Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

American OWB --> Ato Records --> IFPI/RIAA :mad:
(http://www.riaaradar.com/)

European OWB --> PIAS --> IFPI :mad:
(http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_...ber_sites.html)

Japanese OWB --> Traffic Inc. --> maybe fine? :confused:


I spend nearly all of my money on CDs (and that is not much since I'm a student), and I don't like to be criminalized by those lobbyists because I download music, that I'll even buy if I like it.

I've bought both the Japanese and the German/European versions of OWB to support my favourite band. Now I really wonder how much of every CD UW get. Probably not much, less than from a sold copy of a RiverRun. I'm glad that I can spend my money on merchandise, concert tickets, etc.

While supporting the IFPI I've consequently also supported overly restrictive copyright, which has to do with "Footwear Repairs..." not on DVD and is probably also responsible for the delay of the Sunshine soundtrack.

good links on the topic:
http://www.demonbaby.com/blog/2007/1...-birth-of.html
http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?...nnel=934185178

Your opinion? Am I paranoid? :D

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

Actually, I quite agree. I got a copy of OWB anyway, but besides that I've only bought one CD that supports a major in the last three years. I've even let them know why I'm boycotting them. After reading all these articles from industry insiders telling what it's really like, I just can't support them anymore, especially given the way they criminalize us and come up with penalties for music downloading that exceeds that of armed robbery (!)

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

yeah, i agree.
but oh well/drop in the bucket/etc etc.

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

Only CD I've purchased from an RIAA-connected label in years. Had to do it. Besides, $15 for a CD, DVD and MP3s of the whole album is a steal compared to 99% of what most music costs nowadays.
________
YAMAHA PSR-248 SPECIFICATIONS

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

Well, the big problem with the big labels is in the fact that they own the music of the bands that they represent. And this is the cause for the court cases and all the anti-downloading shit. They are trying to protect their property.
But AFAIK Underworld are only using these labels for distribution in various parts of the world. The actual rights to the music are still owned by Underworld and their own label so it's not quite the same as supporting the RIAA and the big labels directly when you buy OWB. I'm also sure this also means that it's not like those labels take huge cuts out of the profits of selling OWB, leaving UW with nothing, because they do not actually own the music, it's just a distribution deal.

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

giving it to the man................radical:rolleyes:

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

Oh for goodness' sake. "Yeah, let's encourage everyone to download for free instead of buying CDs, cos that will really hurt the major record labels".

Then let's watch our favourite bands shrivel and die through lack of revenue. And watch the major record labels continue to promote and sign up mass-market dross bands to recover as much money as they can, rather than taking any risks at all on innovative new sounds. (It is happening already.)

Frankly, I think it is crass and stupid to even have a thread like this on Underworld's own forum. Nice message you are giving out from the "fans". And nice way of justifying to yourself why you need to have music for free, by blaming the record label - and sod the effect on the band.

Pah. Enough said. :mad:

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

And when was the last time that someone got off with a fine for being convicted of armed robbery? Or when was the last time someone was sentenced to 10 years incarceration for downloading music? Get real.

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

No, that is not the point. The point is, how can we support our favourite bands without supporting this, this, this, this or this. Nobody wants that our favourite bands 'die through lack of revenue'!

Supporting products that you don't like instead of boycotting them seems counterintuitive, doesn't it? You say I should buy this music so that there is a chance they will release "innovative new sounds"? :rolleyes:

I think it is indeed a nice message if a fan cares if his money goes to the artist or not. I'd rather buy tshirts for 20 pound instead because I'm sure pretty much of it goes to UW.

You are generalizing. Most of my favourite bands/musicians are on indie labels. No one said something about boycotting all record labels. For me there is and never will be a substitute for a physical release such as a CD.

Thanks for clearing that up!

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

I agree that this is not a very accurate example. But except for incarceration this comes pretty close.

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

I agree... These threads are a good thing onn these types of forums (band forums). Underworld will probably listen and at least think about it. In this case we are fairly sure they are not signed to a RIAA label and using a connected label for distribution.

