Ken Blast on: Eurobeat and Piracy

I was going to post this on a forum under my name. Then I actually thought about what that would do. So, instead, I’ll post it on my own blog, so anyone caring to hear it will know to go here. Just know, I type it using “you” for speed. I’m a Eurobeat artist, not an English Major. P:

*ahem*…

I think people who want to hear music should hear good music. However, I also think that artists, writers, producers and publishers should be compensated for their work. So, the big thing is this: How can both sides be satisfied? Once a generation is used to getting something for free, it’s hard to say to them, “you really should pay for that”. Who’s holding them responsible?

There are those who will pirate because it is there to be pirated; I know people like this offline. These people… I can do nothing about.
Then there are those who will pirate because they may not have options in their area to buy it. The solution, here, is to tap into the (increasing) options to buy the album on places like Musico, iTunes Japan (as posted in a local guide), etc. It’s a little daunting (Musico’s kinda scary for me!), but there are guides out there that will guide you through the process. After all, the prices are usually close to 1 USD per track… slightly above pocket change each one. (My bank is totally compliant with every international purchase I’ve made for individual tracks, it’s a thing of beauty really.)

Some may be ready to present the “quality” argument to me at this point; to this, I say… unfortunately, until options increase, there’s little that can be done about that. Yes, many of the purchase options are not perfect audio quality, and rips from the CD really do sound pristine. Well, what then? Why steal from the creators and artists for a decision the stores have made? I suppose it becomes, on an ethical level, a battle between quality and price— if you really want that high-quality sound so strongly, it really does work better to buy the album. Yes, it’s a great deal pricier than track-by-track, but… that is no fault of the creators. Alternatively, if you’re drawn more to the song of it than the audio quality of it, purchasing track-by-track isn’t so bad after all. The question is this: “How badly do you want the song, vs. how badly do you want it in HQ”? If you’re truly wanting to hear the song very quickly, it may be more rewarding to hear it in a slightly lower quality. If you’re patient enough to save up for a higher-quality version of the track (or, better, the album as a whole), then your patience shall be rewarded.

Eurobeat music does not have some of the sources of revenue other genres have; due to a drop in popularity in contrast to rap/hip hop or electro or whathaveyou (not a bad thing— I freaking LOVE 3Oh!3 and Owl City), there are few live shows, and infinitely less merchandising (Dave Rodgers bedsheets???). The point is, the creators of Eurobeat are paid by the purchase of albums or individual tracks, and little more. There’s little radio play to speak of, an occasional club night, and that’s it. By someone not purchasing the songs, everyone involved in each track is DIRECTLY affected. Thus “exposure” does not work as well with Eurobeat; it all points back to the track and album sales. Showing someone new tracks is less likely to produce the response “Hey, this is good, where can I buy it?” as it is to produce “Hey, this is good, where can I download it?”.

I know it’s not an ideal situation for audiophiles OR for those with less money. But it should not come out of the pockets of the artists/creators, either. Not all of us drive Porsches y’know. (I’m hardly rich off this either— I’m still struggling to find scholarships to attend university next semester!!)

(…for the record, I’ve got a pretty sweet 2000 Nissan Sentra. It’s nice for a college kid like me, but hardly ‘rock star’ status.)

(…and I’d totally buy Dave Rodgers bedsheets.)