TALK TO ME!!!!

WELL, TO BE HONEST, I ONLY WOULD BUY A TRACK IF I CAN’T STOP LISTENING TO THE TRACK. IT HAS TO BE A SONG THAT WOULD PUT ME IN THE MOOD FOR WHATEVER, EVEN IF IT CAUSES ME TO SLEEP. MOST SONGS THAT HAVE BEEN LEAKED SUCKS LIKE DICK… SOME BE IIGHT. BUT THEY ALL SOUND LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE THAT’S OUT RIGHT NOW. WHY WASTE STUDIO TIME TO MAKE MIX TAPES? LOL. IT’S JUST WASTE OF MONEY AND TIME JUST TO LEAK YOUR TRACKS. THAT’S THE MOST RETARDED IDEA THAT MUSICIANS CAN EVER DO TO THEIR MUSIC. IT’S ALL COMMON SENSE. IF YOU LIKE A SONG, EVEN IF IT’S LEAKED, PEOPLE WILL SUPPORT IT, NO MATTER WHAT; I WOULD SUPPORT A LEAKED SONG IF IT’S THE BOMB. BUT IF IT SUCKS ASS, I NOT GOING TO SPEND A DIME ON THAT. I BROUGHT KEISHA COLES RECENT ALBUM, BECAUSE I HAVE LISTEN TO HER WHOLE ALBUM ON MYSPACE BEFORE I THINK ABOUT SUPPORTING THE ALBUM. MYSPACE DOES THAT NOW WHERE PEOPLE CAN LISTEN TO THEIR FAVORITE ARTIST’S BRAND NEW ALBUM UNTIL THE ALBUM HIT STORES.

That’s a really good question, I wondered about that. I recently stopped allowing music downloads on my site but I always figured it was to garner attention for a much bigger project like an album. I suppose sometimes it’s cool to give a song away for free if only it sparks interest for consumers to purchase the album. Didn’t know the song on CL was gonna be for sale.

I’m also assuming that the same goes with mixtapes? Artists will spread a few songs (looking at the bigger picture) in hopes of stirring interest for the album?

Blogs ARE the new BET and MTV, by the way, hehe.

Also Don’t Forget That Man Had Recorded Close To 90 Tracks For The Confessions LP And Concrete Loop Gets The Majority Of Their “Leaked” Music From That “hotnewhiphop.com” Site That Isn’t That Reliable When It Comes To Supposedly NEW or Leaked Tracks From Hip Hop And RnB Artists

I can only speak for myself but I don’t listen to the radio at all; I haven’t in 10+ years. Radio stations ran by big companies like Clear Channel play the same sh!t over and over again–no diversity and no real opportunity to find out about many new artists…and a bunch of commercials. I find out about music and songs because of blogs, music sites, social networks (online and offline–word of mouth) and artists’ & record label pages–even from exploring the music at the local public library here in Houston. I own literally 1000s of albums because of these mediums and I do purchase what I hear if at all possible. I know I’m damn-near the exception because most will pirate music in a minute–burn it and play it load in their cars with the DJ shouts and all, LMAO.

Boom Pow is a good example…that is one of the few i actually bought on iTunes to hear/reference the mixdown & compression freq. range. mind you, i was able to d/l the song for free elsewhere @ 192kbps all day.

anticipation used to be part of marketing, not anymore.

this is where the initial idea of the internet has becomed vague and is a grey area because the initial concet of it was to be able all different sorts of media for free and to be able to dl and share info and resources to a wider community w/o paying for it. back in the days b4 the net we were all forced to buy the shit because there was no other way to unless we copied it from a friends cd or cassette tape. and we knew that were was a marketing push behind the stuff.

but as the internet grew and deleveoped we could get stuff w.o even buying it regardless of the blogs because the freedom of sharing info has become that easy. so in a sense there is nothing that “attracts” ppl to the idea of buying stuff anymore. music and videos r the only items in the world where ppl go meh I dont have to buy it ill either dl or copy it off a friend. and music and tv hasnt done anything to make us really want to go out n buy the album from a particular artist. the only reason y sum ppl still do is because of habit and that they prob dunno how to dl or burn songs or videos. and really most ppl r just after 1 or 2 songs from a album anyway.

so now I think music and tv should really invest in how u can get us back to buying albums. I think recording companys should actually invest in graphic designers.

