I’d like to get an idea of how many of our readers would support a few changes to our chart system. I’ve spoken with Tim about this and we’re gonna run a poll to get a better idea. As it stands, there is a kind of legal “grey area” when it comes to sharing mixes online. As a promotional tool, it’s become the preferred platform to share music on the Internet without disrespecting the artists, their labels, or infringing copyright laws.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
The function of this blog is also to promote the music we love; however, there are many people – including some artists, label owners, lawyers, and industry professionals that disagree with file sharing. Personally, I don’t believe 10 downloads = 10 lost sales. There is sufficient evidence on both sides to support either claim. The argument becomes more of a debate centered around the ethics of file sharing as opposed to which approach is a more effective promotional tool. Without delving further into this tiring endless debate, I’d like to disregard the ethics and look at something more tangible. Let’s see if we can’t find an even playing field for the end user, the consumer, and the producer.
Re-encoding tracks to low bitrate mp3s, and honoring our promise to the labels, to have any offending content removed on request, has been our approach. Although this does nothing to stop piracy on a larger scale, it’s our own way of expressing our concerns for the artists, and their property. This has proved to be fairly effective for us, and we haven’t received many complaints; However, the main issue for me in regards to the monthly charts is that many of those tunes are usually brand new, and much of the revenue generated from sales are within the initial period of their release.
This has been very stressful for me because there are loads of tunes I purchase that are omitted because I believe artists deserve a fair chance at maximizing revenue generated in that crucial initial period of it’s release. The most important factor in deciding which tunes are going into the charts is how available they are elsewhere on the net. My efforts have been to keep the focus on sharing new quality tunes that aren’t already propagated throughout the blogosphere.
A couple of idea’s dawned on me while I was listening to my favourite radio shows and podcasts on how I could maintain my principles, without changing the way I’ve done the charts in the past. I realized that in the mixes I was listening to that I was hearing large unmixed portions of new tunes. This is obviously how many rips of unreleased material pop up on the net. No one fusses about bloggers sharing radio rips, and no one (hopefully) is stupid enough to use a radio rip in their mixes. It was finally clear to me how I could overcome the negative connotations and inevitable guilt associated with file sharing, and still share and promote the music I love. This isn’t an absolute truth or final solution, but I think it’s a step in the right direction.
I’d like to present two different idea’s to the way we can approach this. The first option would be the tried and tested mix format. This seems to be the most popular and accepted way to go about it. My second idea is approach it more like a radio rip. The changes would be made to the lengths of the tracks, shortening them to 2-3 minute preview clips. This would be easier for us than making mixes, but who knows, maybe we should just try both and see which works best. We’ll start with the clips just cause it’s easiest.
#chart#
Exodub – It’s Alright (Original Mix) / Breath Out / Rest In Beats
Martyn – Seventy Four (Redshape Remix) / Hear Me bw Seventy Four / 3024 Records
Binary Sequence – Arc (Original Mix) / 66/31 / Dark Arx
Smokin Jo – Simsime (Original Mix) / Umona / Area Remote
Frozen Border – 4.01 (Original Mix) / Frozen Border 04 / Frozen Border Records
Loops Haunt – Joplin (Original Mix) / Impact Omnihammer bw Joplin / Black Acre
Planetary Assault Systems – X Speaks To X (Al Tourettes & Appleblim Remix) / Planetary Assault System Remixes / Ostgut Ton
James Fox – Put It Back (Ramadanman Refix) / Put It Back / Take Records
i3i3 – Rock & Groove It (Original Mix) / Explosion Mind bw Rock & Groove It / Eight:FX
Tickles – Fallout (Mentalic’s Edit) / Freirausch / Ipoly Music
P.S. Please do comment and share your thoughts. These charts usually take me a fair bit of time to compile – It takes you about 5 seconds to simply say “thank you” and show appreciation.
Redshape - Paradox Dubs Growing up in East Germany Sebastian Kramer a.k.a. Redshape had been profoundly influenced by Detroit techno (that can't be right?) But thankfully for all of us it is. He always made a point to make his music stand alone and for something when he got in his studio to work. Most of what surrounded him at the time was tranced up and drugged out drivel. So he set out to cut up his techno his way and to hell with the dancefloor. (not literally)His first vinyl release was in 2000 on Content, his own label (CNT#00A) which built a good head of steam internationally when he caught the ear of the one and only Jeff Mills. Who incidentally was one of the only people who could get their hands on his strictly limited releases from the new millennium label. Played also by Dave Clarke, Claude Young, Ben Sims, James Ruskin, Oliver Ho and Steve Bicknell, and I'm sure now that you have heard him - you!Fast forward to now and he continues to push outwards into the beat universe. Recently he has been featured on Martyn's Fabric Mix and also his EP for the 'Zomby' remix which is pure tech wizardry. On 'Man Out Of Time' you can feel the ill hip hop breakdance feet and I get the urge to use a track like this to transition into some slower jams that can't fit my usual tech disco setup. Be alert and ear check the spookiest vocal ever when it drops..Paradox Dubs-(presentblack) is the name of the newest which was released on all the big formats a month ago nowRedshape - Man Out Of Time (Major Space Dub) 
