Sage Francis
Self Fighteous
Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 19715
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| How RSE, Def Jux and SFR "fend off pirates" |
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The article I have posted below was printed in Boston's "Weekly Dig" last week. It addresses a press gathering or "listening party" that a Weekly Dig reporter attended for Atmosphere's upcoming album.
What a lot of people seem to be misunderstanding is that indie artists are not trying to curb piracy. Well, not exactly. What we are battling, to the best of our ability, is having an unreleased album leaked to the public 3 months ahead of time (thanks to press people leaking the album once they receive a promo.) The press typically requires that they get an album for review and publicity purposes 3 months in advance, and to be quite honest...we're at the end of our rope. The system needs to change. Slug and the people behind Atmosphere are spear heading a new method of how music gets reviewed by various publications.
We understand that people want an album as soon as they can get their paws on it. And we're all very sorry to piss on that parade. Personally, I miss the days when an album's availability was shared at the same time by the community at large. This is a shared experience, and hopefully we make it worth the wait.
The only thing that makes this slightly peculiar is that Rhymesayers is the organization that is forging the change. Atmosphere is the highest selling and grossing indie-hop unit. Besides them, Brother Ali was the highest selling independent hip-hop artist of 2007 with his "The Undisputed Truth" LP, even though it leaked 3 months ahead of time. Personally speaking, my Human the Death Dance album leaked about FOUR months before the official release date and although I would love to blame that for why only 30,000 records have been sold to date, the success of Ali's "The Undisputed Truth" probably invalidates any complaint of the sort.
In the film world, if you don't offer screenings ahead of time for movie critics to review your film it typically means you have a stinker of a flick on your hands. The public is aware of this. I think that same philosophy could easily transfer into the music world when there's a great effort for an album not to be leaked at all right up until the release date. However, as Slug explains in this article, they are testing out the waters and perhaps all of us can benefit from the results.
http://www.weeklydig.com/news-opinions/feature/200802/fending-pirates
Fending off pirates
Can independent labels fight file sharing more effectively than the majors?
By Chris Faraone
It was the most alarming email I'd received since my ex broke the engagement. The publicists for the Minnesota hip-hop dynasty Rhymesayers Entertainment announced that in order to curb illegal downloading, they would not ship promo copies of the new Atmosphere disc. Instead, the label planned listening sessions in New York and Los Angeles. Either music reviewers made the trip, or they waited for the album to hit stores like everyone else.
The significance of this embargo does not end with the fate of future Rhymesayers releases; the label's approach represents the independent music scene's bittersweet affair with online piracy. Since the onset of digital thievery, a googolplex of articles and analyses have explored how peer-to-peer technologies such as LimeWire hobble the recording industry. But until I was forced into a four-hour train ride to review a single Atmosphere disc, I never considered how file sharing specifically affects independent artists.
Back in 2003, in an article titled "Upstart Labels See File Sharing As Ally, Not Foe," New York Times writer Chris Nelson interviewed chief executives at a variety of thriving independent labels, most of whom were reluctant but willing to concede that illicit downloads generate buzz and ultimately album sales. Rhymesayers co-owner Siddiq Ali, like his contemporaries at indie-rock imprints such as Wind-Up and Vagrant, noted that his modest production costs quickly turned a profit, despite the recording industry's notorious downturn in 2001, the first time in history that total album shipments dropped.
Since that Times article, Rhymesayers has grown into one of hip-hop's largest independent imprints, having sold more than one million combined Atmosphere units alone. The label's other artists have also fared well; last year Brother Ali's The Undisputed Truth debuted at number 69 on the Billboard 200 chart after selling more than 10,000 copies in its first week. So if these guys are rising while Eminem's stock is sinking, why did Atmosphere's Slug and Ant fly across the country to play their disc for a bunch of ungrateful hipster critics? Better yet, why did I have to trek down from Boston just to hear it?
The oak-tabled conference room that Rhymesayers' distributor, Warner Music, designated for this listening session is as impersonal as fluorescent-lit corporate bunkers get. Slug isn't fooling anyone; despite his media-friendly facade, he would clearly rather be drinking at his favorite Minnesota bar—or at any bar, for that matter—than romancing a dozen writers on the 48th floor of a Manhattan skyscraper. To compensate for the irony that comes with unveiling his new working-class manifesto on 6th Avenue, he arrives in a faded green sweatshirt and a grubby beaded-out winter hat. Ant, who is hungover from the night before, doesn't even bother showing up.
"It means a lot to me that you all came down," Slug tells the bunch. "I just heard that there were certain people who—when they found out that we weren't giving out advanced copies—took offense and told us to take them off the label's mailing list. That's cool, but it's one thing to not want to waste your time with this, and it's another to boldly be like, 'Fuck you for doing it this way.' That's pretty self-absorbed."