If this question had been about Usher specifically, I would say that he is leaking his music, so as to gain back his lost fans. The marriage to Tameka made him lose of lot of his fans, especially after he had one of his fans sites shut down. Leaking music is probably his way of re-connecting with his fan base, so they have something else to talk about other than his ex/ marriage etc. It is also a way to get them hyped about him as an artist and not focus on his personal life.
I see he is back on twitter after a long hiatus… so I may be right about him trying to re-connect with the people that made him.

If you also take a look at the people whose music has leaked the most this year, it is people who have had their images tarnished in the media.
Chris Brown and that whole DV/ RiRi case
Alicia Keys and her ‘supposed’ affair with Swizz Beatz

Mary J. Blige has an album coming out and all I have heard are her singles. Same goes with a number of artists out there.

Leaks to me occur more for artists who want the subject matter of the gossip around them to change.

ZERO. I have bought ZERO albums after listening to them on blogs. considering I only go to yours and necolebitchie i only really hear music on hers. And most of that shit is trash. EXCEPT the Reinvented Sex Remix….LOVE IT!!!!

I think the reason artist rush bloggers now is becuase they have lost the respect for their own labels. Not to put them under the bus since they still cut checks, but when you here what gets played on the radio and you as an artist feel what you have has more to offer you want to put it out there. so you take it to the label to hear the A & R tell you that’s not the hit. So you do what you have to yourself with out having to be scolded later on. sometimes it works and sometimes not. I definately will buy an album I’ve heard on a blog spot. Especially if it sounds like the ish!!!

Have a blessed day!~
GeeGee

Artists should stop leaking music cuz it’s not helping sell more records. Why buy the cow when I can get the milk, hamburger, and steak for free? They should really focus on making better music…I honestly think people are tired of spending their money on crap.

If you have an artist where $100,000,000 has been generated around them, I think they shouldn’t be subject to the opinions of the 25,000 or so music blog commentors on the net . I think YOU have to pick what the hit is gonna be, just like you been doing for years, and if a song leaks to the net that means it will be added to radio soon thereafter. Ain’t no testing the waters, cause if you keep throwing free material out there from a person who has sold millions of singles, then you’re just devaluing their product. Now if its a unknown artist who has never moved units in the marketplace b4 – you can throw a few songs out there to see which one sticks because you can only appreciate in value when starting from zero.

I remember when I 1st seen that Nice and Slow video by Usher. I was like look at lil Usher, speaking a foreign language, fighting over a broad. That visual to the audio is what helped make it a #1 single in my mind. Now look at the movies he been in, sum alright little roles, but those visuals ain’t advanced his position at all. He need to make like an action- thriller type movie or something, be the main character where the plot revolves around him. His name should still spark enuff interest. Because the music industry ain’t treating old acts too kindly.

The computer experience of music is a lesser one. You can’t compare a person clicking on a button and hearing a new tune on their $10 PC speakers to hearing that tune for the 1st time on radio in their ride or home entertainment system.

I don’t think it’s a good idea to leak tracks that might be on the album or a single before you release to radio. I think what you are hinting at JD is don’t put stuff on the blogs or the net for free just make people buy it. I see you did that with Dondria new single. You have not put it the full track on Youtube. Even though I have heard the track on blogs. I think the Black Eye Peas is a bad example though because they are a pop acts not a hip hop act. The bottom line is with Pop those people buy on Itunes because it’s just easy for them to buy on iTunes. It just like how Drake has sold 200k on a free mixtape but your average person out there don’t know where to find the free version. That ish don’t work for a track that don’t crossover. I do think tracks heard on the radio, people value more, than a track heard on the internet. Radio legitimizes a track.

