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Brother Ali speaks the truth on MUSIC PIRACY

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popNfresh44
Posts: 3757 - Karma: 44
as a guy who hasn't bought an album in years, this really opened my eyes. watch it if you are like me.


Sep 2 2009 3:22PM
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eheath
Posts: 61637 - Karma: 123,416
Brother Ali laying down the truth, I feel like he's gonna blow up in the next year.
Sep 2 2009 3:37PM
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JuliusJ
Posts: 3778 - Karma: 2,106
maybe he isn't blown up now but i've listened to his music for a while...
Sep 2 2009 3:47PM
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doublexl
Posts: 8407 - Karma: 27
Ya Ali was being real no doubt, and I agree with him on a lot of points, except what he said about not being able to love the music you download. Like that kid said, I couldnt afford to pay for all 8600 songs I have, but I still feel that connection with the music, and with the artist making it. I mean, im still gonna try and buy what i can (Only Bulit 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II), but im not gonna stop downloading because of what he said; even though ill definitely look at it differently now.
Sep 2 2009 3:54PM
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Bryan*
Posts: 1818 - Karma: 115
i respect that it opend up my eyes.
Sep 2 2009 3:55PM
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PacificRimJob
Posts: 24725 - Karma: 29,948
Here's my take on it.

I'll download the music. all for free, and listen to it and love it

then, when they come to San Francisco, I will go see them live, and buy some merch STRAIGHT FROM THEM. That way the money goes right to them. no middle man. no bullshit.

Trouble is, so many artists have been retarded enough not to come out here lol.
Sep 2 2009 3:58PM
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freezed
Posts: 12973 - Karma: 500
he made great points. basically summarized exactly how i feel.
Sep 2 2009 4:05PM
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TreePatroller
Posts: 612 - Karma: 23
downloading should be for finding new music, like pandora, only you get to hear it over and over, and then like he says, if you become a lifelong fan, thats when you owe it back to the artist to go out and cop the physical album.
Sep 2 2009 4:10PM
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Arabian.
Posts: 9640 - Karma: 150
Saw him live last year. Was pretty good even if I'm not a rap fan. I love the way he speaks and how he constructs his arguments /claim/respect.
Sep 2 2009 4:14PM
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Kevski
Posts: 7056 - Karma: 2,785
Well that's great to hear the artist's outlook on it.

What I usually do is I'll buy a song or an album to support the artist, then I'll dl the rest so I can experience the rest of the music that I might not be willing to buy. Then if I like it I'll continue to buy stuff later.
Sep 2 2009 4:18PM
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50in07
Posts: 3070 - Karma: 1,471
I agree with those points i usually only stal music when theres a link on ns.
Sep 2 2009 4:22PM
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Slinger1x1
Posts: 8853 - Karma: 66
I agree, but like someone said, I cannot afford to pay for all 11,500 songs i have.
I love my music, its one of my most prized possessions. i would fall into a deep depression if i lost it all (so i have made sure i wont).
music today isnt about the physical copy. Everything is on the computer and ipod. no one uses a walkman, or sterio. CD's are a thing of the past. The only CD store that i could remember was this big store in the town over called Sam Goody, it went out of business years ago.

If i were to pay for music, it would be through itunes, and im not going to do that. I don't want to give apple my money, i want to give it to the artist.

i will buy shirts and merch and concert tickets to support my favorite groups, but even if i wanted to, i dont know where i would get the physical album (besides the internet)
Sep 2 2009 5:21PM
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Sufferboy
Posts: 4241 - Karma: 122
i agree with him, but i dont have money to buy music.
Sep 2 2009 5:30PM
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jakepwilliams
Posts: 895 - Karma: 51
everyone know just watched that should really take that into consideration. in the future if there is no money for artists then everyone will stop making music. well not stop, but no one will hear it. as a musician i believe in what hes saying.
Sep 2 2009 5:59PM
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-Mugatu
Posts: 2579 - Karma: 84
I buy CD's from the "little guy" or start up band and such except its hard to find them. i could care less if i DL a Jay-Z CD or somebody who has multiple million dollar houses, riding in maybachs, and own basketball teams.  I respect them however, and if I do have the money I will buy their CD
Sep 2 2009 6:13PM
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kthnxbai.
Posts: 2847 - Karma: 179
My Dad did a video with Brother Ali and the Anti Defamation League (ADL) a few years back.  He said he was a really nice guy.  They did some kind of Question Answer Type thing with minority kids and he was there and then they shot a Music Video or something to go along with it. 

