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Pirates Of The Web?




>I wonder if these folks also believe that it is wrong to buy "used" cds and
>sell stuff on E-bay.

Chris:

This is a sticky question, and as I sell used CDs myself I feel I must speak
to this issue. Used CDs have been sold once, at least. The artist got paid
from that sale. To me, a used CD is like a used car, and I'm sure as Hell
not paying Pontiac anything when I sell my car.
Some people feel differently, including the record labels and some artists
like Garth Brooks. OK, Brooks IS even more dim-witted than George W Bush (I
know it's hard to imagine) but so are some label execs, as the antics of MCA
should have taught us well.

>able to enjoy our idols. Just look at a couple of years ago, fans of "The
>Eagles" showed their appreciation by paying upwards of $150.00 a concert

If people support such a thing, they've got only themselves to blame. I
would love to see CSN&Y this tour but I'm not paying $200 ($400, really,
because I'd have to take my wife). Only The Who could get me to do that, and
so far I've only had to pay $70 for them. And I wouldn't feel good about it.

>ticket. I guess I should shell out the money and be able to feel closer to
>Pete like some of you do.

See, here you strike a chord with me. I've been reluctant to discuss this,
but it has bothered me since I read the book inside Lifehouse Chronicles. I
wanted to buy the Method set. Yes, I want to be counted as one of the 2001
major Whofans in the world. I wanted the software, and I wanted to go to the
concert. Spending $500 for something I already have most of is not exactly
pleasing, but I was quite willing to do so...until I read Pete Townshend's
comments about Method. They are as follows:

"If you don't wish to come to my Lifehouse party, or enjoy the fine art of
The Method, then you can be content with the cheaper Chonicles."

And at that moment, I knew I was not going to buy Method. For his comment
here is inherently implying that those who may not want to pony up more than
$75 per disc for music etc. they no doubt already have are "cheap," and what
is he thinking about anyone "not wanting to come to the party?" What Who fan
wouldn't???
It's sheer arrogance, yes Pete is and has a right to be arrogant...usually I
don't mind but it puts me off, in this case. We are the people who bothered
to buy Chronicles, which already puts us in the VAST minority of music fans,
maybe even Who fans...I don't know how it's selling. Most are excited about
it, and promote it to others who then buy it. But THIS is like charging $200
to see a concert, and I'm not going to do it. He had only to leave out the
word "cheaper" and it would have been fine, but...
As for copying Chronicles, yes it's going to happen. It was expected, I'm
sure, by Pete. Not everyone is going to want the play, for instance. I'd be
willing to be the first three discs will be the most copied.
Besides, a copy isn't going to have the book, which is pretty neccessary in
order to understand the play. Hopefully a CDr copy will spur the listener to
buy the package.



>Indeed. I objectively despise people who would make illegal copies
>of legitimate releases. The difference you do not seem to grasp is
>between sharing and trading tapes that were never legitimately
>released and pirating those that have been released by The Who.

Kevin O:

You have a right to feel that way, but I don't. I've given my friends CDr
gifts for Christmas and birthdays, many times boxed sets. These people still
buy regular CDs. While this doesn't apply specifically to Lifehouse, you
should know that a CD costs less to manufacture than cassettes (which sell
for less) and the vast majority of CDs sold are albums which have long since
paid the artist, production, etc. and the labels are reselling us music we
have already bought anyway. Dark Side Of The Moon has been reissued three
times now ("newly remastered") and I can't wait to see what they do with it
next...add Wizard Of Oz as a CD-ROM or DVD? The point is they are making a
fortune selling us the same thing over and over again. The profit margin is
insanely high. They could have remastered/remixed and added bonus tracks the
first time, but they CHOSE not to! The music industry was in the toilet
before CDs came along, but they labels LOVE selling us the same things over
and over again.

Kevin, I have to ask (but you needn't answer): have you a CD writer? And, if
so, have you used it only to make CDs of non-released material? And I'm not
counting collections for your car and so on. Never made a copy of a friend's
CD, or one of yours for him/her?

>not, as well.  Pete has expressed the opinion, if I'm not mistaken, that a
>certain amount of trading of the live concerts serves to promote his music,

Keets:

History has proven this, and when the material becomes available
legitimately we buy it again. Who loses? If anyone, we do...but it's our
choice!

>Chris, one reason you've gotten the hard line response about copying the
box
>set is that it came directly from Pete.

This is what makes it different. But as a music store owner, I'm not
completely comfortable about being taken out of the loop with online sales
and downloaded music. Are we looking at the wiping out of an entire industry
(music retailers)?
It hasn't affected my sales YET (rather the reverse; this is one small store
which is surviving just fine), but I now carry used DVDs as well and am
considering where to take the store in the near future. Downloaded music is
problematic at best; what artist is going to record an entire CD's worth of
music when the vast majority of purchasers will only want the "hit." Whoops,
there goes concept albums out the window (or Windows)! And if bands who have
not yet gone national/worldwide want to market their music themselves, how
to they get known without the label's support? How many great and deserving
artists are going to fall by the wayside because they cannot be noticed in
the already tangled jungle of MP3s? And exactly how far away is the
technology which will allow even the most non-musical type to create their
own music?
I guess we'll see.

However, the bottom line as I see it is that people still want something
definite in their hand. Like a tape, a CDr is nice to have but anything
someone really wants they'll buy. Many is the album/CD I taped from a friend
only to buy later on. Fortunately blank CDs are dirt cheap, and you can't
help considering them somewhat disposable.
I can tell you from experience: people want something professionally made.
They want packaging. They want advertising. Especially when the price is
reasonable (like Best Buy or Target prices, rather than the $18.98 you find
at Mall music stores). As I said, being financially involved in this matter,
I am keeping an eagle eye on this situation, but so far I think people want
"the real thing" over a burned CD. So far.


           Cheers                            ML