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Hop On Pop
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10/19/2009 2:29:21 PM
---- Updated 10/19/2009 2:29:35 PM
Mojo Nixon is GIVING it ALL away for FREE!
Every damn thing that he's ever recorded.
At Amazon.
FREE.
LINK
for real.
What does this do for us struggling indie artists?
How does this alter the playing field for us and how will it change the approach that we will have to take to get noticed and listened to?
Do we have to give it away now, too?
And, to further complicate matters...
So are SMASHING PUMPKINS
Now that could really be a game changer.
damn.
What do you think about all of this?
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satch
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10/19/2009 2:39:29 PM
I think Mojo Nixon has several other "day jobs". And the Pumpkins are selling EP's and CD's as well as giving away MP3's.
My guess is that neither of these artists is actually selling very much of anything... it's good promo.
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Hop On Pop
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10/19/2009 2:46:53 PM
Question to folks like us is, however:
Does this diminish the "value" of our music in the eyes of our potential audience? If they can get a ton of music from their favorite artists for free, are they going to plunk down some money to give us a listen?
Does this diminish the possibility of any of us making a living from our music? It certainly would increase the cost of building such a career if free music becomes the normal expectation, wouldn't it?
I mean, I don't tour. And, honestly, I don't expect to become rich from my music. I do it because I have to. But it would be nice to someday have this habit become, at minimum, self-supporting.
If this trend continues, odds of that diminish by the day.
So, does this, in turn, disincentiveize smaller artists from making the commitment and investment in their recordings? And, if so, will it ultimately weigh down the advancement/evolution of the art of recorded music as an artistic medium?
And for the record:
As a LISTENER, I am as pro-free music as anybody else.
It's just food for thought. Questions that have been begged by the evolving situation.
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satch
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10/19/2009 4:58:33 PM
I think it does diminish the value of our work in some cases, but not universally - there are people who prefer to have a CD. And the music business is so fragmented these days, with so many people listening to so much different music, that just a teensy tiny weeny percentage of listeners makes for good sales!
I think that those who give it away - like the two in question here - are desperately looking for marketing opportunities, but I do not believe that this is a valid approach, they are shooting themselves in the foot. And I do not believe that this should have any bearing on the quality or effort we put in to our music - it has to be the best we can get it to be, for reasons of our own integrity.
Do it to honour the inspiration in creation of the song.
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Kevin White
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10/19/2009 5:21:41 PM
I give all my music away, and encourage others to share it.
I wish I could remember the name of who first said it, so I could give credit to him but he's absolutely right when he said (and I may be paraphrasing slightly):
"Piracy isn't an artist's enemy, obscurity is."
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10/19/2009 5:50:36 PM
For the past five years, pretty much all of the physical CDs I've bought and sold have been at live gigs. I don't currently buy or sell downloads because I don't have the banking arrangements in place to do either.
Anyone can listen to commercially available music on Spotify or via YouTube without needing to own it - it's as available from their servers as it would be from my own hard drive. And anyone can listen to our stuff here for free too.
I reckon that apart from physical CD sales at gigs and the occasional mail-order, the only way I'm likely to make any money from my recorded work, if I get lucky, is by licensing some of the studio recordings for film or TV or by getting my songs covered by artists with bigger sales and marketing infrastructures.
However, aside from breaks like those, and from any live performance fees, there is still money to be made through publishing royalties from live work and radio play.
I don't know how it's all going to pan out but it's an interesting time to be part of the music business. I agree with Kev. Better to be heard than not.
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Tom O'Brien
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10/19/2009 7:08:52 PM
The thing is, Mojo Nixon and Smashing Pumpkins can AFFORD to give it away. I think it's great - it's a way of thanking people for making them who they are. After you have recognition like that, you can kind of become a public servant - working for the love of humanity.
I, myself, just offered my most recent CD free to anyone who wanted one. I got no takers. That doesn't speak to the quality of the music, just the obscurity of moi. If I were to become rich and successful, you can bet I'd want to give music away, too. Music should be free for everyone. Paradoxically, I think all musicians should be compensated for their art. Maybe it's time to socialize music!
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Conversation Suicide
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10/20/2009 1:33:07 AM
---- Updated 10/20/2009 2:51:10 AM
"if ya ain't got MoJo NiXoN then yer store could use some fixin' nnnnnnnn."
-Joe Jack Talcum with Hugh Hamilton on harmonica and backup vocals
RAWK !!!
Maybe free music is one of the things you have to do to get to the place of being recognized and MAYBE eventually making money. I've been giving away my earlier music CDs for a few years now..... Sometimes it's the BEST way to gain a listener.
-pHLeGm
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Chris Hance
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10/20/2009 4:48:51 AM
Well, what I've done in the past is post compilations of my stuff on chinese crack sites,
I see that as seeding, it hasnt worked so far, but I dont currently have a band to tour with, I struggle to play anything which requires more than five fingers at a time, so gigging as a soloist isnt very practical,
Plus one of my main reasons for doing music is as a counter culture,
I despise the whole ethos of "selling" music and the creation of false icons which it involves,
But each to their own,
If I had a band etc............
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Auset
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10/20/2009 2:35:27 PM
I think its SUPER COOL! Can't wait to hear the new SP stuff, especially in knowing the tarot breakdown of life's journey... very cool!
Man, I LOVE FREE, and if not free, make it waaaaaay affordable... I totally believe that it all comes back 100-fold when giving it away. Of 1000 cds of our first album, we easily gave away 600 and sold the rest at $5/each. Out of stock now for over 6 months. But instead of sitting on 600 cds, waiting for them to trickle through CD Baby, that's 600 people that have our music.
Plus, I come from Grateful Dead family and its all about sharing the music love. Tape and trade all you want - just don't sell it. And also like Peter Gabriel, encourages music sharing... the more you share the more people actually want to buy and support your music.
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Kevin White
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10/20/2009 4:05:16 PM
---- Updated 10/20/2009 4:06:29 PM
Exactly the way to do it, A.
The 400 sold @ $5 probably paid for the 600 promo.
I have repeatedly attempted to explain how everything should be free to studio owners, but they're not taking my phone calls anymore.
:^D
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satch
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10/20/2009 4:18:26 PM
lol @ Kevin
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The Mighty Jerkules
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10/20/2009 6:29:03 PM
"Piracy isn't an artist's enemy, obscurity is."
Well said.
Also, I was super happy to find out that the Smashing Pumpkins were giving out free music. The Pumpkins have been my hands down favorite since high school so that's real woohoo news for me.
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