I definitely have to agree with what he said.  I always buy an Artists work that I really enjoy on itunes instead of downloading it.  But there are still songs that I just download every now and then.  Also gotta love going to a good live show.
Sep 2 2009 6:30PM
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grams.
Posts: 7406 - Karma: 186
Damn...well said.
Sep 2 2009 6:38PM
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skodeo7
Posts: 14949 - Karma: 9,234
uhhh Brother Ali has kinda been big for a while now
Sep 2 2009 6:43PM
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jnizzle
Posts: 365 - Karma: 75
Brother Ali has sooo much respect from me.

I wish i could be friends with him
Oct 11 2009 9:38PM
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B-runge
Posts: 16558 - Karma: 361
FUCK
i missed him 2 weeks ago
and tickets were only $12

i like brother ali lots
Oct 11 2009 10:00PM
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Brenone
Posts: 4944 - Karma: 296

nice post.

Brother Ali just broke it down. hes right about having no physical connection. i dont get the same feeling plugging my ipod into my car radio that i did when i went to "The Wiz" and bought a CD, ripped open the package and popped it in the deck.  

Oct 11 2009 10:05PM
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wambat
Posts: 749 - Karma: 13
this is wrong at so many points.

first of all, music today is ABSOLUTELY still about the physical copy. sure you can download it, but unless you're downloading from iTunes (which you're apparently against, but we'll get to that), the quality is going to be much, much less than what the artist, producers, engineering, and mastering guys wanted it to be. aside from just that, it likely won't be the quality YOU want it to be. anything less than 24bit/44.1Hz starts to sound like garbage. when you load a 24bit/44.1Hz song to your computer, upload it to some site, download it, then burn it to a CD or put it into iTunes and load it to your iPod (or whatever), the amount of loss is just disgusting. and yes, people still use stereos- i have a $1,500 system sitting right in front of me with piles of CDs to play in it... i'd rather run my CDJ through it, though, but that's a different story.

as for your apparent beef with iTunes, i don't think you really get it. no matter where you buy music from, the retailer is going to be taking a substantial portion of the profits right off the bat. from there, the label, distributor, agent, producer, engineers, and attorneys get paid before the artist. no matter where you buy from- be it iTunes or a record store- the artist is seeing very little of that money. there ARE rare exceptions to that rule, usually involving self-produced and promoted artists, but for the most part, music sales through traditional retailers and online resources don't generate the artist nearly as much money as a fan would hope.

it's nice that you'll buy shirts and merch, but even that ends up only kicking the artist 25-40%. there's all kinds of overhead you don't even think about from paying the people selling it, to printing shirts, to paying security in the parking lot to bust counterfeiters.

if you want to show your true appreciation for the people who are a part of your life every day- which is ultimately what those artists are- prioritize your spending in such a way that you can show them support by helping them continue to make the music you love and put a roof over their heads and food on their table. sure, i download music, but once i decide the music is something i value more than a one-shot deal, i purchase the physical album and blast that shit at a MUCH better quality level than ANY downloadable site can offer.
Oct 11 2009 10:29PM
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TheQuailman
Posts: 7382 - Karma: 152

Music is something that real artists make because they enjoy it, not to make money.  They should be happy that they have fans listening to their music regardless of whether or not they buy it.  If these artists need to support themselves and their music, then get a job, do shows, sell merchandise, and find sponserships.  No one is garuanteed to make a living off making music.  If other peolpe want to donate money by buying albums they already have, then good for them.

