are there bands that you go out and buy and others that you definatley won't pay for even though you want their music?

I downloaded all of Melissa Auf Der Maur's album, but i saw it in the shops, so i bought it, out of respect for that hot red-headed singer.

otherwise, i download 99% of my music and never pay

if(getThingFlags(source) & 0x8){
  do her}
elseif(getThingFlags(source) & 0x4){
  do other babe}
else{
  do a dude}

Although I've never stolen a single song unless to listen to then buy if I like, I have always purchased incubus albums. I'd never steal anything incubus. I think the same goes for any band that I truly believe deserves 15 dollars a CD.

JediKirby

Uh oh...

CRAP I misunderstood the poll and voted no

I will buy a CD even if I can obtain it for free if I want to support the artist/band; if I hate the artist/band but I want a certain song, I'm going to get it for free.

Most of the music I have is ripped from CDs I own already, but if i like one or two songs I'm not going to buy the full CD.

No.

Anyone surprised?

You should probably know then that the producers get a big chunk of that. And of course can't forget the RIAA.

One could argue that downloading the music and then mailing the band a $10 and a $5 could justify the downloading in the first place. I won't, though.

I'm a firm believer that music should be free.

But because my dad is a musician, I also support the idea that they should get paid.

I'm werid...

One could argue that bands, well the ones that are good, should not worry about their songs being spread freely through the internet. What draws in more popularity? From people having to purchase their songs at the store and paying money or from computer users, all around the world, listening to their songs by simply clicking? Plus, probably bands these days draw more profits from concerts, merchandise, sponsership, etc. than the money that is not taken by the record industry from CD sales.

I've heard (and someone can correct me if this isn't true) that bands generally don't make a profit on their CDs.

...Gene Simons made one hundred million dollars over his career....and he's just one of many that do so.

New artist barely make any money at all. In fact, most go in debt in the first recording.

If there's a band that works hard, makes really enjoyable music, and is lesser known, I will definitely give them my money to help them out. Many times I've had most of a band's music from a CD, but I'll pay the money for the CD anyway.

I download everything.

If the music is good enough I'll always pay for the album, often after listening to it for a while in downloaded form.

Doesnt really matter what kind of music it is, can always tell the person behind the counter at the CD store that it's for your little sister

Haha, yes.

I'd buy an album if the band/artist is lesser known and actually needs the support. But for really mainstream **** I just download...they don't need anymore of my money.

I only buy albums from current bands. Older bands like Led Zeppelin have been around forever and don't need the money.

If I like a band enough that I want their music, I buy the CD. I have always been a fan of supporting bands that I am a fan of. Mainstream or not.

Right, but I would guess (if my previous statement is true) that most of his money came from concerts, merchandise... things other than recordings.

I download, if I keep, I buy the CD and re-rip, if I delete, well, I delete.

If I like more than one song, I'll definately buy the CD.

(As is the case with Switchfoot, Three Doors Down, This Day and Age, etc)

Mainstream bands do, for the most part, suck. I mean, look at rap...yeah. For the most part mainstream rap groups suck, but the underground scene is much better. Atmosphere, Sage Francis, Lyrics Born. There are a few mainstream rappers I like, like Eminem (oh don't be a lameass, he's still a good rapper), Wu Tang and its members, and (some) Busta Rhymes, but for the most part people like "fitty" cent and Lil' Jon make me want to stab out the eyes of the people who hired them.

yes i am an a**h****

I actually hate rap. Completely. I don't care if I can get for free off the internet. If you want monkey ****, just go to the zoo. But yeah, there are some mainstream rock bands I like, er... band (Green Day), but other than that, I stick with the oldies. I'd rather get some CCR than that 50 cent bull....
[edit]Eh, how did my reply get above Wolfy's? I read his before submitting mine...[/edit]

Bands do (as far as I know) make more money off of concerts than CD sales. However, to get the funding and sponsorship of their record company, they need something to show that people will actually come to their concerts, and if record sales are in the toilet, that's one less reason the recording company has to fund a concert.

