The price of CD's is ridiculous given how much they cost to make, i know the money goes a lot of different ways and the artist wont see that much of it, but i simply cant afford to buy a lot of CD's, file sharing has been a good experience for me because it has expanded my love of music so much, example: i would never go into best buy and purchase a Curtis Mayfield CD, but on kazaa i can preview it and see if i like it.

However, there is the other side of the spectrum, a lot of artists are losing motivation to come up because they are witnessing that it's becoming harder and harder to make a living off music. There are still however people who do what they do just for the love of music, not monetary profit

^word

this is exactly what file sharing is doing over time. it will help rid the industry of the people who could give a damn about the music. These people have destroyed the industry with greed. All they care about is dollar signs. These people exist on all levels of the music industry. I feel that as a musician it's my duty to take back what is rightfully mine. If you want to support the artists then DONT buy their CDs. If you truly care then for every CD you download, send that artist a dollar. If you did that, you would be paying the artist over 30 times what they wouldve made from that $20 CD. But honestly, the best way to support the artists is to go to their concerts. Buy their shirts and other merchandise from their websites etc. The only artists that are pissed off at file sharing are the artists that own their own labels and production companies, because they make a killing off of CD sales. But if these artists weren't so greedy, they would realize that they make enough money as it is. The movement against over-priced CDs and Artists being shafted by record labels is worth the petty loss in sales that these rich musicians have to deal with.

but many argue the fact that its their money not any 1s else
that they worked hard for it and they earn it
^bs in my opinion.

^Classic.

I buy the album if I like the artist..

I buy vinyl anyways.. I can fuck with it and then put it on my computer.

I maybe have like 20 songs on my computer.. Most of my music is netcee's anyways.. Go figure.

Bootlegging and file sharing is not ridding the industry of people who don't care about the music. Ok lets say that you are a rapper wit a deal and you have two kids and a wife, now rapping is the only way to put food on the table, u refuse to sell out to go multi platnium instead u just spit yo shit and get a nice fan base and move a gold album, now file sharing and bootlegging takes your gold album away.U got love for the music proving by the fact u won't sell out, but now u broke.

And the price of CD's has dropped like 5 bills, they cost on average eleven dollars now.

Rappers that aren't rich have dayjobs you intelligent one you

U truly are an idiot aren't you? So explain 2 me, what is Pharoe Monch's day job?What do Jedi do?Common? Yeah their day jobs are being emcees, go over to your local acid dumping site and have a swim

On one hand:
I partially agree wit opey that artists should be content with the money they make off of touring, and any artist who isn't happy making $100,000 a year doesn't deserve fans.

I also agree that CD's are too expensive to buy through physical distribution because most people don't care to pay for the packaging, shipping, and inventory cost associated with the physical product.

On the other hand:
I don't think it's fair to say that the record companies, brutal as they are, do not deserve to make revenue from their artists. Without record companies many unknown artists would not have gotten their first break. The record company takes a chance by producing the first album, and many of them bomb.

Also, while the revenues from tours make artists a healthy income....they do not pay for the studio time, editors, studio mucisians, mastering technitions, etc. that are needed to make a high quality commercial CD. Maybe most would be happy paying less for music even if it was lesser quality but if you want the highest sound quality and production techniques then the record company has to make money to pay for it.

If you don't want to buy an entire album plenty of new internet services are popping up where you can buy one song at a time and these services will only get better on both price and ease of use in the future.

all in all:
If i said I bought all my music then i would be lying. But if the record companies put forth a reasonable distribution system that covers high quality productions costs, gives some revenues to the artists, and allows for some profits necessary for signing new talent i won't mind paying the cost.

Bootleggins all ready to big to stop. Its gd for the customers an album prices are to high bit its not doin the industry much gd. They lower there prices an ill buy more Originals

They already lowered them

^they didnt lower them. certain stores are taking a hit in profit so people will actually buy the cds. the labels are still getting the same huge cut from the sales. and like I said b4... 98% of musicians can't eat off CD sales even if they go multiplatinum. Do your homework before you discuss such topics.

Also, phate... the online music purchasing would be fair if the artists recieved a proper cut, but the artists still dont get paid from the song sales. they only get a fraction of a cent for each song. Meanwhile the record labels are still charging for such things as distribution, manufacturing and packaging. Again, the rich corporate companies found a way to turn a good deal into more greed. I do subscribe to Napster because it is a decent alternative to stealing but I only listen to the tracks. I would never buy the actual tracks. People think it is a compromise but its not. the record companies are taking advantage more with online sales than anything else. They charge $1 for each track. If you want a whole CD with 20 tracks you would pay $20 for the CD. They're making more and their expenses are WAY less. Like I said... if u wanna support the artist, send them a buck in the mail. theyll make WAY more profit that way.

download from the net..most of it's free~~

Yes the labels did lower them.Def Jam,and Universal both lowered their recommended cd prices by 5 dollars.

yea they lowered the recommended prices. but theyre still makin the same profit regardless. ur missin the point.