I think as far as your friend goes, alot of times when people hear something for the first time it can be seem wack until you hear it in rotation on radio.

I agree. For an established artist its not really necessary to send the leaks to blogs. They might as well leak em to radio dj’s if its just a buzz record. BUT with all honesty Ushers situation is a lil diff. His last album imo is my least fav of all his albums, . So he has a lot of ground to cover because he left a lot of fans anticipating another classic to follow up Confessions. The 2nd single was moving mountains…where they do that at?? Shoulda been Trading places. So for him to gain back that initial following fans want/need to know which usher they’re gonna hear on the next album. So if he’s leaking cuts that arent gonna make the album cut but they’re good songs its gonna be a positive for him esp if its what we’re used to hearing. R&B & hip hop is 2 totally diff businesses & artist need to stop trying to market the genres the same way….that aint it…… I wish exec’s would start picking singles better . Same shit w/ MC, her last 2 albums had some ballads that couldve really went beyond but the single selection was horrible.

untill artist start making music people like, there will always be bootleggers.. i have not bought a retail album or listen to the radio in over 10 years. File sharing software is what getts you busted. if you know how to use Google you can find any album out for free!

I’m more likely to buy it after hearing it on the radio a few times and liking it…I would buy a song that i heard on a blog if i was really feeling the song but then to me it all comes down to the music…Dont think its necessarily the best idea to leak songs on blogs tho cuz suppose ppl arent feeling the song? they may be less likely to buy the cd!

Yes I have bought an album after a sound has leaked. I agree with $avy Da Boss.

I think if you really like the artists you will support them no matter what song leaks out or if you really like the single that got leaked you will buy the whole CD…. or mybe thats just me…??
Also the same can go for Mixtapes…..why put out a mixtape and then put out a CD…..to me both draws in new and old fans to buy the CD.

wat up jd for the most part all the songs i see on blogs i acutally buy the albums when they drop! i dont think its cool to never buy music! i am a music fien so i have 2 purchase the music i listen 2~ i usually use the music on blogs as a lil sample of what i am getting once i buy the album! it goes back 2 the convo u had the other day why are rap and r and b albums leakin while other artist in other genres dont leak or to the lvl that urban artist do! i still support artist by buying music!

I have not purchased a Album in years people may get them for me or something but for me music isn’t good so why waste my money on something that is not good I think in the past 2 years I have only brought myself 3 which was 2 Janet albums including the best and the Maxwell album and I like all three then soon in a few days I’m going to get the robin thicke album after hearing sex therapy I cant wait for that album to come after hearing bad habits by maxwell I was out to get his album. And you know janet with all her countless hits I got that

I can honestly say that I’ve bought cds after hearing some of the leaks. Specifically, I got Trey’s “Ready,” Chris’ “Graffitti,” Chrisette Michelle’s “Epiphany,” Melanie Fiona “The Bridge.” This method cuts both ways though, if the music isn’t good, folks won’t buy it.

it depends..the song that it being leaked or sent to the blogs has to catch me it has to make me say “ok i want this on my iPod” but before i buy the albumi have to hear at least 2 songs before i say “yes i gotta but his/her album”

I bought Jay-Z cd even though it was leaked a week before it came into the stores and i had the whole cd on bootleg. Some artist are worth suporting others are not it jus depends on how much u like the artist.

I feel the artist are being told to release those bullshit tracks to keep the real album protected since those are probably the tracks they paid to get produced. All the tracks I heard leaked have been garbage quality or tracks the labels feel aren’t gonna hurt them even thought they spent the money on them. Some artist have leaked they real tracks because they feel off the radar like J.Holliday. I mean he had 2 of the hottest R&B singles in a while and no one even knew he dropped his album today. Seems like these days mixtapes are taking over the actual label released albums. It also helps that the majority of rap artist are being bought by white suburban kids (I’m white by the way) so even if you leak it they still gone sell close to a million units if they hot artist.

