Should music be given away free?

[crime]

I spent up until a year ago, 5 years living totally from music ( with a few odd jobs on the side here and there), and in the last year I got to the point where I was really sick of the music side of my life becoming like a chore. The stress caused by the lack of money was totally killing my inspiration, and when I look back, some music I made, although still quite underground, was sometimes being directed by commercial pressures, something I'm not entirely comfortable with.

That last point in particular, I felt, was really not a good one, I came to the conclusion that life would be much more stress free if I actually started working full time, and my music would be purely written from the heart, when I wanted to do it and not because I was gonna earn 500 euro for doing a "banging" e.p. which I didn't really want to do, but had to because it was the only way to pay the rent..

Since working reguarly, I make a lot less music, but what I do make, I'm much more happy with, and it's written to please me, not some label owner...

Because of the pinch in vinyl sales, vinyl labels are much less open to taking music which doesn't fit in with any one sound or genre, and it's also very easy to get typecast in the techno scene, i.e. you make some hard techno records and everybody thinks that's all you make or are interested in.. so when you do try and do something different, the people who like the hard stuff hate it because it's not hard techno, and people who might like it ignore it because they think "oh, he just makes hard techno"...

If you're not relying on money from music you ultimately have much more freedom to do what you want to do, and you are in a much better headstate when it comes to playing gigs.. I re-evaluated everything, and came to the conclusion that I needed to get back into it for the original reason why I made electronic music i.e. because of love for the music..

it's a sad fact that the music market has become saturated, but if you're gonna blame people giving their stuff away for free, why not blame the countless amount of people out there, that used to be bedroom djs who have stopped buying records to instead concentrate on their own productions and live sets...

But blaming others solves nothing, the important thing I think is to remember why you got into this in the first place, to have a career in it, or for the love of music..

I know a fair few so-called "big names" who have their fingers in other pies, such as sound design, studio management, sound engineering, audio visual work etc, and others who are in a similar boat to me, driving vans, diggers, working in shops, warehouses, offices etc, the few I do know that are successfull purely from music are constantly finding new ways to make money from different angles in music, you're kidding yourself if you think seriously in this day and age that you can live just from writing a few techno tunes, and spinning tunes in a few clubs now and then... the only people doing this are the "scene leaders", who have been there since the rave scene, and I suspect that these people have their fingers in many pies...

so I think giving away music for free has become a neccesity for some who wish to do something different.. I gave my album away for free last year, after months of slogging around the labels trying to sell it.. given the good feedback I got after giving it away for free, I don't think it was a bad album at all, the problem I had was that it didn't fit in with anyone's label agenda, and given the commercial pressures these days, most labels want sure fire hits...

in the late nineties, we used to say "everyone wants to be a DJ", nowdays that has morphed into "everybody wants to be a Producer/Live act/net label owner", like it or hate it, you have to live with it, I'm quite glad myself that it made me re-evaluate everything, as I'm enjoying it all much more, ok, my output has slowed somewhat, but I hope that the rise in quality makes up for that..

With so much 2nd rate crap out there, it's important to push the boundaries, and only release music that is really saying something, a luxury that can only be afforded if you are sticking rich, don't mind being really poor or have a full time job...

[RDR]

Because of the pinch in vinyl sales, vinyl labels are much less open to taking music which doesn't fit in with any one sound or genre

Is that not more to do with the retaillers, and by association the labels?

why not blame the countless amount of people out there, that used to be bedroom djs who have stopped buying records to instead concentrate on their own productions and live sets...

I thought the same for a while now. Teaching DJ in college isnt what it was. Hardly ANY DJs coming through, although funnily e-muff the rock kids are MUCH more interested in it than they were as its more exotic.

you're kidding yourself if you think seriously in this day and age that you can live just from writing a few techno tunes, and spinning tunes in a few clubs now and then... the only people doing this are the "scene leaders", who have been there since the rave scene, and I suspect that these people have their fingers in many pies...

Look at the hardcore scene, those boys have been running stuff there for years and years.

given the commercial pressures these days, most labels want sure fire hits...

Surely most COMMERCIAL labels? I can believe there are not people who dont want to put out stuff. Indies cant have lost their love either?

in the late nineties, we used to say "everyone wants to be a DJ", nowdays that has morphed into "everybody wants to be a Producer/Live act/net label owner", like it or hate it, you have to live with it,

Live with it! Love it! Ride it!

Cheers mark ;)

[crime]

Is that not more to do with the retaillers, and by association the labels?

well both, retailers buy from the distributors who buy from the labels, it's all the same thing.... and all the people involved in every side of that business have an effect and influence on what comes out...

