Mike and Ipods

Antyman said:
speaking of nothing, Mikael, have you been to the vinyl store in Borlänge? I noticed it during the Peace & Love festival. it's kind of awesome, even found some rare Pekka Pohjonen stuff there.

the only solution as I see it is to make somekind of disc that can't be played on computer, like a cd with a fuckin virus or something in it :) and then when you make files of the tracks, an evil Erik-monster (axe's alter ego) will appear and fuckin rip the computer to pieces.. or something! (I'm not very handy with computers).

could also release the CDs on your own. I know I'd pay hundreds of bucks for some unreleased stuff, as long as it doesn't get released for the world-public (I've done this with some bands, and I love my rare tracks/conserts which I won't share with anyone).

I hope I won't regret this post tomorrow when I'm sober.
Click to expand...

Well all CDs have copyright protection, but workarounds are found so fast that its not even an issue. And when labels send out press copies they watermark them so leaks are prevented, but somehow it almost always happens. For example, the latest Thrice record leaked 3 months in advance with a watermark because some hacker got in to the labels online player for the press to listen to the album.

And the same goes for digital with DRM, but its thankfully getting phased out.
 
i honestly didnt realise how bad the situation was. the onus has to be on the labels to sit down and come up with something they can do. as long as downloads are available, sales will remain low but theres no point in labels simply prosecuting some downloaders; so far its been done randomly and without any system whereby they prosecute the worst offenders. personally though, i wont be changing. i have what i think is a decent system whereby if the artist creates something that impresses me, ill buy it. i have a pretty big list of bands ill buy anything from automatically (and i buy every exclusive single and download etc from vast, opeth and pt). but ultimately its like a painter or sculptor; if you make something no one wants, it wont sell. the viewer can look or touch and make a decision based on that impression.
 
Mikael -

Wow, this thread got heavy and deep.
Respect to Mikael for being a down to earth human being and posting here. I agree with you Mikael on ipods suck vinyl rules, I too have Yamaha speakers hooked to my turn table/CD and they are some of the best. I Used them to blast morningrise to the neighbors.
I have seen a major decline this year in artist performances and new releases, I tried to tell people downloading is killing the industry but these greedy spoiled people loose their temper and cuss at me. Something needs to stop this illegal mayhem, the internet has become a knife in the industries side and it's destroying something that once thrived, something that I love and thats great music. I know if Mikael you can keep a strong vision, strong creativity, bigger dreams, greater ideas, and keep pushing yourself and the limits to the maximum ... only amazing things can come out of this. You have my full support through these scary times. May the light of the moon guide you..
-AMD
 
well it's not 2007 :p

this would be epic:

Kasettband.jpg
 
Alteredmindeath said:
like what?
Click to expand...

Ummm...

Mono - Hymn To The Immortal Wind
Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist
Rx Bandits - Mandala
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
Drudkh - Microcosmos
Wolves in the Throne Room - Malevolent Grain
And So I Watch You From Afar - S/T
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
The Mars Volta - Octahedron
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Grizzy Bear - Veckathemist
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Isis - Wavering Radiant
maudlin of the Well - Part of the Second
Propaghandi - Supporting Castle
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
Devin Townsend - Ki
Japandroids - Post-Nothing
Current 93 - Aelph at Hallucinatory Mountain
Alter of Plagues - White Tomb
Poison the Well - Tropic Rot
Kylsea - Static Tensions
Closure in Moscow - First Temple
Dissappearer - The Clearing
Sunn o))) - Monoliths and Dimensions
Gwynbleidd - Nostalgia
IQ - Frequency
Maybeshewill - Sing the Word Hope in 4 Part Harmony
MewithoutYou - Its Crazy! Its all False! Its Alright.
Pelican - Ephemeral EP
Scale the Summit - Carving Desert Canyons
Thrice - Beggars

...just to name 32.
 
Mikael Åkerfeldt;8435005 said:
What I wonder is what the next format will be. I refuse to accept that the new Opeth album will be nothing more than a URL, hopefully we'll see something more refined than that, something more interesting.
Click to expand...