I have never bought music before and I don't plan on it.  I don't go to concerts either and I don't buy merchandise.  Why would I purchase something I can get for free? 

Oct 11 2009 10:34PM
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EVAN.F
Posts: 895 - Karma: 2,820

Wow. definitely some real talk.

Saw him a few days ago, great show.

Oct 11 2009 10:36PM
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wambat
Posts: 749 - Karma: 13
you don't go to concerts because you don't want to be seen associating yourself with Miley Cyrus' music and need to tell your parents your a closet bi-sexual communist cock-suck.

"find sponsorships"? srsly, you're just dumb, that's the only explanation for that comment and the rest of your post. what you're ultimately saying is you don't appreciate the time, effort, creativity, and thousands of dollars (and that's being VERY conservative) that go into producing the music you seem to want, but refuse to pay for.

as a DJ, producer, and audio production student, i'm appalled by some of the comments like this in this thread.
Oct 11 2009 10:40PM
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CTD
Posts: 6301 - Karma: 349
yeah, definitely a good watch. and i totally agree with him on the point of albums and such. listening to an actual album is SOOOOO much better than just singles or a collection of random songs.

im way to poor to afford music right now, and i love it too much to not have the kinda collection I do, but its something that will be changing as soon as i can afford to make it change. I always make a point of seeing as many shows as i can, so i can at least give back in some form.


Ive been wanting to get into vinyl for years, and when i graduate and get $, one of the first purchases i make is gonna be a good turntable and a stereo from my friend (who builds the most amazing sounding high fi speakers ive ever heard, even stacked against shit thats multiple thousands of dollars). theres not much more badass than having a bitching stereo that fills your whole house with concert-quality sound. hes totally spot on about the artwork and such, its so much better to have a real thing. Also one of the reasons i dont buy MP3s, because there is literally no cost of production for it, and you get nothing BUT the song, yet they cost the same or more than an album. thats just apple making money, not artist.
Oct 11 2009 10:44PM
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Arabian.
Posts: 9640 - Karma: 150
No offense dude, but .FLAC and other lossless formats are much better than CDs. CD's only produce about 94% of the sound quality that Vinyl does, which is the best physical format you can buy. If Dubsman wants to listen to music on his computer (though I doubt he has the aural capacity to detect the difference, and even then, why would he care with the music he listens to?), he can get codecs for Itunes that support lossless music.

Generally Masters>Vinyl>.Flac>CD, but usually, you can also use CD>EAC(secure rip)>.Flac to get the same quality on the computer.

But I agree. Artists on Indie labels and even on major corporate labels like Atlantic or Columbia generally see only around 15cents a CD, and have to cover some promotion and studio costs in their contracts. Artists see the most revenue percentage from live shows and merchandising, but see more money in general from CD's because of mass production.

If you wanna support the artist, see them live and buy a fucking t-shirt.
Oct 11 2009 10:45PM
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Arabian.
Posts: 9640 - Karma: 150
Seriously dude, that's just shitty. You're a fucking leech.
Oct 11 2009 10:48PM
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prontocuts.com
Posts: 5244 - Karma: 42
ooooo its crazyfuck
Oct 11 2009 10:50PM
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Dntel.
Posts: 1026 - Karma: 21
well the problem with that statement is that it takes money to travel around the country and put on shows. If you are an up and coming artist, its hard to charge more than like 15 bucks for a ticket to a show. If your band is based out of new york, and you are trying to put together a tour, depending on a whole lot of different factors, you might only really reasonably be able to make it halfway across the country with your tour.It also takes money to put together promotional efforts, merch, studio time. while technology is getting better and cheaper for making music, in order to make gold standard sound you need a lot of resources (like the string section mentioned in the vid) which all cost large amounts of money.. There is so much that goes into this shit that most people just either don't know about, or take for granted. I am currently studying to be an audio engineer, and sometimes its hard for me to see why I am spending so much money to go to school to learn how to make amazing music, meanwhile nearly everyone is going to listen to it like some kind of disposable entertainment. Somewhere along the line people forgot about the relationship that Ali is describing, the one between the artist and the consumer. People who truly appreciate the music they listen to make it apart of their lives, rather than just using it to kill time.
Oct 11 2009 10:56PM
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TheQuailman
Posts: 7382 - Karma: 152

