December 23, 2011
Norma Jean public rant justified, or not?
I’ve been a fan of Norma Jean since they were the Luti-Kriss and had a DJ. In 2001 I had the band play my church in support of Living Sacrifice and it was a ridiculous show. I’ll never forget my pastor covering his eyes and going home the moment he saw Josh walking across the ledge in front of the baptistry. Anyways, great band then, great band now. Recently Cory had some words to share through his twitter regarding illegal downloading. Take a gander:
Anyone that has ever downloaded a Norma Jean record. You owe me money. I hope you had enough money today to buy your family groceries…I mean ‘for free’ of course. Ya know… illegally. Stolen. Theft. Don’t get your feeling hurt. It’s ok if you steal from me. Anything else I can do for free for you? Spoiled brats! It’s about time someone got pissed about this! I hope you guys know what it feels like to have thousands of dollars stolen from you only to be told you have a an attitude about it. BTW! I appreciate and LOVE all of you that have supported us over the years. I hope you are all blessed!
I am not a proponent of illegal downloading. I think we do quite a bit to try to make up for illegal downloading and the whole world finds ways to justify it. But lets call a spade, a spade. If you download something without getting permission or paying for it, you’re stealing. So i’m curious, what do you think? Whether you are a photographer, a software developer, musician, artists, etc. Or if you are not a creator, just a downloader. How do you feel about unauthorized downloading of intellectual property?
Hit me!
How would you feel if your car was stolen, and then it was still there in the morning? Oh right, you wouldn’t notice. Piracy is making copies, stealing is taking the original. Illegal downloading doesn’t “cost” anyone anything, although it does cause them to gain less. Just think of it as free publicity
I disagree. Even if its piracy, its still just another word for stealing.. only with piracy you’re just doing it over and over and over again. Illegal DOES cost the artist something.. they’re NOT getting paid for ANY of the hard work and dedication that went into making a record. So, yeah.. they’re getting ripped off. Let’s don’t paint with too broad a brush here! Any of the stuff I’ve ever gotten from Norma Jean or Luti (back in the day), I’VE BOUGHT with my own $.
Free publicity? Those are fancy words for stealing. It’s not free publicity because it’s TAKING money from the artist. I deleted my WHOLE library after reading something like this, they don’t deserve money being taken from them.
I’m in a small, local band from Indiana named We The Creator. We invested quite a bit of money into recording our 5-song EP and we worked very hard on it for a long time. Once it was finished, we thought about selling hard copies, but decided against it, only to allow the free downloading of our EP on multiple forums/blogspots. We wanted to get our music out there seeing as we’re not a big band, and none of us have a problem with giving it away. I can see where Norma Jean is coming from seeing as they are a big band that has put out multiple records and that the income from their record sales is probably how they make their living. If you really like a band and want to see them continue, support them and buy the CD.
I will frame this response in regards to Cory/Norma Jean, but it applies across the board.
I discovered Norma Jean on purevolume in 2005. I bought their records. I own them all on CD, and I also purchased The Almighty Norma Jean boxset of vinyl re-releases. I even bought the re-release of O’God, post grammy nomination. I’ve bought t-shirts, hoodies, stickers and buttons. I consider myself a fan of what they do.
But that twitter rant sounds like Lars Ulrich to me, and there’s nothing punk rock about that. Perhaps the “normal” fan isn’t privy to the typical logistics involved with artist royalties on record sales. But to assume these guys are missing house payments because of “illegal downloading” seems far-fetched at best, absurd in all reality. I don’t know what kind of deal they have, but I’d venture to guess they’re making PENNIES on the dollar in physical sales. Sure, its potential income lost, but not anywhere near the lions share of an artist/bands income. Its an old, dated way of thinking and for a band who exist solely in the digital age, its a shame to see it permeate the way they behave and run their band.
These guys make their money on tour, letting their songs play in video games and action films, and peddling their wares at the merch table. NO BAND MAKES MONEY ON PHYSICAL SALES; the record company they signed with does.
