July 11th, I await thee

[zoney!]

Practice kickball???

Actually, some of my friends have joined kickball leagues here and they quite enjoy it.

It's a BLAST! My roomie needs a little work on kicking balls! Damn ice skaters!

 

[namkcuR]

I completely disagree with those ripping downloaders' a new one. I personally don't 'steal' very much music. I download a WHOLE lot, but I buy 95% of what I download later on. But that doesn't change my opinions about downloading.

First of all, don't EVEN compare a poor college student to a FUCKING POP/ROCK STAR when it comes to not being able to pay rent or put food on the table or buy shoes for their kids. I'm fairly certain that Thom Yorke and Bono and the guys in the Muse and whoever can pay for all that stuff with their lunch money. They are RICH, for God's sake, and they will be rich whether people are downloading their music or not, because they DO make the bulk of their money from touring and from the record label directly, as opposed to record sales. Don't EVEN compare that to a college student who is living off student loans and a steady diet of pizza and beer and living in a dorm room.

Second, I have no sympathy whatsoever for the RIAA. During the whole Kazaa fiasco, they were actually punishing, and SCARING, little 11/12/13 year old kids who were downloading music but probably weren't aware that they were doing anything wrong. Just kids that were innocently trying to 'be cool'. Yes, being 'cool' is bullshit, but a twelve year old kid doesn' t know that. So the RIAA was scaring the crap out of innocent kids who were just having fun, and also suing their parents for ridiculous, absurd amounts of money. During the whole thing with Kazaa, I read things that said the RIAA was suing people for in excess of $100,000, maybe even $150,000, per song downloaded, and if the downloader was a minor, then the parent got sued.

THAT IS ABSOLUTE CRAP! IT IS UTTERLY ABSURD!

It doesn't end there. The RIAA was/is also taking it upon itself to shut down internet sites the host LIVE BOOTLEGS! The RIAA has juristiction over STUDIO RECORDINGS and OFFICIAL LIVE RECORDINGS, but WHERE does it get off trying to control LIVE BOOTLEGS?!

The RIAA is greedy.

Maybe it would be easier for 'poor college students' to afford CDs if they didn't cost $15+ in some cases. There is no justification for a CD costing more than $7-$9, MAYBE $15 IF it's a double album.

See, the thing is, CDs are expensive. Sometimes, people don't want to spend their money on a CD unless they're completely sure of what they're buying. And contrary to what someone said, sampling 30 seconds of one or two tracks online is NOT enough to make one completely sure of what they're buying. I, for one, don't like spending my money on a CD only to find out the one or two songs I sampled and liked are the ONLY ones I like on the CD. I, like many others, need to know what I'm buying when I buy it.

And yes, radio is crap. You can no longer discover music on the radio. Especially if you're, say, 21 right now and you want to discover music that was recorded in the 60s or 70s or 80s. That stuff never gets played on the radio. You HAVE to download music off the net if you want to discover it nowadays.

I could go on and on.

I'll end this by answering a question that was asked earlier in this thread: It's not about feeling like I have or don't have a right to steal music. It's about who I'd be stealing from. I really believe that if/when I download an album, if I'm taking money from anyone, it's mostly from the RIAA, and not from the artist. If I really respect an artist, I wouldn't want to steal their work, but if it's the RIAA, I really don't give a damn about stealing from a greedy corperation that scares adolescent kids and tries to have jurisdiction where from all indications it should have none.

That's my two cents.

 

[GibsonGirl]

Wow, calm down, namkcuR.

 

[namkcuR]

Wow, calm down, namkcuR.

I am calm...using capital letters doesn't meaning I'm yelling or anything...it just means I wanted to highlight certain points, that's all

 

[The OOTS]

New releases to choose from by:

Thom Yorke
Muse
Sufjan Stevens

Also:

Ferry Corsten
Peaches
etc.


I will most certainly be doing some purchasing!

For those interested, the long awaited Pink Floyd - Pulse DVD will also be released.

