artists make about 3 cents per cd sale. Even if the sell 2 million CDs in a year they only make about $60,000 a year. Then take out legal fees, taxes, other business expenses, etc. And the artist is left with pocket change. Point being... artists make nothing from CD sales. They make their money from concerts, merchandise, and publishing. The only ones that benefit from cd sales are the greedy music labels who rip off the artists to get rich. You should try educating yourself before preaching to the masses

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<center><img src="http://www.rapbattles.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5068&stc=1"><p>Featuring Splivit Jams Artists: OpeY, Mystah Biggs, Chassis, July, Grimes<p>...and Pills the Doughboy, Kronik, Nimrod, Papi Stores, Young Cell, Skillz, Tony Ccino, Cin Laden, Cel Spit Fire, Clockwork <br>...Plus Many More...</center>

Yea...Didn't Any Of You Fools Watch MTV's Ultrasound: Hip-Hop Dollars...?

Dame Dash Broke Down How Artists Make Their Money...

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

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"I'm posessed by Hip Hop's delivering spirit, and i fear it cuz my head is constantly scribbling lyrics"
-Benefit

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.

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<center><img src="http://www.rapbattles.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5068&stc=1"><p>Featuring Splivit Jams Artists: OpeY, Mystah Biggs, Chassis, July, Grimes<p>...and Pills the Doughboy, Kronik, Nimrod, Papi Stores, Young Cell, Skillz, Tony Ccino, Cin Laden, Cel Spit Fire, Clockwork <br>...Plus Many More...</center>

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.

^word

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.

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<A Href="http://www.rapbattles.com/forum/showthread.php?t=111987">t</a>
We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office
Aesop.

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

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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

No, you are the fucking idiot. Learn to spell first off, Pharoahe Monch. Maybe if you had to type in his name to download his stuff you would know it.

If anything File Sharing over the internet helps underground rappers sell more albums. I know of at least 10 people who have downloaded Atmosphere songs from me, then the next day bought the CD.

\

Not Lying, This summer I heard my first underground rap by atmosphere, the next week I went and pre-ordered sevens Travels

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Yeah you are not serious. So every fucking song you've downloaded that you have liked you went out and payed for the CD?didn't think so exit stage left

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.

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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

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They already lowered them