These guys had a chance to do something different and regain control of their destiny. They were free from a recording contract and truly indie. If they have the fanbase they seem to assume they have, they could have stayed indie and used the obvious tools (facebook, bandcamp, noisetrade etc) to remove the middle men who are the ones ACTUALLY taking undeserved money from the nest-eggs of the band members. But, they singed with a different label. Missed opportunity, in my opinion.
These guys are established. They have a solid and dedicated fanbase after a decade of constant touring and reliable music and creativity. They could have become creative. A monthly singles subscription for their diehards that is 120 dollars a year? Special incentives for shows, special merch, demos and b-sides, pre-release tracks? The sky is the limit when you are in sole control and have no middle men to answer to. The only thing stopping your creativity and interaction is yourselves.
But, to be stuck on the idea that your fans are stealing from you is dated, invalid and basically prudish. The band exists in the digital age. The sooner they, and everyone else realize that the people having your music and sharing it outweighs the PENNIES on the dollar they lose from physical sales, the better. Imagine a kid in rural nebraska having wi-fi but no place to buy your obscure hardcore bands record? Would you rather him find the torrent, embrace it and drive 3 hours to the show where he buys all the merch he can, or, alienate him with your cryassing and watch him move on to a new band that aren’t whining about MONEY?
This is a new era in music; the way it is created, distributed, shared and experienced. The sooner the phrase ILLEGAL DOWNLOADING dies, the better. Make your music free, or give your fans a reason to want to pay you for it. Cut out the hangers on who collect a check, and connect directly to the core of your people. They will HAPPILY pay you for your work if they believe in you. Let the fringe fans “steal” from a torrent site and hope they come out and buy a MARKED UP HOODIE and enjoy the 18 bucks in pure profit you just made. Most of all, get on with being creative; not just in your songs, but in how your survive as an artist in the new age.
Its rock and roll; if you are in it to get rich, get out.
This guy knows what’s up.
This dude’s got it right. If you want to support the band, buy merch. Buying their music really only supports the label.
I cant speak for the ppl who have access to actual hardcopies but when u rlive in a country that does not have a big music store ot Metalcore is not a recognized/accepted genre of music and it is incredibly difficult to get a credit card for online purchase and it if i manage to get sum1 willing to use theirs to buy it the shipping is nearly 3 times the cost of the album it is much easier to download online…Im a big fan if i have a reasonable opportunity to support the band i will..However if bands came to less popular countries id have the opportunity to buy it and a freakin T-shirt.
So if ur illegally downloading and u enjoy the stuff and u have access then support ur band and buy it…thats all folks
So, I’m very conflicted about this. Yes, the bottom line is if you download something illegally, you’re getting something for nothing, and it IS stealing something because someone, whether the artist or the record label, paid money to make the original product, they made an investment, expecting a return.
If it was the old days, and you put the record out and it didn’t sell, oh well. No one was listening to it. But today, you can’t find a store to put the record in, you put it online, and you hope you can sell some copies. Unfortunately, you can guarantee that someone will pirate it. The question is, do you rant about it, or do you embrace it? The old saying goes, if you can’t beat them, join them. Guess what, you won’t beat them. Give up.
We’ve seen several “name your own price” albums, we’ve seen some innovative stuff. Some of it’s worked, some of it hasn’t. But what if you could put your music out there, and let people pay you for it after the fact? What I’ve seen going on that I really like is this:
http://get.airbornemusic.com/
There has to be a happy medium. More people are listening to more music than ever before. There are more ways to discover things online than ever before. The old model of the music industry is gone. It’s toast. It was great while it lasted, but the gatekeepers have been slain, and if you want to make music and make a living doing it, you have to sort through the bloody mess and figure out how to do it for yourself, because the record companies won’t sign you and help you unless you’re a sure thing, that means you have to develop yourself for yourself, they won’t do it any more. So do you really need a record company at all?
