The Logic Off Topic list

Joeri wrote:

> >>Also, the quality is not as good as a real press.
Kool Musick responded with:
> >I don't think anyone's going to care too much about the quality, actually,
> >given the possible "convenience" factor!!! As with mp3's.

Joeri wrote:
>There's a difference between MP3's that are played on computers or hifi
>chains or car systems and a lacker where a DJ tries to give a creative
>performance in front of a crowd, but because of the lacker has to be
>careful that the needle doesn't jump back and forth.
>I work with DJ's almost every weekend, I can tell you many of them are
>disgusted by vinyl that causes problems.

Accepted.

However, to be honest, I don't think you're grasping the essence of the 
point I'm trying to make. Or, probably, I'm not grasping the essence of yours!!

>The cost of making a copy is more expensive than buying the original.
Also accepted.

But it seems to me that this is not the only factor here.

However ... what if the original is not AVAILABLE? Say ... for copyright 
reasons? Or because of limited distribution facilities? Example ... you 
said in another post that Japanese music was simply not available in 
Belgium. Bet there's an underground movement in it. I find it hard to 
believe there are no Japanese residents in Belgium. Isn't there an embassy, 
for example? People who work at Sony, Panasonic Nissan etc? They will have 
children. Those children will be at least minimally in touch with their own 
culture -- what their friends back home are in to. If the record companies 
won't make it readily available and this is the best alternative ... then 
... To be specific, there's a specific form of music I rather like from 
West Africa called "Hop Life". Limited market, but it's extremely popular 
amongst the youth of countries like Ghana, Sierra Leone, Mali, Ivory Coast. 
People like to do scratching with it. You just can't get it abroad. Now ... 
if I were a DJ wanting to do some scratching, I would very happily get an 
mp3 file, burn that onto some of this vinyl, and scratch with that, probably.

What about situations where getting hold of an original is virtually 
impossible, or else just monumentally INCONVENIENT to me as a consumer? The 
vinyl copies made by these machines may in a certain sense be "more 
expensive" ... but they might well end up making things that were not 
previously accessible accessible.

>The place where you have piracy in the club scene, is in the young DJ's
>who don't have any success yet and who's not playing in the big places.
>Some of them work with CD, minidisc and even laptops with MP3's. That's
>the only "competition" for vinyl there is at the moment, and even then,
>it's not big.
Yet!! People pay to go to those dances. If people can recoup the cost, by 
for example charging a bit more for their services and so raising the 
entrance fee for club members a little?????!!!!

All I'm trying to say is the same as I am saying about the mp3 revolution.

One never knows WHAT people are going to do with new technology.

Which is pretty much the problem I am having with record company rationale 
at present. They don't know WHAT people want to do with these new media. 
They just know they don't like it. They are trying to force consumers to 
stick to a certain kind of behaviour. Yet ... the essence of mp3 files is 
the ability to share, and the immense portability without too great a 
sacrifice in quality. Mp3's make it easy for me to get hold of something 
... and then to pass that something along to any of my friends who are 
interested.

Now ... at the point where it's more convenient for "me" to get hold of the 
music I want with not too great an effort, then at that point I will make 
the effort. If, however, it's all around easier for me to ask my friend to 
burn and rip then that's what "I" will do. But ... if I know that the music 
I want is readily available to me at the 7/11 simply by plugging my own mp3 
player in there for a few cents, then that is probably going to be a lot 
more convenient to me than buying an empty CD, waiting on my friend to go 
home, switch on his CD, and then burn it ... and it's probably also more 
convenient than going to visit him or her at his or her house and copying 
it off their hard drive.



>I do wonder though how CD will evolve. There are now Cd players that
>allow you to scratch as well, and those are quite flexible and allow
>things vinyl can't do.


Look here!!
http://www.stantonmagnetics.com/final_scratch/start.asp

>It started with a Pioneer CD player, but now more
>and more brands are releasing such devices. I'm curious to see how this
>will develop. This can be the only threat for vinyl.
Only threat?
I can see why you think so, but that doesn't mean your analysis is correct.
We shall see, however!!
I would rather prefer to say that the major threat comes from people 
changing their behaviour, their expectations, and what they want.
In the mean time, though, I find it hard to accept that record companies 
have got the answer to all of this, and that they are therefore justified 
in pursuing the policies they are pursuing. My opinion is simply that as 
far as consumers are concerned, the rules of the game have changed, and 
they would be obliged if record companies would wise up to this and change 
the way they are trying to do business.

Kool Musick
Keep Musick Kool


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