2009 Music

ISIS and Long Distance Calling, which is an absolutely awesome instrumental band from Germany. Their album Satellite Bay was really, really good - great musicianship, beautiful melodies and amazing atmosphere. The new album, however, will feature... yes, it will feature Jonas Renkse providing vocals in one of their songs :headbang:
 
I don't particularlly have any moral feeling against downloading, I just think its somewhat silly and I personally don't do it as I find it just doesn't work for me, in a sense. I've got a half-dozen albums I've gotten from blogs on this computer right now, and I don't think I've listened to a single one of them. It's just not my thing I guess. (although if you don't buy the album eventually and don't intend to, then, let's just say I don't think very highly of you, to put it in friendly language.)
 
generally I just hate the auto piloted, non nuanced views people have. it's either OMG PEOPLE R THEIVEZE CAPITALISM FTW! or just pirates basically ignoring everything rational in the discussion. the problem as i've stated 49839848934 times before to 328489234894 people is the record industry and nothing else. there needs to be more direct contact from bands to audience, and less business bullshit that has nothing to do with music. much of the anti piracy war going on is actually record companies flat out fighting technology more than anything else. they just failed to keep up with progress, using cd's etc. that aren't even necissary in any sense. the losers as always, are the consumers.
 
So far my favs this year are: Teitanblood, Villains, Devastator, Absu, Excoriate, Tribulation. Looking forward to Ares Kingdom, Beherit, Katatonia (?), and some reissues that are coming out this year....and a bunch of uggggg bands that I don't think many people here like too much :p

Though I would like a new Daysleepers album :)
 
I agree that the industry gets more bank than the artists. I think that the artists should put the albums out themselves on their own site, offer it up for donation. If you want it for free, you got it directly from the band, if you want to support the band, give as much money as you want. More people may be willing to support the band in that way if people have such a problem buying the music now.

I use downloading as a preview tool. Discs do cost a bit much to buy something from someone I have never heard, so if I download it and enjoy it, I will purchase it at some point.

I love the experience of buying one of my favourite bands' albums before hearing a second at all and getting my first taste directly from the disc.
 
Somebody has to pay for it somewhere down the line, I guess we just have to hope bands are willing to fork it over on their own. And I've never really bought the evil record company thing, nobody forces a band to sign to a label.
 
I admit that I download too mainly for two reasons - just as Bleak Eyes I use it as a preview tool and secondly I'm unable to get my favourite CD's here in Latvia because there's only one (!!!) major CD store where I can get music which fits my needs and they update their shelves very slowly, for example I spotted Kata's Live Consternation appeared there as new somewhere around the end of 2008th.

I agree with stefan86 that CD's are becoming unnecessary. We are living in a digital age, we are using iPod's, cellphones and other devices to listen to music, there's no need for a physical CD which gets ripped to mp3's and ends up rotting in a shelf anyway.
 
In the business world something as important as missing crucial technologic development should actually result in losing money, but apparently the consumers should take the blow again. It's just ridicilous how private people are virtually crucified for every economic mistake while companies just have parachutes for everything, even flat out from the government.
 
The physical piece of media is the beauty of the listening experience I referred to earlier. If Steven Wilson saw this portion of the thread, he would be going mental. He stated in the Insurgentes movie extract on the CD that there is something to have a record in his case and listening to it with the cover art, etc. And I fully agree.

If we went completely into a digital world, I would feel pretty down.
 
I love having music in physical form, too. Whether it's vinyl or cd or cassette it doesn't matter.

There is some stuff that I don't ever get around to buying though...

Sorry about it.