Downloading is Pandora’s box for the music industry. Remember, the box was opened and horrible things were lt out. Then it was slammed shut before hope could escape. All of the stuff that’s come out so far has been bad, we have to find the good, because we can’t put it back now, it’s too late.
well to some extent i agree with the first comment. Why? Because most people would not buy what they download.
While it’s a band’s handcraft, i think it’s ridiculous if musicians today really think they will make money just by selling their music. Like every other industry, bands and labels have to adapt to the digital era. Some People think that they do this, by putting up their stuff on itunes and that’s it, but that doesn’t do the job.
Bands should stop whining about people downloading their music. There are plenty of ways for bands to make money, like merch, touring with guaranteed fees (or even better: setting up all the shows by themselves just with local partners for promotion), licensing, sponsorships. Digital Revenue streams like advertising on their homepage, a youtube partner account and so much more, i’m only getting into the basics right now. Bands tend to see this stuff as promotion to sell their music and if you target an older audience, that might work. But if you target a younger audience it’s more like your music is promotion to make other revenue streams work.
I’m a cheap person, so the music I would take like that, I wouldn’t buy anyways. So I’m not taking from that person, because they weren’t gonna get anything anyways. And it is good publicity. I play it at work, and tell friends about them. Then THEY purchase the music.
My opinion :
Without illegal downloading, I would never have known Norma Jean back in the days… But thanks to it, I’ve gone to their shows, bought like 4 tshirts and shared the CD to friends who have done the same.
So, sorry for being rude, but STFU and appreciate the fact that your fans are here thanks to illegal downloading and don’t deny it. The fact that you’ve been able to tour the world shows well that you’ve been treated well enough.
Illegal downloading is what’s made the underground scene bands able to tour worldwide or else you would’ve had to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to do a worldwide marketing campaign like most of the MTV artists out there! So be happy that people took your songs for free, and shared them for free, and drove their friends out to the shows and paid to see you… You actually have fans working for you and you’re being total tools cos’ you can’t see it and your thinking MONEY over PLEASURE and PASSION…
Anyways, that’s MY opinion…
Yes, torrenting/downloading/whatever is illegal. That’s that. I know they may be considered “pennies on the dollar,” but money adds up. Record labels also may determine a band’s worth based on how many album sales they can rack up. Touring does bring in the most money for bands these days, but there’s no way that CD sales (or lack thereof) are entirely inconsequential. That just seems silly. If you love the band, you support them, regardless if they’re record is $12 (probably even cheaper at a show). Downloading is easier, however, so I understand how appealing it is. I’ve bought every Thrice, August Burns Red, Enter Shikari, and many, many, many more records, b-sides, EPs, singles, and every other music they dish out because I love these bands and I want to support them. But hey, that’s me.
I Illegally downloaded every Haste the Day record I could find when I first heard them (sorry Mark!). Without that outlet I would have never discovered their music, would never have gone to any of their shows, purchased my sweatshirt, three shirts, four album/dvd hard copies, or farewell tour posters which I actually have framed on my wall now.
I feel no guilt in illegally downloading. As a musician myself I understand the most valuable thing is exposure, not sales. I sell shirts to recoup the cost of production just so people see our name. I’ll offer a demo for free or an EP for $1 and even throw in a sticker. You bringing a friend to the next show is far more valuable.
I’d rather have a new fan for life than a dollar in my pocket that was never there to begin with.
dude everyone does u cant seat their and say u haven’t stole anything cause u be lieing and what eles can u do shut down every website that has illegal music on it. its the 21 century
Thought #1- It takes money to make money. A band can’t continue to tour, produce records, or give their time and effort to the world if they aren’t making money through all sales; merch, concerts, AND their music. Most projected budgets and incomes are based on prospective buyers of again, ALL their sales, music included which leads to
Thought #2- If you want a band, or for that matter a TV show or movie franchise to continue at ALL, you have to help them out by paying for stuff. That’s just the way it is. You can justify it by saying “oh, well they should just be used to it by now” and “you’re never going to stop it so embrace it”, etc. but the fact remains: a band can’t exist without income and it takes ALL sources of that income to remain in business.