Okay, so pretty much your saying, I have no way to combat you ideas so I'm going to make stupid immature jokes about you. Yea I listen to "Miley Cyrus and I am a clost bi-sexual communist cock suck."  Oooo, good one, you got me there

Srsly - cool abbreviation.

And I don't "appreciate the time, effort, creativity, and thousands of dollars" that go into producing the music I seem to want.  Well let me tell you, I obviously appreciate it BY LISTENING TO THE MUSIC.  There is a limitless supply of music out there in the world that is at my hands for free and I don't have to pay anything to get it.  These artists are dying to spread their 'message' and have others listen to their music and thats what I am doing.  If they don't want me to listen to it, I can happily go and listen to somebody who doesn't give a shit if I pay for it.

I think its awesome that your a DJ, producer, and audio production student, and I wish you luck in finding a career in your interest, but as a business major, let me tell you that your going to have a hard time making money selling something that is given out for free.  Any money you make is going to be from donations (or shows, sponserships, clothing, etc.) I'm sorry but there are thousands of music producers out there and only so many fans, so there is a huge supply of you and a little demand for your product which means the price of your product is going to be low. 

Oct 11 2009 10:57PM
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wambat
Posts: 749 - Karma: 13
that's not the point i'm trying to make. he doesn't download from iTunes, so it doesn't matter what he can get to maintain the quality of a song bought in the iTunes store. if you're downloading a song off any type file share network, you're getting WORSE than CD quality. notice that i said anything less than 24bit/44.1Hz sounds like crap? i'm sure you know that's the standard CD format and it's the lowest quality audio i'll listen to more than once or twice. unless you download from a website where you pay for your tracks, you're going to be compromising a great deal of the quality, most of the time to the point where it just sounds like shit.

personally, i record all my mixes at 32bit/48Hz, but i'm generally the only one who ever gets to hear them at that quality before i turn them into mp3s to post online. as time goes on, though, that will change...
Oct 11 2009 11:03PM
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Arabian.
Posts: 9640 - Karma: 150
You're right. It all depends on human decency to support artists nowadays, and you obviously have none, so go figure business student. You think you're supporting artists by listening to their music? You're right. I support my local restaurant by stealing and enjoying their food for free in the comfort of my own home. But they like it right? Because they like selling things, and cooks are dying to get their food out there right?

Your logic is flawed, and you are still a fucking leech. How the hell can you claim to support musicians and not pay? They can't make music if they can't live and keep producing music, so how the hell do you justify this? It's a parasitic and perverted form of trade. You can't get something for nothing. A business student would know that.
Oct 11 2009 11:06PM
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wambat
Posts: 749 - Karma: 13
huh, i was right, you ARE a closet bi-sexual communist cock-suck.

when you graduate and if you start your own small business, let me know where it's at- i'm going to rob you. fair trade, right? i mean, if i can just walk in there and take whatever i want, why should i?
Oct 11 2009 11:10PM
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wambat
Posts: 749 - Karma: 13
*shoudn't i