While most of us seem amped to hear the album, it's clear that Rhymesayers' audacious publicity anti-stunt is the main attraction. After previewing Atmosphere's latest, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, I'm not the only skeptic who skips cordial questions about beats and rhymes. It's like that movie they made about the board game Clue; we're all enjoying ourselves, but none of us know why we're here.
"Do you actually feel like this is going to stop people from bootlegging?" one writer asks with a hint of disapproval. "Are you expecting it to help you sell more albums?"
"This is our way of gauging how much we would lose," Slug responds. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I feel like I'm in a position amongst my contemporaries to try something like this to see how it works. If it's not as successful as we want it to be, and we can say that it's definitely because of this, then we'll have learned a lesson and all of my friends can look at it and say, 'I'm not doing what those idiots did.'
"But if this does work," he adds, "then everybody can use the model. It's not the most creative approach, but it's a step toward coming up with something."
In the frenzy that's ensued since the 2000 Napster trials, major and independent record companies have taken innumerable measures to combat piracy. Since a lot of music leaks through the press, some labels watermark their advanced discs so that they can trace ripped files to the culprit. Some publicists send out cassette tapes, while others include "speed bumps"; the CDs I get from New York indie-rap imprint Def Jux pause in the middle of every track to remind me that "this promo copy belongs to Chris Faraone."
"The promo versions of the albums that we send out to the press have me speaking over the chorus of each song," says Sage Francis, an independent hip-hop icon and owner of the Rhode Island-based Strange Famous Records. "And we wrote a note in blood to each reporter saying something to the effect of: 'Hey ... this not is not written in people blood. It is written in puppy blood. The puppy is not dead. YET. If this album gets leaked then I guess we know where you stand on animal rights.'"
In 2000, about 14,000 songs were being downloaded every minute from Napster, the pioneer file-sharing program founded by Northeastern student Shawn Fanning. Eight years later—despite the occasional Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) arrest rampage choking out a large percentage of the problem—the overall threat remains significant and less traceable. Last year a report by the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) estimated that "as a consequence of global and US-based piracy of sound recordings, the US economy loses $12.5 billion in total output annually."
But the demand for music seems to be increasing; a recently released report from SoundScan—which surveys both major and independent labels—noted that unit sales of downloads and discs increased by nearly 15 percent in 2007. The Business Software Alliance's annual Youth Downloading Study found that the number of kids, age eight to 18, who illegally downloaded music last year dropped to 36 percent (from 60 percent in 2004).
The findings of such studies are vehemently contested because there are no straight answers. The sheer breadth of our file-sharing universe makes it impossible to track illegal downloads. Furthermore, studies such as IPI's "The True Cost of Sound Recording Piracy to the US Economy" don't account for copies that are pirated before an album is released. And for independent artists, advanced leaks are the real problem.
"I'm not so worried about losing sales and downloads," Slug says. "If people are going to download the record, they'll just do it the day after it comes out. For me it's more about the anticipation. A lot of my friends put out records, and by the time the record actually drops and they go on tour, everybody is already sick of it."
Nature Sounds President Devin Horwitz, who counts MF Doom and Wu-Tang Clansman Masta Killa among his label's top artists, argues piracy leaks more than the music itself. "Word of mouth travels fast on the internet," he says. "If your album is weak the fans will find out before they even get a chance to buy it." On the other hand, Horwitz adds: "If the product is good, the word spreads fast too."
Research suggests that Horwitz and Slug's instincts are on point. A 2007 study commissioned by the journal Management Science concluded that "minor labels have adapted better to technological and market changes, and have in fact utilized file sharing networks and other nontraditional methods to popularize their albums," resulting in "a narrowing of the advantage held by major labels."
By subtracting early leaks from the equation—a tactic the majors have unsuccessfully attempted for years—Rhymesayers is poised to narrow that advantage further. Majors are still hemorrhaging money and blaming illegal downloads. Just this week EMI announced that it was cutting 2,000 jobs in its "struggle to respond to the challenges posed by a digital environment."
"Let's face it, I'm going to be almost 40 by the time I put out another record," Slug says. "At that point, if I'm not rich, I'll show up at the next listening party with a bomb and take all of you motherfuckers out."