Thought #3- the numbers. Someone up above posted that the artists make only pennies to the dollar for every cd/song sold. So, let’s assume that’s 3 pennies for every dollar. That’s 30 pennies for every $10 cd. Let’s say you download the cd and share it with 2 friends who share it with two friends etc. until 1000 (and that’s a REALLY REALLY low estimate of stolen cds btw) people over 6 months (6000 cds, yes still a really low estimate) have the music illegally. That’s $1800 dollars worth of hard work stolen from them. If someone took $1800 twice a year from your paycheck, you’d be pissed too. Hell, if someone took even $100 a year from my paycheck I’d be pissed. Wouldn’t you?
Meremaddux;
The point I was making is this; its the wrong battle for this guy to be pissed off and tweet-screaming at his fans about.
Yell at Solid State for letting them track on costly analog tape (O God).
Yell at Ross Robinson for probably netting 10K a song in production fees.
Yell at managers, PR reps, publicists, web designers, retailers and label heads for dipping into the pot.
Do you think Chino Moreno didn’t ask for his publishing and production fees for the tunes he created with them?
Yell at the mix/mastering engineers for their fee.
Yell at ANYONE besides your fans!
Rock and roll is a rebellion against those that try to stop it; the managers, the promoters, the people who try and silence the jams. The fans are the only people in your corner and they don’t think you are a neat guy; THEY WANT YOUR MUSIC. Give it to them. If its as awesome as you think it is, it will come back to you in dollars.
If Norma Jean walked into a restaurant and the waiter forgot to charge them for their drinks, something tells me they aren’t bringing it up to the manager of the establishment. They’re gonna call it Karma and get back in the van (bus?).
I took an Audio Engineering class in school last year, and my teacher had a very interesting take: he let his kids download an album illegally for a week. If they liked it, they had to go buy it. If they didn’t, then they didn’t waste any money.
I think this is an awesome approach as often times, bands don’t make as much money as we realize. I know Oh, Sleeper is infinitely smaller than Norma Jean, but they posted a blog awhile back that tallied all of their earnings at it was under 15 dollars a day. They had to pay for food with that money as well.
While it probably has benefited Norma Jean by getting new fans to some degree, it’s essential to pay for music, so the band can continue to stick around.
Matt Hamilton: I too saw that article. My husband is a HUGE Oh, Sleeper fan and he was the one that actually showed me that article. I think fans are taking advantage of bands by not paying for their music however, as Oh, Sleeper mentioned, when you buy the merch/music from their merch tables at concerts, etc. is when they actually see revenue from the fans. As for wether or not “taking advantage of opportunities afforded you by people supplying music for free” is wrong… it is. To me, this is black and white however, I understand the thinking behind the other arguments. If it’s already there, why not take advantage?!
Eli Chastain: Yes, it’s wrong to only tweet-battle (lol) the fans (I agree that “everyone else” is also to blame) but true fans support their artists in whatever way they can and don’t just assume that if the artist is good, dollars will just magically come back to them.
Summation: There is a lot more wrong with the music industry these days than simply “fans” not paying for music BUT we (as fans) should do what we can to support the artists we love!
to Cory of NJ, we dont owe you anything, get over it, you should just be thankful what you have got, gotten and have on you right now, there are alot of people who would die to be on the spot your in right now, stop complaining about this shit and go a play a song live or something, and so if i steal/download the first album norma jean made, then you come across to me take my money and say you stole our first album now this belongs to me, nah man you dont own this cash since you weren’t even on the first album, get lost, my advise to you is to get a job like the rest of us and STOP FUCKING COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS, the more you work the more cash you receive, and to those who say, They cant get jobs, they’re a band, SO WHAT, just pick up a guitar, drums the bass and sing, record some shit your label cant touch, sell it on gogoyoko, bandcamp, itunes or even amazon, nuff said. p.s. cory nobody’s going to listen to artist complaining about the theft of their music, this will never stop, its your own fault, as long as computer, the internet, the cyberzone electric verse of this light is still on, nothing will change,
It’s hard to be lengthy on a phone but I support downloading and appreciate what it has done for me both as an artist and a music lover. I am quite proud of my music collection and find that the music I keep coming back to, although illegally downloaded, I once owned on cd. I don’t find a lot of bands on the regular that move me to join their movement and buy all of their stuff. I do keep rediscovering my idols and download their catalogs because my CDs are in a barn a few states away. I hate the quality of mp3 which should also be considered. You’re not usually getting the full price product in your illegal transaction.
