on the indie areas that even surpass CD-quality (16/48, 16/96, 24/44.1).

Buy or boycott?

Reply #7
The best thing you can do is reach out to the artist and politely express your intention to buy their album and the frustrations you face when said album is only available on physical media.


Yep! Even if they don't want to get into formal distribution and all the headaches involved, Bandcamp is an amazing service and offers FLAC and can do 24/96 and all that. Easy as heck to use.

Buy or boycott?

Reply #8
I mainly buy CD's. I only buy digital if FLAC or other unencumbered lossless is offered at the same price as the CD or less. My CD purchases the last few years have been mainly used CD's bought at local shops or shipped to my door so convenience isn't that bad.

Buy or boycott?

Reply #9
I mainly buy CD's. I only buy digital if FLAC or other unencumbered lossless is offered at the same price as the CD or less. My CD purchases the last few years have been mainly used CD's bought at local shops or shipped to my door so convenience isn't that bad.
Local stores that specialize in selling licensed music CDs in the Russian province you will hardly find. Home delivery will cost you about as the CD itself.

Buy or boycott?

Reply #10
The best thing you can do is reach out to the artist and politely express your intention to buy their album and the frustrations you face when said album is only available on physical media.


Yep! Even if they don't want to get into formal distribution and all the headaches involved, Bandcamp is an amazing service and offers FLAC and can do 24/96 and all that. Easy as heck to use.
+1 for Bandcamp.

Buy or boycott?

Reply #11
Stop buying from an artist because you can't download lossless? That's crazy, how else am I meant to listen to and support them. Even some local record stores can have sales which end up being cheaper than buying either lossless or physical online.

As for asking, I've emailed a few artists/distributors before about buying lossless from them. If you can get in direct contact it's worthwhile, one artist sent me a unreleased track in exchange for a gift card, while a distributor eventually began offering FLAC downloads per track having only offered whole albums prior (it was in consideration before but every email helps).

So place me on the optimistic side  Regardless of the device itself the Pono store concept actually sounds like a boon for this if priced competitively.

Buy or boycott?

Reply #12
Sadly, unless you can confirm that the mixing/mastering is done intelligently, you won't find any advantage to using 24/96 over a properly encoded 320k MP3.  Crap sounds like crap even at full quality.

That said, I support several artists on Bandcamp and other indie sites.  Since the artists usually oversee the final product, the resultant recording is often excellent.  As a bonus, more of the money goes to the artist than with the vast majority of labels.

Buy or boycott?

Reply #13
Stop buying from an artist because you can't download lossless? That's crazy, how else am I meant to listen to and support them.

Support what? Labels that do not provide convenient service? 85-90% going to the label, not the author. But they deserve it if we have such a situation?
Even some local record stores can have sales which end up being cheaper than buying either lossless or physical online.

We do not have such stores. I wrote about this above.
As for asking, I've emailed a few artists/distributors before about buying lossless from them. If you can get in direct contact it's worthwhile, one artist sent me a unreleased track in exchange for a gift card, while a distributor eventually began offering FLAC downloads per track having only offered whole albums prior (it was in consideration before but every email helps).

Nice story. At least some light beam.

Buy or boycott?

Reply #14
Support what? Labels that do not provide convenient service? 85-90% going to the label, not the author. But they deserve it if we have such a situation?


Well think about it. A single customer is willing to pay for lossless downloads, but hasn't contacted them about it and then proceeds to stop buying from the artist (or possibly whole label). How would they know about this loss?

Even if someone were to contact say Sony music with such a request the chances of them adding such a quality is likely slim, and the outcome is you're left without a way to listen to or support an artist's music (unless you intend to pirate it, which is about the worst way to go about it).

While the audiophile market is niche many companies are realizing they're willing to pay for such things, so raising some support amongst a group of customers for adding lossless versions to online stores may be a better way to boycott a label/distributor. On the whole though it would take a significant number of people who'd say they'd pay more for a lossless alternative for a major record company to take notice, considering the vast majority are happy with 320kbps at affordable prices (or just streaming it via Spotify). Neil Young's Pono store though shows that this is actually possible and happening.