I really hope that won't happen. I like to hold the physical thing in my hand and look at the artwork, read the lyrics while listening to the music, etc. But then again, I do belong to the older generation.

I have an ipod, with rockbox installed, so that I can rip my CDs to any format I want. I instantly threw away the headphones that came with it though, since they sound like shit, and bought a pair of Argon ones instead. Makes a HUGE difference. Of course, it doesn't sound like my home system, but way better than "out of the box" so to speak.

I think the ipod is very convenient, since I don't have to lug around my 800+ CD collection. Instead I just put what I want on the ipod and can rip certain albums to lossles if I wish. However, even with good headphones on the ipod, I can't honestly say that I can really hear any difference between lossless flac and ogg/vorbis with the -q 7 switch (where -1 is the lowest quality and 10 is the highest).

I must confess that I'm guilty for downloading from time to time, but I do buy what I like and delete what I don't. Both since I want to support the artist and because I really do want to own the physical media.

Being able to download has made me open up my eyes for many bands I normally wouldn't have checked out and I would probably never have bought their CDs unless I got the tip from someone to download and check it out. So I personally don't see downloading as a bad tool in itself, it's how you use the tool. I believe It's the people that only download for free and then never buy the albums that hurt the industry.

Not only do I think it's fair to pay someone for their music if you enjoy listening to it, but also of you just use some common sense; if nobody pays the artists, how will the artists be able to continue putting out music. It costs a lot of time and money to make an album.
 
Antyman said:
the only solution as I see it is to make somekind of disc that can't be played on computer, like a cd with a fuckin virus or something in it :) and then when you make files of the tracks, an evil Erik-monster (axe's alter ego) will appear and fuckin rip the computer to pieces.. or something! (I'm not very handy with computers).
Click to expand...

There's always a way around that. As long as you are able to play a CD in your normal CD player, you can transfer that sound you your computer and rip it. And if you can't play it on your normal CD player, then what's the point? ;)

As for copy protection, I really dislike it and I am very reluctant to buy a CD that has copy protection. Why? Well...

  • I want to buy the physical CD for reasons stated in the previous post (supporting the artist and wanting to own the physical media).
  • I want to be able to play it in my normal CD player.
  • I want to be able to play it in my CD player on the computer if I'm at the computer and others don't want to listen to the music at the time.
  • I want to be able to rip it (in any quality I wish) and put it on my iPod so that I can listen to it on my way to work.
  • I want to take the ripped file and put it on my home desktop computer, so that I can listen to it when browsing the web, etc.
  • I want to take the ripped file and put it on my work computer, so that I can listen to it when working.
  • I want to take the ripped file and put it on my wives computer, so that she can listen to it when browsing the web, etc.
  • I want to take the ripped file and put it on my laptop computer, so that I can listen to it when using the laptop.
  • I want to take the ripped file and put it on my tiny Sandisk mp3 player, so that I can listen to it when running or working out at the gym (the ipod is too bulky for that).

With copy protection, I can only realize the first two of those points. With DRM, maybe the first four or five. If I buy a copy protected CD, and I want to put it on my ipod, then there's only two things I can do:

  • Pay for it a second time, by buying it in a non-physical format from iTunes, which is seldom possible due to them rarely having the music I like to listen to.
  • Download it illegally from someone who has broken the copy protection.

I'd like to do neither of the above two choices.

It seems to me that copy protection does not stop CDs from being copied, since there are always ways around it. Anyone who wants to download the CD illegally can do so. However, the copy protection does hurt the honest people that actually pay for the album and want to put it on their music player or computer.

EDIT:
Actually, the same goes for CD protection on games. I've encountered problems on several occasions with bought games that have copy protection not being able to run. Some incompability problem between my CD-ROM drive and the copy protection. The support line for the game company weren't very helpful either. The only way around it was to download an illegal NO-CD crack from the internet to be able to play my legally bought game. If that isn't twisted, I don't know what is. When browsing the web for help I found out that I wasn't alone either. Fortunately, after buying a new DVD-burner, replacing my old CD-ROM, I haven't had those problems.
 
maybe make an Opeth-subscription: pay £10 a month and you get some songs!

and of course, they will all be carved on mud-pots sent by the US airforce, and they land with parachutes on your balcony!

now tell me. wouldn't that be fuckin awesome?
 
