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Artists & Labels: I'm Saying Goodbye to Buying CDs!
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BrettFromTibet
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
61
Posts :
749
Posted : Apr 16, 2007 04:41
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Dear Chillout Labels and Artists,
I think the idea of internationally shipping plastic CDs is obsolete. It made sense when I started buying trance and ambient in the mid 90's - but technology has since eclipsed it. I dearly love the clear digital bits of music, but I have no attachment to the scratchable pieces of plastic. And I have no attachment at all to having to order them from halfway around the world, paying international shipping + special credit card fees, and waiting over 10 days to have them delivered.
For the past 12 years I have been a huge supporter of the chillout labels; I've spent a sizable chunk of my salary on CDs. I will continue to support the labels that stay current with technology and (in addition to CDs) offer their releases in a digital format that is:
1.) Lossless
2.) DRM-free
3.) Reasonably priced (Costs less than a plastic CD to download, NOT more.)
From now on, I probably will not purchase, review, or recommend any more old-fashioned (plastic only) releases. Nor will I support lower-than-CD-quality or DRM releases ... because I believe in music evolving forward and not backwards.
It might be a rough couple of years while I wait for the labels to catch up... but that's okay. I'm willing to sit it out. I trust that the labels which release extreme cutting-edge music will eventually lead the way with distribution standards. Until then, I have a fantastic collection of hundreds of old-fashioned CDs to enjoy... and there is plenty of streaming radio and free tunes floating around on the internet.
I look forward to generously supporting all artists and labels who deliver cutting-edge sounds AND distribution technology. (And for small labels and indie artists, there are companies like Beatport that can set this up for you - easier than printing and shipping CDs! Just insist they make it available at a reasonable cost for the consumer!)
I know there will be some growing pains for all of us, but I am tremendously excited for the next generation of music distribution! I'm imagining better-than-CD-quality audio, reasonable prices that make piracy seem sleazy and ridiculous, and more choices in devices and available formats than ever before!
Sincerely,
Brett From Tibet |
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sure_smoke_alot
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
45
Posts :
6874
Posted : Apr 16, 2007 08:05
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very valid points
even though i have started listnin to this genre only 3 yrs ago & buying cd's as u said from half way of the globe (in India sometimes the shipping is more then the cost of the cd's combined) i can fel the pinch in the pocket.
even i wud like to second brett's thought on digital releses if they can provide with the same quality.
 the problem with valuing art is, till u dont understand it, it's worthless but wen u do understand it, it's priceless!! |
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Justin Chaos
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
117
Posts :
3086
Posted : Apr 16, 2007 09:49
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Within, place your bets...I say 5 years, everybody will be catching you up.
Regardless of anybody's opinion, Beatport and other forms of quality Download are taking the Cut.So long CD's...and thanks, but you're way too obsolete by now.
My fake plants died, because I did not pretend to water them. |
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elektric sheep
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
26
Posts :
315
Posted : Apr 16, 2007 17:04
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DIGITAL YES 
After buying 99% chill release for many years from Saiko Sounds customs have caught on, and last year hit me for taxes and fees on each parcel and a 1-2 week extra delay  ... this has killed it 4 me...
I think Fake Science have good model, $5 is fair price for 320kbs mp3....and i would pay a little more for FLAC....but bandwidth cost me $10 / Gig... |
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Outolintu
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
63
Posts :
1477
Posted : Apr 16, 2007 17:11
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...what about the whole album concept:
audio (the music) meets visual (cover with in some cases a booklet) meets touching (putting the cd in the player, assuming the position in anticipation of hearing the first sounds and reading through the linear notes and checking out the gfx)?
am i the only one who will miss it? 
"no one ever sweats on a plug-in" -moby |
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SirTrancelot
Started Topics :
7
Posts :
29
Posted : Apr 16, 2007 17:12
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Yep...Like yourself Brett i have been an avid collector and supporter of quality chill out artists and prog trance genre and agree with a lot of what you are saying although i still like to actually have soemthing tangible when it comes to music. Having the cd with the artwork and sleeve notes is quite nice but i guess you would argue that all that would still be available to download? |
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MARGHERITA
Master Margherita
Started Topics :
156
Posts :
1442
Posted : Apr 16, 2007 18:01
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Quote:
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On 2007-04-16 17:11, Outolintu wrote:
...what about the whole album concept:
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we gonna do some multimedia zip files 
in a certain way is good, less paper and plastic, more ecologic stuff.....
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BrettFromTibet
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
61
Posts :
749
Posted : Apr 16, 2007 18:01
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Outolintu & SirTrancelot,
If labels still want to release old-fashioned CDs, that is fine with me. I hope some of them will contuine offer them (special editions & classics), in addition to offering lossless, affordable, DRM-free downloads.
(MP3 might be okay for Brittney Spears fans, but not for pristine stuff like Cell and Ott!)
