P2P, Torrents, Legal Downloads, Oh My!

Okay, I’m sleepy. It’s 5 a.m. but I won’t be able to sleep if I think of forgetting about this when I wake up. Tuesdays mark “new CDs and DVDs” day, I should know, I was the one going on a shopping trip every Tuesday to get my favorite music and movies in Canada. Don’t do it here in Peru, mainly because there is not “new merchandise” day that I know of, and things just don’t get here in time.

Anyway, for anyone – I am the ideal consumer. If I like your product, I will likely buy it. However, products have been sucking lately… also because I hate thinking Blu-ray discs and HD are on the market now, so studios are not releasing two-discs DVDs anymore.

But let’s talk about music as a more general example. Music has been very bad on TV… MTV basically sucks, and VH1 is only really worth because of the old videos they show – and I don’t even know the names of the other channels with music. Radio? Everything on the radio mostly sucks, and I haven’t tune in for more than 2 years. Everything I know about music that is “in” comes from the Internet, but that doesn’t mean I listen to it.

I listen to all kinds of music, mostly. Lately, I have been listening to a lot of alternative, country music, electronic, jazz, world… but I would also enjoy a good pop song, or a dance one, r&b, or rock. Music can be great, and I love hearing new music. Right now, my main source of new music is browsing MySpace, which gives groups and artists the chance to showcase their music through linking from other places… This was how I discovered groups like The Sounds, CSS, The Ropes, Dee, Antigone, Quad Riot, etc.

When I hear a group that I like, I would usually go straight to Limewire to download their music, and check most of it out. Torrents are good, if you don’t live in a country like Peru, because it seems Torrent places have slots for an IP address from Peru, which screws me over because I don’t get to download ANYTHING from torrents lately. However, you always find THAT group that is not that famous, so there are no seeders or sources for download – what to do then? You can always rip their music from their websites. lol’ which now leads me to legal downloads.

I have only bought two discs from legal downloads, and the iTunes store sucks because it doesn’t accept my Canadian card into their stupid American store. What’s the point in having an online store if you won’t accept my stupid credit card because of the region???? What’s the difference between the American and Canadian market anyway???? The other online store was Calabash Music, which was easy to use, and didn’t cause me any trouble. Calabash’ problem is that it is mostly independent and small groups, so it doesn’t give me a broad choice of music I want to buy, but a broad selection of new music I can discover.

Why did I buy those legal downloads? Mainly because the hard copy product didn’t offer much, other than the disc and a simple design cover. So, up until now we’ve got this…

1. P2P or Torrents download
2. Check quality of music
3. If music sucks, delete
4. If music just ok, keep but won’t include on player
5. If music is good, check real product
6. If real product is just disc, simple cover, no extras – check legal download
7. If legal download = real product price – without the extras – consider a rip-off
8. if product is dual-disc contains videos, behind the scenes, photos, has nifty package design, cover, bonus songs – buy product

Example given, I asked my friend to download the torrent for Avril’s new album that came out yesterday. The Best Damn Thing – If I’m not mistaken, there’s a Dual special or deluxe edition. The marketing campaign has targeted Avril’s fans around the world, releasing tracks supposedly in Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, Portuguese, Italian… etc etc etc – Girlfriend, in all those other languages, has the SAME lyrics except for the STUPID chorus – now, WHO in their effing right minds would buy 8 versions of that song (separately) for just the effing stupid chorus.

Okay, the song kinda sticks to your head, and Avril has said over and over again that she wanted to have fun in the album. I kept my fingers crossed, because oh well – two years ago, I got a sticky case of Lavignitis – I thought, okay! Maybe this album will be catchy. Maybe all the songs will keep me bopping my head up and down, like the Girlfriend song that’s been bugging my brain cells. So after the download (Thanks, Mob) – I added the album to my library, and began listening.

Of all the 12 tracks, three (including Girlfriend, that opens the album) are sorta catchy. Where’s the fun I was promised? Three sorta there songs, three annoying trying to be catchy songs, 3 soft rockish ballads (including the song from Eragon, another Slip Away attempt, and one about Innocence), and 3 mid-tempo tracks that are not catchy either.

Now, not even with a super deluxe and an omg-they’re-doing-it video will they get me to buy this album. It doesn’t even deserve a legal download.

On the other hand, when I found out Marit Larsen was releasing a solo album, I immediately downloaded a few tracks from Limewire – LOVED the few tracks I got, and ordered it all the way from NORWAY (shipping hurt like a bitch). That, my friends, is the difference. If a product is good, it doesn’t matter how many extras it has or where it sells… if your product is good, people will still buy it. So musicians should stop bitching and complaining, and just make an effing good product!!!

Crap, it’s 6am already.