 

[I'm Ready]

can't wait to buy the Eraser on tuesday

too bad cymbal rush isn't as good as Thom performed it earlier this year

 

[GibsonGirl]

I am calm...using capital letters doesn't meaning I'm yelling or anything...it just means I wanted to highlight certain points, that's all

Well, the capitals are scaring me! They make you sound like a certain someone over at FYM. Anyway, I respect your views. Don't necessarily agree with all of them, but I can see where you're coming from. CDs are definitely too expensive (most in the $20 and above range in Canada, not including tax) and those 30 second iTunes/Amazon previews normally don't do a song justice. Even so, I still feel a tremendous amount of guilt on the rare occasion that I download an album to preview it. It's like...I don't know, walking into a shop, taking a chocolate and saying "oh, I'll just pay for it later once I've had a chance to find out if I like it" or "oh, enough people out there buy chocolate, it's not going to make a difference if I just take this one." It just doesn't feel right to me. As for the radio, there's always online radio streams you can listen to for free that play good, non-mainstream stuff.


PULSE. I'll be passing on that. It's nothing more than a good light show, in my view. They absolutely murdered some of those songs.

 

[U2Man]

I completely disagree with those ripping downloaders' a new one. I personally don't 'steal' very much music. I download a WHOLE lot, but I buy 95% of what I download later on. But that doesn't change my opinions about downloading.

First of all, don't EVEN compare a poor college student to a FUCKING POP/ROCK STAR when it comes to not being able to pay rent or put food on the table or buy shoes for their kids. I'm fairly certain that Thom Yorke and Bono and the guys in the Muse and whoever can pay for all that stuff with their lunch money. They are RICH, for God's sake, and they will be rich whether people are downloading their music or not, because they DO make the bulk of their money from touring and from the record label directly, as opposed to record sales. Don't EVEN compare that to a college student who is living off student loans and a steady diet of pizza and beer and living in a dorm room.

Second, I have no sympathy whatsoever for the RIAA. During the whole Kazaa fiasco, they were actually punishing, and SCARING, little 11/12/13 year old kids who were downloading music but probably weren't aware that they were doing anything wrong. Just kids that were innocently trying to 'be cool'. Yes, being 'cool' is bullshit, but a twelve year old kid doesn' t know that. So the RIAA was scaring the crap out of innocent kids who were just having fun, and also suing their parents for ridiculous, absurd amounts of money. During the whole thing with Kazaa, I read things that said the RIAA was suing people for in excess of $100,000, maybe even $150,000, per song downloaded, and if the downloader was a minor, then the parent got sued.

THAT IS ABSOLUTE CRAP! IT IS UTTERLY ABSURD!

It doesn't end there. The RIAA was/is also taking it upon itself to shut down internet sites the host LIVE BOOTLEGS! The RIAA has juristiction over STUDIO RECORDINGS and OFFICIAL LIVE RECORDINGS, but WHERE does it get off trying to control LIVE BOOTLEGS?!

The RIAA is greedy.

Maybe it would be easier for 'poor college students' to afford CDs if they didn't cost $15+ in some cases. There is no justification for a CD costing more than $7-$9, MAYBE $15 IF it's a double album.

See, the thing is, CDs are expensive. Sometimes, people don't want to spend their money on a CD unless they're completely sure of what they're buying. And contrary to what someone said, sampling 30 seconds of one or two tracks online is NOT enough to make one completely sure of what they're buying. I, for one, don't like spending my money on a CD only to find out the one or two songs I sampled and liked are the ONLY ones I like on the CD. I, like many others, need to know what I'm buying when I buy it.

And yes, radio is crap. You can no longer discover music on the radio. Especially if you're, say, 21 right now and you want to discover music that was recorded in the 60s or 70s or 80s. That stuff never gets played on the radio. You HAVE to download music off the net if you want to discover it nowadays.

I could go on and on.

I'll end this by answering a question that was asked earlier in this thread: It's not about feeling like I have or don't have a right to steal music. It's about who I'd be stealing from. I really believe that if/when I download an album, if I'm taking money from anyone, it's mostly from the RIAA, and not from the artist. If I really respect an artist, I wouldn't want to steal their work, but if it's the RIAA, I really don't give a damn about stealing from a greedy corperation that scares adolescent kids and tries to have jurisdiction where from all indications it should have none.

That's my two cents.

...and about the price of CDs - don't you guys wonder why almost all new CDs, at least, have exactly the same (ridiculously high) price when they are released? Don't tell me the record companies don't converse now and then (probably through the RIAA in the US). Agreeing on a price like this and acting like a cartel, is abusing their position in order to gain market power illegally, and it only hurts the consumers.

 

[indra]

First of all, don't EVEN compare a poor college student to a FUCKING POP/ROCK STAR when it comes to not being able to pay rent or put food on the table or buy shoes for their kids. I'm fairly certain that Thom Yorke and Bono and the guys in the Muse and whoever can pay for all that stuff with their lunch money. They are RICH, for God's sake, and they will be rich whether people are downloading their music or not, because they DO make the bulk of their money from touring and from the record label directly, as opposed to record sales. Don't EVEN compare that to a college student who is living off student loans and a steady diet of pizza and beer and living in a dorm room.

