How not to handle new media as a musician

Kwesi · #1 12-30-2011, 01:14 PM

announcement of music deletion - YouTube

Quick summary: Folks have been ripping the music from his youtube videos to listen to at their discretion and so he's deleting his music and no longer posting music to his Youtube channel.

So, it's looking like Donyea is pretty much shutting down his Youtube channel. If you don't know who he is, check out his music (Urban gospel, hip-hop, neo soul, R&B) it's fantastic stuff. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like he's taking to new media very well. I haven't downloaded his music for a couple of reasons. First, the quality of ripped youtube vids is usually not too great even with the best conversion methods. Secondly, I figured he'd eventually put it up for purchase or download but he never did.

I could almost understand his reasoning if he thought folks pulling his music from Youtube was affecting sales but he has one CD available for purchase and none of that music is on Youtube while the music he has on Youtube can't be found anywhere else. Even then, while know one WANTS to have stuff taken from them without consent, considering how quickly things spread throughout the internet I feel that it's almost inevitable and artists should focus more of gathering more fans and making their music available to those fans through whatever means they can. What's the point in putting up music if they can't listen to it?

On the the other hand, there are quite a few Youtubers who handle all this really well. Check out Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn (rock, new age, alternative pop). Just about every song they have on Youtube can be found somewhere for purchase or free. If you want it, you can get it and that just sounds like the way to go if you really want folks to listen to your music.

I know this was a bit of a rant but I just want to see what TB thinks of this and the relationship between music and new media in general.

Simo98 · #2 12-30-2011, 03:35 PM

I don't understand.

He puts his music up on youtube because he wants people to listen to it, and then when they do he gets all stroppy about it?

Jhengsman · #3 12-30-2011, 04:17 PM

Sounds like the French movie Diva, where the artist thought that live was the only way we could be worthy of hearing her. And then all the gangster stuff started when a postman made a high quality bootleg of a concert

P. Aaron · #4 12-30-2011, 06:26 PM

Lotsa folks think that if they like a song, they're entitled to it without paying for it.

If I like a song, or an album, I'll buy it. Any good song is worth forking over what...? A $1.29 or so?

Kwesi · #5 12-30-2011, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P. Aaron

Lotsa folks think that if they like a song, they're entitled to it without paying for it.

If I like a song, or an album, I'll buy it. Any good song is worth forking over what...? A $1.29 or so?

What if it's not available for purchase anywhere and there are no plans to make it so?

P. Aaron · #6 12-30-2011, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kwesi

What if it's not available for purchase anywhere and there are no plans to make it so?

Good question. I waited decades for some music to be released. Having prior to this digital age no access to it otherwise. I really can't provide a good answer as I haven't been there yet in terms of 'do anything' to get that song.

The more good music I hear, the more I try to not listen To it and go practice instead.

i_got_a_mohawk · #7 12-30-2011, 08:31 PM

Removes music he isn't selling, because he doesn't want it pirated?

Not releasing the music, so it isn't pirated?

Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face . . .

DerHoggz · #8 12-31-2011, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P. Aaron

Good question. I waited decades for some music to be released. Having prior to this digital age no access to it otherwise. I really can't provide a good answer as I haven't been there yet in terms of 'do anything' to get that song.

The more good music I hear, the more I try to not listen To it and go practice instead.

Guns and Roses?

Strat-Mangler · #9 12-31-2011, 09:41 AM

Thought that when you said "ripping" that you were referring to people insulting (i.e. tearing to shreds) his music.

At first, it didn't make sense.

Now, it makes even less sense.

Having said that, unless he publicly stated he won't be releasing any new CDs for a long while, I wouldn't say there aren't any plans to publish it. For all we know, he's hunting for a record deal with those songs and were they released that way, I doubt most people who took the 2 secs to download his tunes would purchase a CD of his.

I will point out however that all YT videos are in mono during playback unless you turn on the stereo switch. In some cases, you can do so by switching the resolution to an HD one. However, if there is no such option, it's simply due to the video portion being unavailable at that resolution, but you can get back stereo playback by inserting the following switch (without the quotes) after the first "&" in a YT link ; "fmt=18"

This will give you stereo playback if the audio was originally uploaded as such. YT forces mono by default to save bandwith.