In the meantime I'll buy online from Bleep.com, Bandcamp, Junodownload, Boomkat and others who support good music and good quality, and occasionally buy some vinyl and CDs on eBay if need be

Buy or boycott?

Reply #15
Support what? Labels that do not provide convenient service? 85-90% going to the label, not the author. But they deserve it if we have such a situation?


Well think about it. A single customer is willing to pay for lossless downloads, but hasn't contacted them about it and then proceeds to stop buying from the artist (or possibly whole label). How would they know about this loss?

Sounds convincingly. You are right, probably it is worth trying to contact labels, perhaps they at last will reconsider the policy of distribution...
Even if someone were to contact say Sony music with such a request the chances of them adding such a quality is likely slim, and the outcome is you're left without a way to listen to or support an artist's music (unless you intend to pirate it, which is about the worst way to go about it).

At that point, the probability is very small! Now I have all the music on my computer honestly bought. But if I do not make it possible to not having problems, difficulties and wild overpayment, it seems to me that they deserve what they have to pirates. Although, as I said, I do not condone piracy.
While the audiophile market is niche many companies are realizing they're willing to pay for such things, so raising some support amongst a group of customers for adding lossless versions to online stores may be a better way to boycott a label/distributor.

They did not understand it all this time!?

Buy or boycott?

Reply #16
Download a pirated copy, then send the label an amount equal to the cost of the CD. You'll have paid for it, and they'll go crazy trying to figure out how to get the money into their accounting system. 

Buy or boycott?

Reply #17
Download a pirated copy, then send the label an amount equal to the cost of the CD. You'll have paid for it, and they'll go crazy trying to figure out how to get the money into their accounting system. 



Please don't do this.

Buy or boycott?

Reply #18
I agree this is a problem. Especially when you don't live on the countries where albums are officially released.

The online stores of today are "convenient", and that satisfies most of the customers out there. But does very little for those who seek the best quality possible.

I believe that the quality difference is negligible. Transparency tests over the years have demonstrated that in most cases today's codecs are enough for most people. But is just the fact that deep down you know you could have had a lossless version for the same price, and because of convenience, the industry has shifted to a lower quality spec compared to what used to be the norm.

So far, the best practice I've seen are the stores that "both" send you the physical CD and add the songs to your online account (usually in MP3 fornat). This pretty much gives you the best of both worlds. The price is usually about the same as the digital only version. The problem would be with the shipping costs, especially to another country. These customers would rather have an ALL digital solution.

And while I have seen lossless options from mostly "independent artists". These options tend to lose the easy of use and other benefits that the other stores have (accounts, re-downloads, etc).

The best solution would be for the mayor stores to offer lossless downloads at minimal or very little extra cost, in addition to what they currently offer. Usually more options for the customers yields more sales.

It would require more storage from their part, but it would allow them to evolve with the times easier. Then can opt to have 1 storage that auto-converts on-demand to the codec/quality requested. Which gives more options to the users. And if tomorrow a new codec emerges, they can easily adopt any new codec with ease. Besides, What are the chances they are still holding a master copy TODAY, in one way or the other.


Buy or boycott?

Reply #19
And while I have seen lossless options from mostly "independent artists". These options tend to lose the easy of use and other benefits that the other stores have (accounts, re-downloads, etc).
Most of independent artists use sites such as Bandcamp. They provide these opportunities and are very comfortable.

 

Buy or boycott?

Reply #20
Support what? Labels that do not provide convenient service? 85-90% going to the label, not the author. But they deserve it if we have such a situation?
Neil Young's Pono store though shows that this is actually possible and happening.

In the meantime I'll buy online from Bleep.com, Bandcamp, Junodownload, Boomkat and others who support good music and good quality, and occasionally buy some vinyl and CDs on eBay if need be

Pono and Boomkat have regional restriction. Bleep and Juno have also some releases, which have regional restriction.