Anyways, I believe that buying music from RIAA labels is a bad thing. It continues the conglomorate, but more importantly when we don't buy music on them, and the artists know it, they will be more likely to sign up or make their own record label, which is great.

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

I think maybe Traffic isnt a member of the RIAJ, no. At least according to a page at the RIAJ website.

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

But this is still the law. The point is that the RIAA is just kind of pulling these numbers out of their asses to intimidate poor college students into settling. None of us have said that we "have" to get the music for free. In fact we are always discussing the best ways to support the band. That's why I bought all the RiverRuns and will probably buy them all in the future, but if they release a disc on a major I'm much less inclined to want to buy it. I guess it's all kind of my principles, the links that Jan came up with pretty much explains why. It's not "justification" - I'm happy paying money for a recording, but if the money goes toward suing students like me, I'm much less so. Hence why I hardly do it anymore.

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

i will always buy music i love by a band i love, whatever label it's released on and whatever the format. any fan who wouldn't buy music from a band cos of the label they're on is missing something upstairs. i'm in it for the music and no label can change that. if labels choose to sue thieving students then so what? i dont care. all labels (including indie ones) and bands will suffer from people mass-stealing their music.

dont take this post as me saying i'm pro-major labels or anything. i love the homegrown/organic nature of indie labels and bands like underworld and do my best to support them. but foremost i love good music however it's distributed, as long as i'm not stealing from the artist :)

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

I think the main thing is that it seems that the major-labels are not acting in most artists interests anymore, and are not satisfying a growing demand at all... Why support this business model? This is how capitalism is supposed to work, so if you believe something is not right, then you put your money where your mouth is (so away from the bad major-labels)...

I think it's the opposite to missing something upstairs personally... Critically thinking, and making tough decisions for something you believe in is important. Regarding them sueing people: there is something wrong when something is illegal that a huge percentage of people do in society.

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

freedom for tooting and all that ! i'm not on a campaign to defeat all evil in the world but if i was i wouldn't start by not buying a cd.;)

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

First let me say by agreeing with the point made I'm not advocating stealing music.
However I do think that RIAA is out of their collective minds. Try and address a problem fairly and people will see that and come around. They need to stop crying like a kid who had his jumbo lollipop taken away and adapt.
For those of you finger pointing about the moral high ground here I'm willing to bet some of us have out of print Underworld material (ie singles/remixes) that were shared by someone, copyright applies to that.
I'm also willing to bet that if the labels would allow some of that to be released digitally at a fair price that we as fan's would buy it especially if it were released in full quality without DRM.

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

I bought Spikee/Dogman Go Woof on cd off ebay. How much of the money that I sent to the seller went to the label or to Underworld? None. So what's the difference between buying it and downloading it?

In this case ATO/PIAS does not own the copyright of the music, so the band itself would have to sue you over that. And I doubt ATO/PIAS is making enough money off each cd to use it to sue people over other coopyright cases.

The stupid thing about these lawsuits is that the RIAA spends a lot on these cases to see very little in return. If you want a huge laugh you should go to their website and read why piracy is bad.

Labels would be better off investing in playback equipment than spending time on lawsuits.

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

Agreed.

Not taking the moral high ground, either, but the fact is, despite all the whining they do, boycotting a record label isn't going to put them out of business. As I said earlier, all they will do is take the A & R money that would have gone into discovering quirky new talent and use it to plug the holes in the rest of it meaning more and more dross. I am not saying "omg you should never download", but I am saying that it is probably misguided to think that you not buying their product is going to mean jack shit to them in the long term.

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

has anyone posted this article on here yet? must-read for everyone :)

edit: thought i'd better check the first post again just in case, and yes it's right there... d'oh. sorry - read it tho!

Re: Buy OWB and you support the major labels (?)
 

That article's by Rob Sheridan, the Nine Inch Nails webmater/graphic designer/photographer/videographer. NIN, of course, left their own major label this month also.