Since I'm the one who made the comment about rent and shoes etc., I'll respond to this part of your comment.

I'm pretty sure that Bono and Thom Yorke and the guys in Muse are better examples of the exception rather than the rule when it comes to the wealth of most musicians. But once we leave this very top echelon I would bet that most musicians have much more modest incomes.

I know the lead singer of the band I mentioned earlier in this thread (yeah it is The Church). He has sold 2+ million albums (with some moderate chart success in a few countries), and toured consistently for 25+ years, plus he has produced albums for others, done session work, taught songwriting seminars, etc. He also sells his poetry books and his paintings and prints. He's constantly working.

I called him Friday -- he had $2.70 (AUD at that ) in the bank.* No other cash. No credit cards. For a family of five. He rents his apartment. He doesn't own a car -- he needs to go somewhere, he walks, or catches a bus, occasionally gets a cab, or borrows his brother's car. He was expecting money, but it hadn't come through yet. Still, that won't make him rich, with any luck it will just allow him to pay his bills for the next two or three months.

So for him every bit of money he makes is important, no matter how small. And the band does make a greater portion of their money from album sales than do huge bands/musicians. They sell their main releases from their website as well as in some stores (and Amazon and the like) and have cds which are self released and are available only on their website. They have mentioned that the sales of cds from their website are critical to keeping the band afloat financially (they make more from the sales off their website than they do off sales through other stores).

Just remember many of the musicians you like (not saying anyone here likes The Church) are quite possibly not nearly as financially set as you think they are. In fact, except for a very very few super successful bands/musicians, musician is one of the lowest paid professions.

And I've been a poor college student, so don't think I don't know how that feels. I just didn't get what I couldn't afford. (I actually considered pizza and beer luxury items when I was in college... )


(* he posted this info on his blog later that day, so he did make it public himself.)

 

[U2Man]

But aren't 2 million albums quite a bit? How can he be so poor then?

 

[indra]

But aren't 2 million albums quite a bit? How can he be so poor then?

He's made some bad decisions, and the band got screwed over big time by their manager at the time of their greatest success (not that uncommon in the biz). So they never actually got most of the money they should have at that time.

But, yes, from the looks of it, he should be comfortably well off. And many people do think "oh they had a hit. He's wealthy." That was my point. Looks can be deceiving.

 

[The OOTS]

PULSE. I'll be passing on that. It's nothing more than a good light show, in my view. They absolutely murdered some of those songs.

I expected that from a Waters fan.

 

[GibsonGirl]

I expected that from a Waters fan.

My dislike for PULSE has nothing to do with Roger Waters. It's more to do with the fact that The Division Bell isn't my cup of tea and that I think Pink Floyd completely took the life out of some of their earlier songs. That version of Run Like Hell makes my skin crawl, and not in a good way.

The lighting and production is amazing, though.

 

[Canadiens1131]

OH SHIT now I also cannot wait for July 11th!!! The visceral, classic cinematic masterpiece Grand Prix is FINALLY being released on DVD after numerous petitions.

 

[HeartlandGirl]

...and about the price of CDs - don't you guys wonder why almost all new CDs, at least, have exactly the same (ridiculously high) price when they are released?

In my experience, the cheapest price you're going to get for a CD is when it's released. At the record store I go to, all the new releases are discounted a couple dollars. If you wait a month later, that's when the price goes back up to something I usually won't pay. That's why I always try to go get stuff I want right when it's released, because it usually costs me a couple bucks less.

 

[ntalwar]

Pink Floyd Pulse - Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1 in DVD

 

[U2Man]

In my experience, the cheapest price you're going to get for a CD is when it's released. At the record store I go to, all the new releases are discounted a couple dollars. If you wait a month later, that's when the price goes back up to something I usually won't pay. That's why I always try to go get stuff I want right when it's released, because it usually costs me a couple bucks less.

Ah, the cheapest price is usually when it is put on sale several years later, isn't it?

I know what you mean, though. But even if it's a couple of dollars lower, I still think it's too high.

 

[u2popmofo]

$8.99 - $11.99 USD is too expensive? That's the price I generally pay for CDs the week they're released. I'll pay a buck or two more at my local store just to support them, but overall that's a pretty standard "release price".