If you don’t leak tracks I’m not buying your album unless your D’Angelo (In my opinion, the greatest artist of my time). I’m all over the web all the time, I live in the now and I believe that the web helps me weed out garbage music. Even if I download a whole album for free, I’m still going to buy it if its hot or if I support the artist. Ryan Leslie in my opinion does this best. He puts some of his music out ahead of the album, lets you hear him in studio and gets buy-in b4 the album drops. In this new music model nobody gives a fuck if your Usher or JayZ. You have to compete against everyone else who can push their music on the web too. I have just as many unknown artists that I have found through blogs on my ipod as I do established ones. I dont care if your Joe Blow in your bedroom making tracks. If I hear about you, download some tracks and I like it then I’m buying it as long as I can pay with paypal or on itunes. I’ve bought more music on the web then I ever did with CDs, and its because I can hear it for free first and then purchase instantly or begin following you thru social networks…… Usher hasnt’t brought the heat since Confessions, he needs to embrace the web, get back on LTL and grind it out. He still has it in him. If its hot I will buy….. If its garbage it will hit my computer recycling bin like the last Jay-Z album.

BTW- Im’a be real upset if that song Usher did with Johnta aint on the album. Something about “just the way you are” on LTL. That right there is the business.

I know Usher is busy and all but I can honestly say, if he were on LTL more often, I’d buy his album. Since he isn’t, I like his music but I don’t think I’ll be buying his new album.

I say, if you’re an Ocean, you gotta make your proper appearances on LTL.

For real I’m happy to see them do that cuz for the most things I’ve heard… I didn’t appreciate! And I was glad to know that I don’t have to go buy the album to know that! But there was a exception for one of the greatest I talk about Jay-Z and also Rihanna… For me there ain’t no bad way to promote… when you’re great, you’re great… it is what it is! People like to buy good shit!!!! But anyway, I think they can keep some, I mean much than right now for the official album! We need some surprise! For my opinion, the best thing to do is have enough songs to just make people know who you R or became, how you still great, u know! but don’t always put song that already on the final version of the album!
(I’m french hope u understand what I wrote)

So JD listen.. we ain’t got a lot of money to buy any album. there are a lot of albums, and i think they are very well done. but i don’t wanna pay this money for the album, because i think on some albums are over 16 songs, and maybe 3 of them are well, the other ones are still shit.. My homie is a dj, and he has a blog, and a lot of rnb or rap stars made a shout out for him. so i don’t know why they do this, because i think stars lose a lot of money with this blogs. holla

I am not a blog hater by any means, but to be honest some of the music that gets leaked isn’t mastered most of the time and it isn’t constructed and arranged properly. I remember when Moving Mountains leaked on Concreteloop and I listened to it I could tell it wasn’t mastered especially on the production side. The final product was 100 times better because It was finished.

Aside from that, I think leaked songs can damage an artist’s reputation. A friend and I battle between Ne-Yo and Usher as the dominant R&B male singer currently. NE-YO has a gang of songs leaked online. They may not be the best at times but majority of them are well done so it makes him look like he’s constantly working out hits . Now Usher on the other hand is a perfectionist with his work. If there is a leak of some kind that isn’t planned he is going back into the studio to do something different (8701 was leaked and he reconstructed the album). So if something is leaked and isn’t up to the artist’s quality and isn’t consistent, fans are gonna doubt the artist’s ability.

It’s like playing poker. You might have a hell of a hand but you aren’t gonna show the whole table your hand.

Ok to be honest here I don’t know anyone who ”pays” for their music anymore. I know it’s wrong and probably very annoying and aggravating to the artists but it’s just way too easy to get it for free now.