How do you think teens did in the late 90's ? Back to this time my grand brother was just as old as you are now and started being in death and black metal, and though he had almost no money, he spent his entire money (which was really few at that time, maybe something like 100 or 150€ a year) in cds and t-shirts. You got to make choices : you can't afford to go to cinema, travel through the world, drink alcoohol AND buy music when you're a student. How to be sure to buy a good album without downloading it ? Just as Leon said, listen to the samples !!! Ask anyone who started to listen to metal before the internet, he'll have tons of cd sample (I don't know the exact words in english, this is how we call it in french) he got by buying the magazines. Even with one or two songs, ANYONE can know if an album will be good or not, no need to download it ! The internet is the best way to discover brand new bands who wouldn't even have been mentioned in the white and grey pages of the most confidential fanzine, but even quite unknown bands were highlighted as long as their music was good (I discovered Mithras when WBTV went out, I didn't have the internet at that time), which had the virtuousness of letting the worst bands at the "garage level" they should never have left.
I fully agree with what Leon said, downloading and even worse, uploading music is the last thing you should do if you want to support a band.
As part of a webzine, I got to say that this shitty trend of free music made our task even harder, although some might think it didn't. It pissed labels really bad that some of those who write reviews ("reviewers" ? once more, I don't know the word) uploaded the albums weeks before they went out - which I totally understand, I don't blame labels for this. But the consequences were terrible : first we had voiceovers (just try to do a correct review when you hear YOU'RE LISTENING TO THE LAST THE BERZERKER ALBUM, ANIMOSITY, AVAILABLE ON EARACHE RECORDS every 40 seconds), then "bips", half of the songs, and now promotionnal copies are available in mp3 only (Relapse Records, Nuclear Blast...). Since the watermark technique doesn't really work, all the negative aspects are for the guy who writes the review only (as many people who listened to music before the internet, I HATE to listen to mp3), and the review isn't as precise/good as it should be. That's why part of webzines I know simply refuse the promotionnal mp3, and focus on the little labels which still send cds. As far as I'm concerned I don't review mp3 either, except when an unsigned band ask me to do so, and I only review the very good albums from the labels who use the mp3 when I buy them... which means the promotion isn't made as soon as it should be ! And unfortunately, webzines are the main metal media by now... That's a minor problem compared to the loss of money bands and labels have to face, but unfortunately it also leads to bad repercutions on them...
I don't even know how some people I meet sometimes think they can support a band while only downloading it...They're simply killing it !
_________________
|