figured i ought to correct that one so your brain doesn't get too confused. clearly you have a difficult time thinking clearly since you seem to think stealing is ok.
Oct 11 2009 11:11PM
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Rez4frederick
Posts: 4740 - Karma: 40
That was a pretty rad video, I saw Ali shit like 5 years ago in Missoula Montana, it was pretty rad.
Oct 11 2009 11:14PM
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idontactuallyski
Posts: 1320 - Karma: 19
..except apple doesn't make profits from their music sales. do you really think the artist doesn't get paid when you buy an album from itunes?
Oct 11 2009 11:20PM
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wambat
Posts: 749 - Karma: 13
that revision is slowly taking place. let me try to find more info on it, but there is good news on the horizon for both artists and true fans.
Oct 11 2009 11:22PM
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idontactuallyski
Posts: 1320 - Karma: 19
it's a very small portion but they get paid. most of it probably goes to the label or something though
Oct 11 2009 11:23PM
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SteezyOhio
Posts: 6044 - Karma: 60
paying for the music if you already stole it, wouldnt this just be like buying it anyways, im saying if i had a snoop song, then i went an bought the cd the song was on, id rather get a 2nd legit copy of it. idk im lost in my own words.
Oct 11 2009 11:32PM
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soulskier
Posts: 17806 - Karma: 3,841
can someone list the main points he makes for people with shitty internet?


thanks
Oct 11 2009 11:33PM
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idontactuallyski
Posts: 1320 - Karma: 19
i'm sorry for the triple post here but, i remember my uncle telling me (whos company deals with apple) that they (apple) recieves around 15 % of i tunes music sale profits, and the label, engineers, producers, artist etc. get the rest of the 85 %.
Oct 11 2009 11:34PM
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wambat
Posts: 749 - Karma: 13
are you kidding me? if Apple didn't make money, how would they pay for the iTunes store? they take 40 cents for every 99 cent song sold. i JUST had this conversation in class on Thursday with one of my profs who's in a band called Theory of Flight, because they're looking to put their stuff in the iTunes store, but don't want to deal with the bullshit of being on an independent label and trying to get decent promotion on the iTunes homepage.
Oct 11 2009 11:38PM
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wambat
Posts: 749 - Karma: 13
ok, i used the wrong language- they don't turn a profit, but they absolutely take a chunk of that 99 cents.
Oct 11 2009 11:43PM
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wazzucrewskier
Posts: 2269 - Karma: 151
where do you think flac files come from?  flac is always lower quality than cd because it is ripped from the cd, you just arent supposed to notice the difference.  you can't get better quality than what you start with, which is the cd.  either way flac files sound worlds better than mp3, but cd will always be the best quality other than vinyl
Oct 11 2009 11:48PM
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Uncle.Badness
Posts: 2545 - Karma: 55
Most of my music is mashups and things like Cali P's Listen to this albums. I do buy all the songs that I'm able to buy though.
Oct 11 2009 11:48PM
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idontactuallyski
Posts: 1320 - Karma: 19
they make money from selling ipods and computers. not music ( well they do just because of how much they sell as nomensteven said but you get the point) it's just like how a sony ps3 costs MORE to make than how much they actually sell it for, but they make money off of game revenue.
Oct 11 2009 11:49PM
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wambat
Posts: 749 - Karma: 13
you obviously missed my last post on the first page.
Oct 11 2009 11:51PM
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idontactuallyski
Posts: 1320 - Karma: 19
that i did, sir. apologies.
Oct 11 2009 11:52PM
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Arabian.
Posts: 9640 - Karma: 150
Not necessarily. You can do masters straight to .Flac, or Vinyl straight to .Flac nowadays. You can do digital masters as well.
Oct 12 2009 12:00AM
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wazzucrewskier
Posts: 2269 - Karma: 151

well yeah i know you can do that but you can't get better quality than the vinyl or the cd you are ripping off of.  thats like saying if i open up a 2000 by 2000 pixel image in photoshop and hit sharpen and change it to 3000 by 3000 and save it that it will be better.  it is the same if not worse than the original.

on the other hand if you know anywhere that you can download these masters from albums in their raw form before being converted from a cd then let me know.  i have most of my music collection downloaded and ripped from my cds to flac in my itunes

Oct 12 2009 12:04AM
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