> You'll find fans of all styles of music range from poor to
> filthy rich. When it comes to the clubs, most clubs try to
> program what they think will make them the most money.
> Since the major national outlets are telling this country
> that hip hop is the music of today's generation, everyone
> wants to hear hip hop. It's no different than why everyone
> wants a Krispy Kreme, or A&F. If it's marketed as 'the IN
> thing', people want it. Remember last year when every
> stinking food commercial on tv boasted "low carbs"...that's
> cuz Mr. Dead Atkins' diet was 'the IN thing'. Well it's
> fading, perhaps his death had something to do with it, and
> now carbs are cool again.
>
> Dance music doesn't have the $ behind it in this country to
> become 'the IN thing' right now. Without the $, major
> national outlets won't give it the exposure to make it 'the
> IN thing'. Don't confuse DHT's "Listen To Your Heart" as a
> breakout dance track, the ballad version is what moved that
> record up the charts, not the dance version.
>
> You can't blame the quality of dance music either, have you
> listened to other formats. There's shi* all across the
> dial. (or channels if you're an XMer or Siriuser kinda
> person)
>
> It comes down to supporting your scene. If you like dance
> music, buy it. BUY IT. If you're rich, buy a couple.
> Labels pay attention to sales. If a club has a dance night,
> go there, dance all night, spend money. Let the club know
> that they kick ass for supporting dance music. When they
> count the $ and it measures up to the hip hop night, they
> may offer an additional night.
>
> If the labels see $ and the clubs see $, the national
> outlets will make it 'the IN thing'.
>
> It's not easy to change the status quo. If you know that
> you can make money painting houses blue, why pick a
> different color when blue is making money. You could go
> broke.
>
> Support Support Support. That's how you change. Call your
> local CHR's and request the biggest COMMERCIAL dance songs,
> not the goa stuff your cousin likes, we all know that isn't
> going to happen.
>
> Maybe in a couple of years, well see more dance songs on
> CHR's and in the clubs.
If this isn't a valid argument AGAINST using file-sharing programs to download music "for free", then I don't know what this is.
If you want Dance Music to survive, and to THRIVE, and to eventually BECOME "the IN thing" once again, using file-trading programs to download this music "for free" WON'T HELP THAT HAPPEN!!
It WON'T register as a legitimate "sale" by the companies that help to make and distribute this music! In fact, it could prove COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE to getting Dance Music "out there"!! Why? Well, it's cuz it takes MONEY for the music to be made! It costs MONEY for the Dance artists to get studio time in the recording studio. It costs MONEY for the instruments used to help make the music! It costs MONEY to hire back-up singers or back-up bands! And it costs MONEY for permission for the artists to sample other music to make the Dance Music that we hear! And let's NOT forget all the other people who work "behind the scenes" to edit the songs, to tweak the songs, and to re-produce them for distribution! And finally, there's the costs for advertising and promotion of said music!
NONE OF THAT comes "for free"!!
If you want your "preferred" type of music to THRIVE, then you MUST BUY that music, whether that is in the record stores (like Sam Goody, Camelot Music, or other stores), the big chain-stores (like Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, etc.), or even the legal downloading sites (such as Apple's iTunes, RealOne's Rhapsody, CD Universe, or Microsoft's Windows Media).
And it REALLY costs only a MERE DOLLAR to download a song off most of these legitimate download services, and sometimes, they even offer specials to customers to get songs for even LESS THAN A DOLLAR!!
But that is a SMALL PRICE to pay when you consider what it does for the Dance Music scene! It registers as a legitimate "sale", and it helps pay for all that described above. If enough people purchase the music, it'll help create a BUZZ on the street about it, and more people will purchase the music!
Yes, I understand the arguments for how people "think" they're "entitled" to get their music "for free" off file-trading services.
But all that will do is DAMAGE the very music that we want to THRIVE in the industry!
So, next time you consider getting your next Dance Music track off a file-trading service, PLEASE consider instaed PURCHASING that song on a legitimate download service, cuz that MERE DOLLAR will go A LONG WAY towards HELPING out the Dance Music scene!!
DeanSB<P ID="signature">______________
Dance Music RULEZ!!
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