That sounds like a good last-ditch strategy, but I'll always miss the good old days when rappers just sent grenades in the mail. |
Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:03 pm |
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Dyss
Joined: 05 Sep 2002
Posts: 1515
Location: SWE |
Interesting read. Atmosphere is definitely gonna get less coverage in magasines when doing something like this. Just two listening sessions feels too little and music reviewers probably gonna choose to review something else. It is going to be interesting to see how this turns out. People really need to start buying their CDs. |
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Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:21 pm |
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malpractice
post haste
Joined: 09 Sep 2007
Posts: 1706
Location: ohio |
Dysslecktick wrote:
People really need to start buying their CDs.
im too lazy to come up with my own thoughts today, so im just going to agree with everyone else. seriously though, if people werent so fucking ungrateful about their music and would just buy it like a respectable fan, we wouldnt even need these "creative solutions". |
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Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:39 pm |
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PHIL LACIO AKA P DAWG
the godfather of troll
Joined: 18 Oct 2002
Posts: 4825
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I think this is a good move, the people who listen to independent hip hop or most music for that matter aren't waiting on entertainment weekly to give it a review to hear if it's good, they're going to go on to message boards and websites if they want to hear feedback on it.
the 3 month promo advance for reviewers was the status quo for a long time , things have changed in the digital/internet age
magazine publication reviews are pretty much irrelevant nowadays. |
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Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:45 pm |
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Dyss
Joined: 05 Sep 2002
Posts: 1515
Location: SWE |
PHIL LACIO AKA P DAWG wrote:
I think this is a good move, the people who listen to independent hip hop or most music for that matter aren't waiting on entertainment weekly to give it a review to hear if it's good, they're going to go on to message boards and websites if they want to hear feedback on it.
the 3 month promo advance for reviewers was the status quo for a long time , things have changed in the digital/internet age
magazine publication reviews are pretty much irrelevant nowadays.
But getting exposure in magasines isnt for the already initiated. It is a way to get in touch with more people. |
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Sun Mar 09, 2008 5:27 pm |
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mindtoast
Joined: 02 Jan 2004
Posts: 617
Location: australia |
i think this will work for the most part cos atmosphere are so popular magazines and such will have to bend to demand. people wanna hear about that ish. this model wouldn't work so well for smaller acts.
there could still always be leaks from the mastering and manufacturing plants. |
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Sun Mar 09, 2008 7:11 pm |
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Sage Francis
Self Fighteous
Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 19715
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mindtoast wrote:
i think this will work for the most part cos atmosphere are so popular magazines and such will have to bend to demand. people wanna hear about that ish. this model wouldn't work so well for smaller acts.
I agree. This model is for acts who have above average popularity. Acts that the press is already hungry to cover. Acts who have already made a name for themselves and acts who the press know their readership will most likely be interested in.
mindtoast wrote:
there could still always be leaks from the mastering and manufacturing plants.
That's not where leaks originate from, so I can't really agree with that at assessment at all. |
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Sun Mar 09, 2008 7:15 pm |
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Lants
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 2055
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for starters, they need to stop calling them "music pirates".
people like pirates because pirates are cool. |
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Sun Mar 09, 2008 7:56 pm |
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C.R.A.Z.Y
Joined: 18 Feb 2008
Posts: 2382
Location: windchestertonfieldville, iowa |
holy shit. i didnt realise atmosphere was so big and popular. wow. i'm impressed. well, i am proud to live in mn where an artist would attempt to set a precedent as such.
and on another note congratulations! |
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Sun Mar 09, 2008 8:07 pm |
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numpsy
Joined: 17 Feb 2004
Posts: 300
Location: King of Prussia, PA |
This is a good move I believe. He'll get enough press for the album just by choosing to do it in this unorthodox way. Slug says the fans can become sick of the album by the time they begin touring, and I agree in a sense. When an album is downloaded early enough, that person stashes it in their rotation after a month or two, and is able to come back to it when going to the show and loves it that much more if they enjoyed the CD. |
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Sun Mar 09, 2008 8:29 pm |
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redball
Joined: 12 May 2006
Posts: 6133
Location: Northern New Jersey |
I was disappointed when I read that this happened in a board room. Slug should have been in a bar... with the dirty dozen reporters. They could have rented the back room of any number of bars in the city for very little money. To add more irony, my point is that the listening was missing atmosphere. |
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Sun Mar 09, 2008 8:33 pm |
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al(phonic)
Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 699
Location: maine |
i think tool did this with their last album.
i refuse to listen to albums before they come out and i dont download...and i dont listen to critics' reviews anyways, but i like this method. glad atmosphere is going about it this way.
shouldve been in a more fitting place, though, as someone said. |
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Sun Mar 09, 2008 10:57 pm |
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DM
Joined: 05 Jul 2002
Posts: 6374
Location: www.NERDTORIOUS.com |
I think this is a good idea that can work well.
As far as reviews go-- promos aren't just for reviews, reviewers. Lots of times, writers have to hear the promo in order formulate questions about the new record. And, almost all the time, artists just wanna talk about their new record. So this might stall that process, but reviews are more for the subscribers than the lay person who randomly picks up the magazine anyways.
