Quote Originally Posted by Martin Dust View Post
The only answer I can give it what I've already stated, I do what I believe is right for the project/music, that's what comes first to me, not consumerism.
ok, let me qualify by saying that i am not about consumerism or the idea of music as "product" any more than you are, i think. and please know that all of my questions are more about hearing different sides, and not necessarily about being right about any of it (since i don't think a "right" answer exits).

let me then ask you this: as someone who has been a musician all my life, who eats sleeps shits breathes music, who wants to see good music recognized and valued, who wants to see musicians and artists' work valued, who does NOT want to see the music cheapened or turned into disposable crap (and i do think there is some validity to the idea that the abundance and availability of digital music COULD contribute to its disposability, so that is an argument i actually recognize has some merit)...as a person who loves music more than anything on this planet, how exactly is it BAD that i can afford to access the music easier now?

know too, that i do recognize the value of hunting down that elusive record, the process, the goal, the overwhelming joy of finding what i have been searching for, and the feeling i get from having really had to work to find it. i am from a small town in indiana originally, and i had to drive at least 2 hours or more to go record shopping when i first started buying electronic music. i KNOW all about the search and the dedication of working to find the music. and i know that i really appreciated what i had after that process. that said, it cost me SO much to engage in this process, and even though that process has been made easier by online record shopping, i have been working in the non-profit field for years, and trust me, it pays a pittance. i may not have to go through the exact same process to find music now, but i still hunt every day for good tunes. i am still picky as hell, and i still listen to hundreds of bits of music, and still only buy a handful that i believe are the top of the heap, just like i did when i was record shopping. ;)

so my question is basically this (and i know you have every right to dictate the terms of how your own label works, i am not questioning that):

even though you do have the right as a label owner to dictate the terms of how the music is presented, does a DJ/fan/afficianado not have any room to have a say in how they get to listen to it? because i cannot afford to buy records (or let's say i am not a dj, but just someone who loves techno and wants to listen to it), am i then to just accept the fact that i cannot hear brilliant releases because i cannot afford it/have the wrong player format?

what possible good can come out of a music afficianado being told that they cannot hear good music because of money or format issues? is this really about the idea of consumption? is it about product? is it about music? is there something inherently good or bad with increased accessiblity? i am genuinely asking. i don't necessarily think there is a right or wrong to all of this, or that i have the answers, but i am very interested in intelligent discussion about it. so please don't take this as an attack. it's more me trying to understand different people's viewpoints about it and spur some good discussion. :)