I personally found the best torrent sites for music and uploaded every EP I have played on with proper links and photos to our bands sites. One EP has had over 200 downloads and I still make sure it’s seeding as often as I can. I will take the loss of a potential 2000+ dollars from illegal downloading for the chance my music inspired or entertained someone. I will take the chance that I made one fan of of that and they will bring 5 friends to a show. What is one fan worth? Can’t put a price on it really. I know people who have spent >$100 over time coming to my shows and then they would bring us snacks and buy our shirts. That’s kinda priceless.
I’ve never really liked Norma Jean and bands in that genre but I respect the talent and passion many of them have. I would be quite pleased to have a career in music at their success level. Considering their genre they should know it doesn’t get a whole lot bigger and the fact that a bunch of broke christian kids are searching for their music because Skillet and Pillar just aren’t that cool is worth it to me.
I won’t elaborate too much here, but stealing is stealing. Just because it is easy to do and you won’t get penalized, does not make it ok. If you like a band, spend 10 dollars every two or three years on buying their new album, it’s the least you can do to support them. I’m sure Cory will alienate some people with his post, but, just like Lars Ulrich, he is right. It does not matter if a band is very rich and successful or completely broke and local, stealing is stealing is stealing.
i always buy songs from bands that i support. i pay for software that i use on a regular basis. if i am just getting a song to listen to because its been stuck in my head for a month straight im not gonna buy it. i will download it illegally. is it stealing? i dont like to think so because i would have just you tubed it 30 times anyway because i dont like the song enough to buy it. same thing with software. if i am just using a program once or i will just use it occasionally i dont necessarily want to buy it.
BOTTOM LINE, if your music is good enough to listen to on a regular basis, i will buy it. If you’re like Norma Jean however, i wont even download it because i like to listen to MUSIC. Not noise that makes my ears bleed.
So it’s agreed; downloading a torrent is stealing and the band doesn’t make any money when a record is downloaded from a torrent site. Yes, stealing is stealing.
Now, what does everyone do about it? Pack it in and quit making music if you can’t either handle the facts before us, or, adapt and find a way to support yourself and pursue the career path you’ve chosen in an ever expanding marketplace? Your call.
I personally love creating music far too much to quit because I might never become a millionaire. I’m willing to hedge my bet and keep pushing. Are the guys in Norma Jean? Are any of you guys?
The only thing certain in life is death and change so do you learn to change and find a way to survive or kill your own dream over money? Does your art and your belief in yourself and your music mean more to you than the potential risk of “losing revenue” because your music got seeded and someone downloaded it?
I think folks are ignoring the fact that he bitched at his own fans for something he can not stop, prevent, or control. No one owes him money; he isn’t refunding money on sold records because someone thought the Anti Mother was a piece of shit. It just isn’t a feasible argument anymore. It wasn’t in 2001, and isn’t a decade later.
Perhaps a bit of effort into finding a way to keep his band happening, his art being created, and supporting himself and his family is the more important task at hand. Diversify your work, expand your concepts about right and wrong and adapt to the environment we all are in now. The old way isn’t coming back, so we all might as well find a way to make the way we’ve got work out.
Just like Lars you can fight and fail….
The record companies should’ve teamed up with sharing sites from the get-go, instead of fighting tooth and nail (pun intended) and losing. Whether you think it’s stealing or not, you simply cannot halt technology. Fight and fuss if you want but you’ll chase your tail.
