Doing a research on netlabels. Share your thoughts. Discuss.

tomperson · Post by **tomperson** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 7:05 pm

Hi,
I'm currently doing a research regarding netlabels, and I'd like to discuss a bit about them here. I'm particularly interested in netlabels that distribute via creative commons.

Some points of interest:

- For how long have you been downloading music from netlabels?
- What are your favourite netlabels? Why?
- How have netlabels changed the way you perceive the music "industry"? Are they an influence in the way you acquire/distribute your music?
- Are you actively supporting the netlabels scene?
- How have netlabels changed the way you listen to music?
- What do you think artists gain out of the netlabel scene?

To mention just a few to get started, I hope this brings a dynamic discussion that grows on its own.

Cheers.

tomperson · Post by **tomperson** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 11:24 am

C'mon people, can't believe no one has anything to say. Not in THIS forum!!! I know for sure lots of you have been downloading/distributing music via Creative Commons / Netlabels...

wavejumper · Post by **wavejumper** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 11:49 am

buy vinyl. CDs if you have to. only ever bought 2 release as Mp3's and just because the vinyl was way too pricey (drexciya: journey home, gescom Keynell remixes)...i wouldn't bother buying a new release on MP3. i find it only handy to listen to free dj mixes and the occasional free promo. so it's good for promotion but it gives me no pleasure whatsover owning one.

radeon · Post by **radeon** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 11:54 am

it is furture for sure. I like net label and will buy but not from the label. I buy from itune beatport. for the peoples at home this is great thing to buy music. For the artist it is not good for royalty money. Veryt bad. Peoples say the big record companys are bad and greed. I say artist have much harden time to make the life/living from download. only big artist can survive.

musick · Post by **musick** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 12:22 pm

Netlabels are for music not good enough to find a 'real' label

The function of a label is to filter, netlabels just release (it's free isn't it).

suburbanbather · Post by **suburbanbather** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 12:32 pm

www.experimedia.net has alot of great ambient, dub, glitch, etc.... check there links section, and check the links sections off of the other sites that are linked to experimedia.

jbible · Post by **jbible** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 12:34 pm

Wavejumper....creative commons means its distributed freely...so there would be no 'owning' involved. Do you just buy records so you can say you own them or do you buy records so you can enjoy the music?

Running a netlabel myself I am very into the netlabel scene. Most of the music I listen nowadays is shared and distributed freely through netlabels under a creative commons liscense. Most commercial labels nowadays are afraid to take chances with new music therefore the new music available on CD and Vinyl has become rather stagnant. Netlabels can afford to take chances and artists dont have to feel like they are forced into working within a tiny box that may not exactly feel natural for them in order for people to listen to their music.

IMO some of todays most talented electronic music artists are releaseing their music freely on netlabels. The integrity of these artists is also impressive.

Some critics will complain"mp3, compression, sound quality, etc" but at experimedia we are distributing releaseing in the downloaders choice of FLAC (lossless), MP3, and Ogg Vorbis. We also try to distribute through multiple methods. Downloaders can come striaght to the site or they can subscribe to our catalog and receive every release automatically as it comes out. We also incorporate media players directly into our site so fans can easily load and stream from any connected computer in the world.

Experimedia operates not only as a single netlabel but as a uniter of a family of netlabels creating a diverse community of artists sharing each others various influences, styles, and talents. I think working together is what stands our community apart from others.

Our family of netlabels include (which are also some of my personal favorite natlabels)
Experimedia
Earstroke
Metanoia
Retropublik
Clusterflux
FutureKomp
EED

NOTE : If your one of those people that dont pay attention to netlabel releases because you have the attitude that "If they are giving it away for free it must not be any good" then you are truly missing out on some amazing music. I feel the crap to gold ratio is the same as you have to deal with digging through crates of vinyl.

jbible · Post by **jbible** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 12:34 pm

Haha. Thanks suburbanbather...we must have been typing at the same time.

suburbanbather · Post by **suburbanbather** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 12:38 pm

jbible wrote:Haha. Thanks suburbanbather...we must have been typing at the same time.

I was wondering where you were

jbible · Post by **jbible** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 12:40 pm

musick wrote:Netlabels are for music not good enough to find a 'real' label

The function of a label is to filter, netlabels just release (it's free isn't it).

Bullshit. Most netlabels filter as hard as pressed labels. Because of financial reasons many pressed labels are changing over to netlabels as a matter of fact. Most pressed labels have gone beyond filtering and just look for what they think will make a buck...or just the music of their freinds and friends of friends. Sure we hold open arms to our talented friends but our submissions are also opened to anyone who can send us a direct link to an mp3. We even offer file space to registered members on our site they can use to store and send their demo. We filter and politely reject quite a few releases every week and when we have time try to offer constructive criticisms when we see potential. I havent officially done the numbers but we probably only offer a spot on our catalog to about %5 of the demos we receive..if that. So essentially we %100 function like a pressed label except for the pressing, commercially distributing, and selling part.

diverdee · Post by **diverdee** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 12:43 pm

Most of the music I listen to at the moment is from netlabels.
At work - so I don't have all the links.
Examples: Thinner, Kyoto-digital & loads of others, mostly dubby techno & minimal stuff - some more glitchy & experimental stuff also.
IMO some of the netlabel gear is as good (better in some cases/genres) than commercial releases.

wavejumper · Post by **wavejumper** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 1:56 pm

[quote="jbible"]Wavejumper.... Do you just buy records so you can say you own them or do you buy records so you can enjoy the music?

As a matter of fact, both. I enjoy the music but I also enjoy the thought that went into putting the selection together for the EP, the limitations of the media as well the physicality of owning the original vinyl or cd. it's not logical, it's human and that's my reason for that.

I agree that it is a good format for labels as costs are probably but a fraction of printing and distributing vinyl and cd but both as a music buyer and artists I have little or no interest in it. I have released one MP3 as a form of promotion, got some good feedback and quickly moved on to my first "real" release on vinyl. i have no intention of using the mp3 medium again as I get no kick out it. not to mention no dosh out if either but if I was making techno for dosh I wouldn't be doing it at all now, would I?

anyway, my respect to you and to people who go along with these labels, a lot of new and different stuff is bound to be available thanks to these labels but I really can't see myself getting much out of it.

wavejumper · Post by **wavejumper** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 2:54 pm

having said that, i notice that Submerge has gone digital as well, now that's UR's distributor. they also charge people so perhaps the artist gets some money out of it not too mention the UR selection is a good seal of quality...plus you get .wav files on selected titles....mind you, I want to listen to UR, I'd rather still play the vinyl. no contest. i guess they are covering their arses against the thieves this "netlabels revolution" has brought about...nice progress.

http://www.detroitdigitalvinyl.com/

jbible · Post by **jbible** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 3:14 pm

UR is great!! I love my share of vinyl BTW.

But I dont see how netlabels have anything to do with creating thieves. I download freely available music from netlabels, and often buy music on CD and Vinyl from artists and labels I like to support and collect.

wavejumper · Post by **wavejumper** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 3:50 pm

yea, not the netlabels per se but the whole file sharing thing...i dunno, i'm from the tapes era, you got the tapes and then you went hunting for the tune on vinyl....dunno, digital files are no fun...i'll crawl back in the cave

Doing a research on netlabels. Share your thoughts. Discuss.

Doing a research on netlabels. Share your thoughts. Discuss.

2 words

and another thing