If you like and respect music, you'll buy CDs. Downloading is a way for me to have a taste of what I'm gonna buy. Sounds logical, but many don't care about the artists themselves. They give you something beautiful, unique... you should pay in return. Accessibility is sometime going too far. That's the new era, the era of media.
 
Antyman said:
maybe make an Opeth-subscription: pay £10 a month and you get some songs!

and of course, they will all be carved on mud-pots sent by the US airforce, and they land with parachutes on your balcony!

now tell me. wouldn't that be fuckin awesome?
Click to expand...

I doubt they'd fit in my CD shelf :mad:
 
I think Opeth are doing quite well in comparison to some other bands. At least we do make a living from the music, even though it's quite poor sometimes. I wouldn't trade it for anything else either way. I just wanted to set an example on how it really is to be a metal, or even extreme metal band today. It's not all that easy.

Ultimately, if no-one's buying the records, or going to our shows, it's basically over. So far, record sales are alright and shows are well attended and I'm quite happy with how things are working out for us.

Whatever happens I'll always write songs...
 
Albert R said:
Ah yes, the old "it's too expensive" excuse. Well you know what? Tough titties. There are many things in the world I can't afford, but I don't go out and steal them. I'd buy double the amount of CDs if I could afford it, but my wife just gave birth to a kid, so I guess I'll have to go without, or maybe I won't buy that new shirt. I won't be downloading those extra CDs I want, as I'd rather make sure that the artist gets some of my cash when I do get round to buying their album.

Anyway, is music really that expensive? You can download a full album on iTunes for £7.99 or less, or if you're like the guy who posted after you and resent paying for filler, then you can buy all your favourite songs for 79p each. Is 79p really too much for a song that could entertain you for many years to come? Honestly? Sorry, I don't believe you.
Click to expand...

Man, if that's not a "holier than thou" attitude..... don't you have anything else to worry about than who is getting free music? I pay for ALL my music, EVERY SINGLE PIECE that I have I have paid for.... but that is my choice... I couldn't care less who gets it for free. That is their concern. I like having the actual cd, artwork, case, liner notes, etc.

I have so many other things to worry about, lol.
 
it should be up to the artist if your allowed to download it or not, downloading certain artists albums may be a slap in the face to them. There are other ways to get sample songs from the bands certain websites, and seeing them live or via youtube etc. Whatever happened to hearing a great magical song, that made you curious to buy the rest of the record? Downloading just ruins the mystic suprises and fun.
 
Alteredmindeath said:
it should be up to the artist if your allowed to download it or not, downloading certain artists albums may be a slap in the face to them. There are other ways to get sample songs from the bands certain websites, and seeing them live or via youtube etc. Whatever happened to hearing a great magical song, that made you curious to buy the rest of the record? Downloading just ruins the mystic suprises and fun.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm sure the artist is going to stop you from illegally downloading an album one by one. Seriously man? Think a little bit before you post.
 
What do you guys think of cases like downloading Exivious' s/t or other albums that are in such limited supply that some are left with no choice but to download or not hear the music.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

in_my_time_of_disease
New video interviews
Replies
2
Views
2K
Opeth (Archived)
emericashoes
E
Hammasphee
Supergroups
Replies
13
Views
849
Opeth (Archived)
Risquit
R
F
Åkerfeldt, Wilson, Portnoy Project?
Replies
26
Views
2K
Opeth (Archived)
Kenneth R.
K
FUBAR
Mike back in in Bloodbath!?
Replies
112
Views
7K
Opeth (Archived)
metal_wrath
M
B
Shut the fuck up
Replies
140
Views
5K
Opeth (Archived)
dorian gray
D
Top Bottom
Back