Regardless, if it's too expensive do you really need it? That's what I never understand, why do people steal it if they won't pay for it? If you cant justify spending money for it, you don't need it. Seems pretty simple to me, especially for an entertainment item. I guess some of us grew up in the age where we couldn't get music for free and still managed to acquire large collections as high school/college students. The whole "I'm too poor/music costs too much" thing is absolute BS to me, as I managed to survive both of these periods of my life without commiting crimes to attain music I wanted.

 

[joyfulgirl]

I am buying The Eraser tomorrow. In fact, I'm buying multiple copies as birthday gifts so I don't want to hear any flack for the one teaser song I allowed to be sent to me prior to its release.

 

[U2Man]

People that download teasers are cheaters.

 

[HeartlandGirl]

I am buying The Eraser tomorrow. In fact, I'm buying multiple copies as birthday gifts so I don't want to hear any flack for the one teaser song I allowed to be sent to me prior to its release.

My birthday's in November...






Just kidding! I'm buying The Eraser tomorrow too. I have yet to hear a note of it, but in Thom I trust.

 

[joyfulgirl]

My birthday's in November...






Just kidding! I'm buying The Eraser tomorrow too. I have yet to hear a note of it, but in Thom I trust.

The one song I heard is the best song I've heard by anyone all year. Trusting in Thom is easy. Actually I've heard two because I just watched the clip from Thom's performance on The Henry Rollins Show and it's must-have.

 

[HeartlandGirl]

I think the smiley pretty much sums up Thom in a nutshell.

 

[zoney!]

I'll pay a buck or two more at my local store just to support them...

 

[barlowdog]

$8.99 - $11.99 USD is too expensive? That's the price I generally pay for CDs the week they're released. I'll pay a buck or two more at my local store just to support them, but overall that's a pretty standard "release price".


Regardless, if it's too expensive do you really need it? That's what I never understand, why do people steal it if they won't pay for it? If you cant justify spending money for it, you don't need it. Seems pretty simple to me, especially for an entertainment item. I guess some of us grew up in the age where we couldn't get music for free and still managed to acquire large collections as high school/college students. The whole "I'm too poor/music costs too much" thing is absolute BS to me, as I managed to survive both of these periods of my life without commiting crimes to attain music I wanted.

 

[HeartlandGirl]

So Thom's mug was on the cover of the Spin magazine sitting in my mailbox today. Pretty interesting article/interview in there with some nice photos. I especially liked where they had Thom make comments on each R.head album.

I cannot wait to hear The Eraser.

 

[LMP]

My dislike for PULSE has nothing to do with Roger Waters. It's more to do with the fact that The Division Bell isn't my cup of tea and that I think Pink Floyd completely took the life out of some of their earlier songs. That version of Run Like Hell makes my skin crawl, and not in a good way.

The lighting and production is amazing, though.

chya really.

it's a travesty that PULSE is out on DVD over a Wall show. Unless I'm wrong, then I'll jump for joy in my chair.

 

[GibsonGirl]

it's a travesty that PULSE is out on DVD over a Wall show. Unless I'm wrong, then I'll jump for joy in my chair.

It's a shame that The Wall hasn't seen an official VHS/DVD release. I think it will happen, because the tapes do exist. It's just a question of when.

Check this out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5czWnv2VOvU

That's an official clip. Not the awful quality, poorly shot version that's been circulating amongst bootleggers and torrent sites for the past few years. If only it was longer! I've read old interviews where Roger has said that the reason he was reluctant to release the show was because the cameras didn't capture the lighting well enough, or that it was too dark. I can't remember which it was now. The thing that makes me hopeful that the concert will see a release is that the technology is available now to improve the quality of the video. If by some stroke of luck I manage to meet him when I go to his upcoming Toronto show, I'll definitely bug him about it.


It's officially the 11th! My Eraser and Muse CDs are only going to arrive between the 17th and the 19th. This makes me sad, but what's a few more days? I'm so excited to hear The Eraser. It's one of the few releases this year that I've really been looking forward to.

 

[U2Man]

$8.99 - $11.99 USD is too expensive? That's the price I generally pay for CDs the week they're released. I'll pay a buck or two more at my local store just to support them, but overall that's a pretty standard "release price".

Americans are so lucky

Where I live, a new CD costs around $26.

 

[xaviMF22]

Americans are so lucky

Where I live, a new CD costs around $26.

ha ha sucks to be you :