Why not think of innovative ways to create band income? Get crazy with your merch and your live show. That’s the truth anyways….the live show..
They might be getting robbed by the digital era, but the digital era is robbing me of good music as well….more than half of music out there today doesn’t deserve to be paid for. And I gotta sift through some kids that thought being in a band is “cool” with a dumb haircut, sleeve of stupid tattoos, and a computer, beat detected, over produced….come on man….so I’m gonna take a peek at your record, if I like it I’ll go see you live, if you don’t suck live I’ll buy it. Probably on vinyl with a t shirt or two…
The above was not about NJ. They’ve done well for themselves and shown longevity, EVEN IF there is only one original member…I’m sure Cory wouldn’t say anything about kids downloading the Eso-Charis record…
I think nobody gives a shit about legalities (including me) anymore.
If law enforcement aint around you’re simply going to go do it. Besides you cant tag a price on art thanks for 10 years of awesome hardcore
We’re all going to keep stealing your shit
)))
The reason artists are upset is because unlike people like taylor swift, they have families, and make next to nothing, I was talking with Matt from the classic crime, and he doesnt have much money, even after touring nationally and all, yes it is a blessing, but these guys put their heart and soul into their music, and not getting aid means they dont eat, miss a car payment, or a house payment, or that they cant buy their child gifts on christmas, wake up. Musicians arent rich anymore.
Oh there are plenty of musicians making money. Just a different market….the classic crime is not selling out arenas in 15 minutes, like Ms. Swift ….it’s a completely different demographic…
When your creating this style of music you already know it’s gonna be tough to make a living off of it. If you don’t know that your an idiot.
ALSO, they put 5 times the effort into their music as most of us do into our full time jobs.
In my world there are two kinds of downloading:
1. People who download with intention of later purchase
2. And people with no intention of purchase.
If everyone was just categorized as 1, downloading could be a blessing, but that’s just not the case.
Downloading something gives you the opportunity of listening to something before you buy it, and if it’s good, you’ll end up buying it, going to the bands shows, buying merchandise and generally supporting them. There are a lot of bands, I never would have heard of, if it wasn’t for downloading. Now I own their CDs, buy their merchandise and attend their shows.
But the problem is. I’m in group 1, at least 90% are in group 2. They download something and that’s it. Those are the people stealing!
I would love to buy the actual albums if I could, but at this time in my life, I barely have to money to survive, so if I can get the music I love for free, I take it. Yes, I’m aware it’s “illegal”, but if it was honestly as bad as everyone says, you’d think they’d be cracking down a little harder on us. Instead, there is software coming out all the time to make the downloading of this “illegal” media easier and safer for your computer. So, I don’t know. To me, it doesn’t seem all that wrong. And someday when I get on my feet, I’ll buy the actual cds and delete the “stolen” copies anyways. Money lost? Maybe, maybe not. A new fan gained? Yes.
Again everyone; I think the issue here is that there is this essence of downloading music as being “illegal”. Why is no one complaining about the robbery of the distant past? $18 dollar cd’s at Sam Goody. Digital deluxe re-issues of the same album 8 months after it’s initial release. COME ON.
Have you ever thought to ask what it actually costs to manufacture the cd everyone seems so hung up on not being able to sell anymore?
WE WERE ALL STOLEN FROM FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME.
And what goes around, always comes around.
It really is too bad for all of that we weren’t around for the era of music where advances were huge, CD’s were being sold everywhere and for huge markups, and the entire industry was able to fly in private planes, trash hotel rooms and do blow for breakfast. But, we missed it and it’s not coming back. As i’ve said in basically every post i’ve made here; ADAPT.
It’s over, it won’t ever be the same again so instead of being so angry about the money you may (or may not) have missed out on, figure out a way to make music and make it work for you and your family.
