Posts by Samuel Scott
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I just bought Buffalo on FLAC and of course it won't run on my stupid iTunes... d'oh!
There is a mildly complex way to play FLACs in iTunes here
hereIf that doesn't work, send someone at TPF an email
band@thephoenixfoundation.co.nz
and we'll see what we can sort out. -
why it's not just the independent stores closing down, but the mega stores too.
For the most part, it's the mega stores that have done worse. Well actually I can't back up that claim, but when Tower Records shut down in the states Amoeba seemed to be doing quite well.
I don't mean to go on about them but Slow Boat have weathered the CD meltdown by focussing on specialist purchases, vinyl (LOTS of vinyl) and actually avoiding the t-shirts and bongs mentality that lessens the value of a quality music retailer.
And its the sort of shop that is still a social gathering spot, wether they like that or not!
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I do know quite a few cynical types working at JB too and quite a few of them know their music/movies.
I think Brent who used to run Smoke CDs and Capital Recordings is a buyer at JB...and to be honest, the vinyl range in Wellington was small but incredibly well picked. Things like the new Wilco alongside Cold Fact by Rodriguez.
I can totally see the appeal in a JB-Hifi style store, the Warehouse not so much. But as long as they exist I will always stay loyal to the locally owned ma & pa store. Its so much better for your local economy.
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...I wonder why most artists bother
Well, you bother because;
a) you have to get your music out there or you brain will explode
and
b) if a record company screws you sideways money wise (which I do not believe to be the case these days) they are still promoting your band/brand. You then make much more money out of APRA, film & TV synch deals and live revenue.
Then I guess you have to look at booking agent fees, the cost of touring, what sort of publishing deal (if any) you have.
You just have to be very shrewd about what sort of deals you sign. And these days most artists are much more aware of they're getting themselves into, and seek advice accordingly.
...well i hope they do!
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So for example, if I was to buy Buffalo via the TPF Bandcamp site at $28.95 vs JB HiFi at $21, I assume the band gets a larger (and fairer) cut, as a proportion of the purchase price?
Well its $18.95 on bandcamp for the digital. Or from our online store (managed by Big Cartel) $28.95 for a CD plus a digital download code (from bandcamp) that you get before the CD ships...but there is courier costs etc with that (You have been warned!).
But yes, the cut is much much better. In all honesty though, bands don't mind where or how people buy their music as long as someone is buying it!
JB Hifi is so cheap, they are making practically no profit on a sale at that price. It's obviously great for the consumer, but I'd rather spend more at my local Slowboat style shop. Just because it feels better, and because you get the joy of old school cynical record store service.
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But your challenge then is getting noticed -- it's the marketing and presence that the majors use to justify their much larger cut (I think they can take as much as 85% of the retail price of downloads -- Simon?).
I have been thinking about this lately. I think it's great for artists to have more control/bigger cuts etc, but it seems narrow minded to look at the music industry as pure evil and an enemy of music. These people are actually working to get the public to listen to music. Which can sometimes be a very difficult task! And musicians generally hate trying to promote themselves (well openly at least)> We need third parties to talk us up.
CDBaby will also place your music with iTunes and other download services for a 9% commission.
I must check what the deal is with tunecore. I know that our manager Matt thinks that DRM/Amplifier are the bees knees.
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If that Info Is Beautiful graph had bandcamp on it, it would have been rated right at the very top, possibly better than self pressed CDs. But all of those figures are dependent on what sort of deal artists have with their labels, and ignoring publishing income from streaming sites is very misleading.
It's also misleading to look at artist direct sales as being unconditionalyl better for the artist than record company sales, because that bypasses the notion of marketing spends, and then wether marketing is recoupable. On the % splits implied in that graph, I personally would expect those costs to be 100% absorbed by the record company. But that comes down to who your lawyer is. But within a distribution deal, where the artist is making much better % splits, it is generally up to the artists to pay for marketing, and they're not going to get as a good deal from advertisers as a major label.
(oh in the time it has taking me to write this Simon has made very similar points, DAMN you slow brain!).
That Martin Mills iv is great. He has been a hero of mine for years, mainly because he has always released great music.
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I just wrote and deleted about 5 paragraphs of lefty dribble...
summed up;
Te Urewera will always feel like Tuhoe land to locals and to most visitors to the area. the Government can't change that.
John Key is crazy for being so Brash about this. Surely the announcement could have been along the lines of 'We need to extend the negotiations and look at some new way of wording this agreement'.
Or just gone ahead with settlement, duh.
As it is, it just seems like they're trying to pick a fight with people they need to reach out to, in order to not offend people who will always support National and would have gotten over it in a couple of weeks.
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I just still don't think I understand how the deal actually works.
Who gets the contra advertising stuff? How?
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Why not, and don't start on the road to choice versus exploitation.
Fair enough I guess, but I was thinking more along the lines of activism versus commercialism (boobs on bikes is advertising is it not?). Which is also a thin line I suppose.
So I would like to remove myself from any further argument relating to feminism and/or public nudity. I consider myself entirely unqualified to judge!