My only complaint is that the listening parties aren't spread out enough. I would've heard the new Atmos cd by now, but I don't live near a big city, say Chicago, NY or LA.
Any word on the "dropping the reciepient's name in the promo" method? Def Jux does that, and I think it was working well for a while. |
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Sun Mar 09, 2008 11:35 pm |
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seandaley
passive aggressifist
Joined: 13 Jan 2003
Posts: 1537
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redball wrote:
I was disappointed when I read that this happened in a board room. Slug should have been in a bar... with the dirty dozen reporters. They could have rented the back room of any number of bars in the city for very little money. To add more irony, my point is that the listening was missing atmosphere.
well, actually...
we did do it in a bar the night before, at the old brownies.
i forget what it's called now. this is where we give the journalists free booze and play the album for them twice. then they are invited to a boardroom the next day to relisten to it twice without distraction. this particular writer probably couldn't make the trip from boston the night before, as well as buy a hotel room to stay for the next day. very inconveinient. and it's unfortunate.
in l.a. we did the bar the night before, same style. forgot the name.
and the next day, ant and i rented a minivan where we drove 3-4 writers around at a time (3 times with a different squad each time). this was amazing. everyone listens to music better in a car. bird went to urb to play it for a writer in his own surroundings.
in berlin we played it for about 20 writers/promoters/retailers in a bar, twice.
and then did interviews.
in paris, we rented a recording studio for a few hours, and played it for 15 writers and gave them beers and nodded our heads a lot since none of them spoke english. well, two of them did.
in london, we played it in a bar for 10 writers, and everyone actually was quiet and listened. they did not socialize at all. then they took turn interviewing us.
in koln, we played it in the backroom of a bar for the only three people that showed up, but they were the right 3 people. then they took turns interviewing us.
in stockholm we played it for about 15 writers in a bar who came to listen and then interview us.
in toronto, we played it in a bar for about 20 writers/retailers. and we did one at a time listens through headphones in one hotel room, as soon as the listen was done, they came to the other room to interview us.
we go to austin to do the same thing this week. one night in a bar, one day in a boardroom.
this approach is expensive as fuck.
but the results will be worth it. as for coverage, all of the big mags have been sending us coverage. it's almost like, us acting as if we are big enough to pull this approach off, has made everyone believe we are big enough to pull this off.
there will be mags that usually touch us that won't due to how inconveinient this is for them, i understand, and it is unfortunate. but for the most part, i am happy with the results. but i def like this way more than sending off a jillion promos to any hack with a blog. it's mostly real legit mags that are coming at us for a story.
spin, ap, xlr8r, and some others have actually flew writers to minneapolis so they can listen to it in my car while i drive them around my city. i pick them up at the airport (minutes from my house), i drive them around and play them the album, and then i drop them back off at the airport, same day. they don't even spend the night. one writer i took to camp snoopy so we could ride the rollarcoaster while waiting for their departure time.
i am getting a shitload of positive feedback from writers who were glad they heard it in my car, or minivan, or headphones, or anywhere they could concentrate. no cats/phones/emails/gfriends/bfriends/dishes/moms. they sit and read along with the lyrics and it's fucking awesome. very validating.
the bar thing is dope, because while it's playing they socialize and drink. and have a decent time.
then the next day they come into a room and hear it again, and they are semi-familiar with the sounds already, and they already associate the sounds with a possible good time they had the night before.
feels like a coup.
even though i know it's not.
it's just anthony and i figuring out how to have as much fun as we can while doing our job.
when i'm done i will share my thoughts and experiences and receipts with whoever asks. and yes, i don't think this is an approach for a new artist. it's more expensive than if groundhog day were to occur at sxsw. |
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Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:04 am |
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seandaley
passive aggressifist
Joined: 13 Jan 2003
Posts: 1537
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DM wrote:
As far as reviews go-- promos aren't just for reviews, reviewers. Lots of times, writers have to hear the promo in order formulate questions about the new record. And, almost all the time, artists just wanna talk about their new record. So this might stall that process
actually, it's been awesome.
the folk who i'm doing phoners with, who have not heard the album, have been going the extra mile to be more creative with the stories they are working up. it has been waaaaaay more interesting than my past press cycles.
a. they have not heard the record.
b. there is no point doing bio shit on us anymore.
c. neither of us have been arrested on any felony charge (no hot story)
so they are challenged to come up with 500 words about something other than.
and it has been pretty fucking fun so far.
i'm into it, and most of the writers i have done phoners with have been genuinely appreciative of the chance to do something different.
today i spoke to vapors about robots and china and god knows what else, for an hour. and it was an amazing conversation. nothing to do with the album, but heh, that's ok with me.
good times my friends. |
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Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:12 am |
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