I don’t feel bad for the guy from Classic Crime and I don’t feel bad for Corey from Norma Jean; you guys made your own beds, now lie in it. If you want to get rich, come down to Nashville and learn how to write chart topping country hits or start a record label that sells hardcore records to Christian kids. Believe me, I see assholes stacking their bank accounts working in those industries all of the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2q5L8kUOtA
I have always been against downloading music, whether or not I’m paying for it
whenever I get my music I always have the physical CD for 2 reasons
1. Because if I’m going to listen to the music I’m going to give the artist the money they made for making the music
2. When you hold a CD you hold a piece of history and who youare
Hey everybody,
I didn’t read all the comments, but the main article.
I write this from my point of view, no one elses and I even can relate to Norma Jean. In 2002/2003 I became a huge Norma Jean fan. I dont exactly remember, but I think MySpace did not exist that time. I am German and christian music was not that common here, as a matter of fact, there were only a couple bands actually from germany (as nowadays…) and I needed a source for good bands. Found them on the P2P-network “soulseek”, where I found a user who shared a lot of music. Through him I got to know LOADS of bands such as Norma Jean, Comeback Kid, The Chariot, August burns red, As I Lay Dying, Squad Five-O etc… I really wanted to buy music, I did. I imported 3 Squad-Five-O albums (Fight the System, Bombs over Broadway and Self-Titled) from the us which coasted me about 120$. I waS 15 at that time and i had to use my fathers credit card. do u have 120$ at the age of 15 to spend for music..? I saved it up and it was a huge investment for me, sure worth it…but how can I as a teenager afford so much money? thats the reason i downloaded the music. The music was not sold here in germany, there was simple no store, not one in my town (hannover). It doesnt change much, its still stealing. But what I can say is that these bands changed my whole life. Every single song had an impact on me and still has. Now i live in Hamburg, I go to almost every show of the chariot, as i lay dying, comeback kid, august burns red, since they play here now. I buy merch, I buy their CDs, NOW! I am a whole different person through this music, without P2P i would never have been able to become what i am now.
I personally do not like downloading albums. I like having a physical copy with artwork and lyrics right there in front of me. I love Norma Jean and I have bought multiple albums from them.
With that being said, this rant makes me want to download the next Norma Jean album.
I kinda think of it like this…
I am In the United States military. Some people support what we do… Other’s well… do what ever… (granted I still get a pay check if people who don’t support pay taxes) If I were a casualty of war I would not blame the people who did not support me… Nor would I blame the “game” of war. I chose to do what I do. I know there is a risk of well, death, but I would not change it for anything because this is a lifestyle that I have chosen. All occupations have pro’s and con’s. I like to think we do what we do for ourselves not for the pay…
Then again who am I? I mean really? I have bought all the NJ albums and I think that I have bought “Bless the Martyr…” 4 times, the damn thing keeps getting stolen. I will gladly cough up the loot for the music I listen to. However, I know that not everyone does. I would like to say I know were NJ is comming from but I can’t. I honestly can’t.
I think in the deep screaming of NJ there is a message to those who listen and can’t getting the message out be good enough? Then again… again who am I?
I end with this… God bless Norma Jean, God Bless the Illegal downloaders, and God bless the legit purchasers…
Oh please! Another Danny Worsnop. Next he’ll be threatening his fans that he’s going to sue them for illegally downloading music. Certain artists who have these little rants just make people NOT WANT TO BUY their albums and support a jack ass. Don’t bite the hand the feeds you!
*that feeds you. oopssss
A thought just came to me, I tend to buy some stuff pre-owned to save me a bit of cash, could you say that has the same effects as downloading?
if i never downloaded your album ‘bless the martyr,’ i wouldn’t ever have appreciated your music. ever. itunes 30 second preview is a joke. bottom line is, i could either spend $7000 on the 7000 songs in my library (which is impossible for me) or i could TRULY appreciate the wide variety of music out there by listening to it daily, headbanging, getting into the music, sharing it with friends, going to concerts, widening my knowledge of music, and appreciating the true creativity that comes from the melody and percussion in a song.