But the idea of a label being needed to burn CDs for us and ship them around the globe has been obsolete for the last 8 years.
They can still try to hang onto that model if they want to, but I will no longer support it financially.
My money and recommendations are going to the artists and labels who get with the times, and keep it cutting-edge!
p.s. Master Margherita... your stuff is AMAZING. Tell me when and where it's available for digital delivery! |
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MARGHERITA
Master Margherita
Started Topics :
156
Posts :
1442
Posted : Apr 16, 2007 18:12
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Aloa Bret
i guess until now,,
the MAstura album is only on cd,
peak records releases are very soon on digital.....
but electrik dream not ready yet....
Cheers |
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damon
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
88
Posts :
2122
Posted : Apr 16, 2007 19:54
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I'll be buing vinyl and cds as long as tehy will be available on the markets
Hopefully I'll die before they dissapear from this planet
PS. I know I'm oldschool
http://www.chillumafia.com |
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MagGyver
Started Topics :
1
Posts :
110
Posted : Apr 16, 2007 20:11
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I second your declaration, Brett. It's truly the way of the future - and stances like this will hopefully provide the motivation/inclination/inspiration for more artists, labels and distributors to follow suit. I still find myself buying CDs now and again, to have the uncompressed version of tracks for DJing, but only because I have not found those tracks to be available (yet) in digital form.
Hear, hear! |
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Quasga
Inactive User
Started Topics :
12
Posts :
498
Posted : Apr 16, 2007 21:42
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Quote:
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On 2007-04-16 17:11, Outolintu wrote:
...what about the whole album concept:
audio (the music) meets visual (cover with in some cases a booklet) meets touching (putting the cd in the player, assuming the position in anticipation of hearing the first sounds and reading through the linear notes and checking out the gfx)?
am i the only one who will miss it?
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Not the only one. 
I understand the ecological difference that can come about by stopping industrial CD production aside from the the whole "Global Dimming" debate. 
I'm more concerned about the continous disposal of CD-R technology. I personally try to take care of my CD's with the upmost care and respect. I imagine most try to do the same. I mean, how many times have you seen people throwing away a real CD unless it's totally trashed, and how often does that happen unless you are being really, really careless. But people seem to burn and trash CD-Rs like nobody's business. I have a stack of at least 30 worthless CD-Rs in a pile on my desk right now due to bad media, bad burn cycles, unexpected power outages, etc. When CD pressing plants make CDs, they generally use the highest standard to make sure there are no errors which can cause production to freeze and waste many pressed discs. Not to say that waste doesn't happen, it's just that plants are in the business of making sure that doesn't happen so as to not have to eat the cost. There really isn't any standard across the globe that keeps "everyone" from ending up with bad discs when burning CD-Rs on their own computer. Consumers have the ability to buy and trash as many of these plastic discs as possible, and do so without thinking of it like "man I paid $16.00 for that disc, alone". Imagine how many MORE will be burned bad and worthless when every DJ is relying on digital downloads, but trying to burn a disc to play in the CDJ decks. Total e-waste pile up.
So I guess, if we're going to get rid of CD technology, we need to get rid of all the CDJ s and CD-Rs too. Anything that is disc based technology... DVD and HD DVD as well. Everyone needs to be ready to play their music and video from a HDD on a computer, if the digital download revolution is really to be.
Just my thoughts....
P.S. - Brett.... 
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Josko
Started Topics :
4
Posts :
119
Posted : Apr 16, 2007 22:00
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Well there will be a way to combine digital download and djing still in a very instinctive way.. one solution already exists and is called ''FINAL SCRATCH''.
''By using FinalScratch with your existing turntables or CD player and mixer, you can control and manipulate digital audio files (WAV, MP3, etc.) the same way you always have—using your hands to cue, mix and scratch with the exact response and feel of real vinyl''
http://www.stantondj.com/v2/fs/whatisfs.asp
and it works properly..Amazing.
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www.myspace.com/giorgiogatti |
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cell
Cell
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
170
Posted : Apr 17, 2007 00:18
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Quote:
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(MP3 might be okay for Brittney Spears fans, but not for pristine stuff like Cell and Ott!)
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But...I LOOOOVE BRITTNEY and I LOOOOVE MP3, too!!!
Cheers, Brett!
Alex
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andrew interchill
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
26
Posts :
435
Posted : Apr 17, 2007 04:01
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brett... while i agree with you, and despite us having just had our best ever month of digital sales through IODA... we just could not survive as a business at the moment without cd sales.
many artists would not be satisfied to work with us if we did not manufacture a tangible product - same goes for reviewers etc...
i also think of labels like dakini and ultimae that have such lovely art and packaging...
still - the label's job is to make the music available in every format for which there is a demand... and I'm sure we'll see the demand for digital outgrow that for cd's in the next 2 or 3 years.
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