And to people who say "lol mainstream sux rofl," be quiet. It's terrific that you're simply trying to fit into the "you laugh at me because I'm different" crowd, but when you start saying things like that, you're not judging the music based on whether or not you like it - you're judging it based on whether or not other people like it.

Now that I have a debit card I'll probably buy some stuff on iTunes.

Sidenote: this topic may be in violation of the "no discussion of illegal things" rule, but I think the topic has become so mainstream and common that there's no point in pretending that we don't do it.

You are completely ignorant. Just because you don't like a particular type of music, that doesn't make it monkey ****. I don't like rock, alternative, or anything other than rap, but I feel no need to call that particular type of music that. When you make fun of rap, you also make fun of the culture that made it. Stop being so ignorant. Seriously, I can't stand people like you.



For the most part mainstream rap isn't about rapping anymore. It's either about money, cars, hoes, sex, drugs, etc. There is no meaning behind rap anymore in the mainstream artists, and that includes Eminem. He is a great artist, and one of the best rappers ever, however, he does not make good rap music. His beats are good, but that's not the essence of rap. Hip Hop and Rap originated and centered around MEANINGFUL things. Look at Eminems new album.. He puts in farting and burping noises throughout every song almost ont he album.

Underground rap has more meaningful lyricism, to hell with the beat. I agree with 50 cent. He's crap. He can't rap, and he can't make beats. He's only a showman to help commercialize the rap industry more.

If you want good rap and meaningful lyrics, the best artists for that are

Tupac
Nas
Papoose
Immortal Technique

Eminem is a great rapper, he just raps about what he knows. Just because it isn't 'the streets' or whatever, and it's instead his homelife in a trailer park doesn't make it any worse than say Biggie's. Sure, he's not nearly as deep as Sage Francis or Tupac but he's still got a good style about rapping on what he knows. Honestly I think he's one of the very very few decent white rappers and he even throws some humor into his works showing that he's willing to show both sides of himself (the intelligent man who regrets his past and the idiot who goes crazy).

Just a couple of things.

• Give Eminem's song, Like Toy Soldiers, a listen. I'd say there's a bit of meaning in that song.
• Music does not have to have meaning. It doesn't have to be about life on the streets to be good music. Songs like Barenaked Ladies' Alcohol, or Be My Yoko Ono, are stupid and silly, but fun. Music can serve a multitude of purposes - delivering a meaningful message isn't the only one.

I know Like Toy Solders, I've heard pretty much every rap song out there and that is coming out. I know Eminem has meaningful songs, but they are few and far between. He's a great artist as he said. My point was more or less that the things rap was originated from, what it was supposed to be about, it is no longer about, at least commercially.

i'm kind of looking forward to the day eminem gets shot. hopefully it'll shut that **** up.

So... apparently it's more wrong to talk about killing people in a song, than it is to actually wish someone dead.

That's an ignorant viewpoint. Rap is just a form of expression. That's like saying Reggae isn't any good because it's not ska enough anymore, or that Metal doesn't have enough solos anymore. There's nothing Rap was originally created 'for', only what it is. It's a form of expression which usually is done by black rappers about the 'hood' and the streets they grew up in, but not always.

if that was for me tempermental, i never said anything about anything eminem ever wrote. i just wish he'd shut the **** up.

Evad - I agree.



It's not an ignorant viewpoint. It's a realistic viewpoint. I know it's just a form of expression, but some people have commercialized rap so far that it's lost its roots.

Music genres evolve. The commercialization has nothing to do with it, the attitude of the artists do. Ska has 'lost its roots' too. Listen to some moon ska versus today's stuff and you'll see MASSIVE changes. But I still like both subgenres, and they're both easily identified as ska, they just sound different. Saying that Eminem isn't a very good rapper isn't true, as he is a great rapper--he's just coming from a different viewpoint than tupac, biggie, etc, but in the end it's the same damn message throughout most of his songs (except the silly ones).

I usually buy songs from iTunes, and if I can't find it on there I'll download it elsewhere for free. I mostly go to iTunes first because of the preview feature, which means I can check out other songs by a band/artist without having to wait for them to download fully.

Eminem and Tupac had vastly different opinions.