Look at the hardcore scene, those boys have been running stuff there for years and years.

yes, but unless you're an absolute cainer, after 10 years + doing this stuff, maybe you don't want to be playing every weekend to a munted crowd... some do, I don't...

plus piano wailing happy hardcore is hardly at the cutting edge of electronic music, and is probably quite a safe bet compared to techno/electronica

Surely most COMMERCIAL labels? I can believe there are not people who dont want to put out stuff. Indies cant have lost their love either?

the books always have to balance, and it appears to me unless your music is either minimal, schranz or club techno, forget it...

labels, however underground have to pay the rent, simple economics.. anything more left field usually means that it's a small closed circle running a label just to release their own works.. fair enough, I wouldn't expect anyone to put their money where I wouldn't put my own regarding a vinyl release, especially in the current climate..

seriously, you listen to doomsday clock, no label would take that, and even now, trying to just get a 12" released from it, there is no interest.. maybe I'm misguided and it's actually a load of shit, but personally I think it's the best stuff I've ever done.. If all I get is people asking me to do another e.p. like my old Djax ones, I'd rather not bother, that sound just isn't me anymore, but unfortunately that's all anyone expects, I get a lot of praise for that stuff, but it's just too damn raw for me now and I feel that they were quite naive records...
I'm more interested in writing electronica now, more varied deeper stuff, and for reasons mentioned before, I'm having to start from scratch, but this is why I've decided not to care about any kind of popularity, and just to do it because I want to make that kind of music, no expectations other than pleasing myself...

[RDR]

well both, retailers buy from the distributors who buy from the labels, it's all the same thing.... and all the people involved in every side of that business have an effect and influence on what comes out...




yes, but unless you're an absolute cainer, after 10 years + doing this stuff, maybe you don't want to be playing every weekend to a munted crowd... some do, I don't...

plus piano wailing happy hardcore is hardly at the cutting edge of electronic music, and is probably quite a safe bet compared to techno/electronica



the books always have to balance, and it appears to me unless your music is either minimal, schranz or club techno, forget it...

labels, however underground have to pay the rent, simple economics.. anything more left field usually means that it's a small closed circle running a label just to release their own works.. fair enough, I wouldn't expect anyone to put their money where I wouldn't put my own regarding a vinyl release, especially in the current climate..

seriously, you listen to doomsday clock, no label would take that, and even now, trying to just get a 12" released from it, there is no interest.. maybe I'm misguided and it's actually a load of shit, but personally I think it's the best stuff I've ever done.. If all I get is people asking me to do another e.p. like my old Djax ones, I'd rather not bother, that sound just isn't me anymore, but unfortunately that's all anyone expects, I get a lot of praise for that stuff, but it's just too damn raw for me now and I feel that they were quite naive records...
I'm more interested in writing electronica now, more varied deeper stuff, and for reasons mentioned before, I'm having to start from scratch, but this is why I've decided not to care about any kind of popularity, and just to do it because I want to make that kind of music, no expectations other than pleasing myself...

Sure the distros have an axe to grind as well, and yup they sure are related!

The hardcore scene really did well IMO because of the events, they either got lucky, or realised which way the wind was blowing. I'd go for the latter myself. I was just pointing out their longevity than saying you'd want to do as de la does ;)

Digital labels have lower costs and can afford to experiment. For r3tox i wanted to release something on vinyl but its looking more distant and if i do, its gonna have to be commercial to keep my investors happy at the prospect of getting even a small portion of their financing back.

I really am supruised no-one would take doomsday clock, but on the other hand im also not suprised as well, times they are a changing and risk taking is way down the agenda for commercial projects.

Hear what you are saying about electronica, i enjoy programming synths myself and that is almost an end in itself for me. mad sounds and brain candy.

[RDR]

This article informs this discussion.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05...ly_p2p_survey/

and also this spout of crap from apple.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10...ue_gap_report/

[Kokotorobot]

seriously, you listen to doomsday clock, no label would take that, and even now, trying to just get a 12" released from it, there is no interest.. maybe I'm misguided and it's actually a load of shit, but personally I think it's the best stuff I've ever done..

just listened to the album man, really enjoyed it! good job, and see, i'd probably never came across of it if it wasn't available as a free download. some tracks are definitely 12" material.

you should put these doomsday clock tracks up on last.fm as full free tracks, people will check it out and listen

[TechMouse]

I spent up until a year ago, 5 years living totally from music ( with a few odd jobs on the side here and there), and in the last year I got to the point where I was really sick of the music side of my life becoming like a chore. The stress caused by the lack of money was totally killing my inspiration, and when I look back, some music I made, although still quite underground, was sometimes being directed by commercial pressures, something I'm not entirely comfortable with.

That last point in particular, I felt, was really not a good one, I came to the conclusion that life would be much more stress free if I actually started working full time, and my music would be purely written from the heart, when I wanted to do it and not because I was gonna earn 500 euro for doing a "banging" e.p. which I didn't really want to do, but had to because it was the only way to pay the rent..

Since working reguarly, I make a lot less music, but what I do make, I'm much more happy with, and it's written to please me, not some label owner...

Amen to that Mark. That's pretty much exactly my POV.

Different strokes for different folks and all that, but if you rely on something for income then unless you are remarkably lucky there is an implicit compromise between what you want to do and what will put food on the table.