I Want To Start A Discussion On The Issue Of Low Record Sales This Year...

[Trauma-san]

No No, just because you do it, i do it, overseer does it, everybody I know does it, everybody you know does it... doesn't mean it's hurting.

No, it's helping.  Somehow. 

[Don Seer]

we're buying the stuff they dont care about, not what they're pushing down our throats (err ears?)..

[Shallow]

Blaming downloading is bullshit in my opinion. Downloading only helps if the music is good, and if the music sucks people either delete or never listen to the albums anyway.

... but yet Overseer starts it off by saying Bustas album is great (so he obviously listens to it frequently) but he hasn't bought it.... why? ... because he downloaded it.  So, blaming downloading is bullshit.  riiiiight. 


Here's the deal: I DON'T BUY SHIT! Why should I?  I can just download it.  I haven't bought a rap album in years, and I WON'T buy a rap album for years.  I'll buy "detox", the rest can fuck off.  I'll download plenty, though. 

Now.  I just told you that I personally don't buy because I download now.  Can you STILL deny that it's a problem?  I'M PART OF THE PROBLEM, don't tell me it's bullshit, it's what *I* do.  If I'm doing it, imagine how many others are. 

Here, how many ways can I say this.  Lets see.

1.  I don't buy albums anymore.
2. I used to buy them all the time.
3. The reason I don't buy them is because I download them.
4.  Artists make less money becuase I no longer buy from them.
5.  I don't give a fuck if it's illegal because you can't be caught.
6. It's easy to do.
7. I feel no remorse because most of the rappers are assholes anyways.
8. I'd rather I have the money than them.
9. One time, I thought about buying a CD, then thought "Fuck that, i'll download it".  I was really close that time, too.

Now... 'downloading doesn't hurt cd sales".  come on man.  Man up.  Take responsibility.  Admit the truth, don't just argue something that there's no argument against. 

EXACTLY  I don't see how anyone can NOT list downloading as the main reason album sales are suffering.  I still buy a few CD's here and there, but nowhere near what I used to.  And everybody I know at work and around the neighborhood.....shit, maybe about 3 of those muthafuckas outta 20+ have bought a CD in the last 5 years.  They bought CD's before, but now they download EVERYTHING.  And so do their friends.  So come on, let's not be naive here 

So then explain how Britney can sell 14 million copies and Eminem can sell 9 million twice in a row, if everyone is downloading.

[_That_Cracka_J]

Blaming downloading is bullshit in my opinion. Downloading only helps if the music is good, and if the music sucks people either delete or never listen to the albums anyway.

... but yet Overseer starts it off by saying Bustas album is great (so he obviously listens to it frequently) but he hasn't bought it.... why? ... because he downloaded it.  So, blaming downloading is bullshit.  riiiiight. 


Here's the deal: I DON'T BUY SHIT! Why should I?  I can just download it.  I haven't bought a rap album in years, and I WON'T buy a rap album for years.  I'll buy "detox", the rest can fuck off.  I'll download plenty, though. 

Now.  I just told you that I personally don't buy because I download now.  Can you STILL deny that it's a problem?  I'M PART OF THE PROBLEM, don't tell me it's bullshit, it's what *I* do.  If I'm doing it, imagine how many others are. 

Here, how many ways can I say this.  Lets see.

1.  I don't buy albums anymore.
2. I used to buy them all the time.
3. The reason I don't buy them is because I download them.
4.  Artists make less money becuase I no longer buy from them.
5.  I don't give a fuck if it's illegal because you can't be caught.
6. It's easy to do.
7. I feel no remorse because most of the rappers are assholes anyways.
8. I'd rather I have the money than them.
9. One time, I thought about buying a CD, then thought "Fuck that, i'll download it".  I was really close that time, too.

Now... 'downloading doesn't hurt cd sales".  come on man.  Man up.  Take responsibility.  Admit the truth, don't just argue something that there's no argument against. 

EXACTLY  I don't see how anyone can NOT list downloading as the main reason album sales are suffering.  I still buy a few CD's here and there, but nowhere near what I used to.  And everybody I know at work and around the neighborhood.....shit, maybe about 3 of those muthafuckas outta 20+ have bought a CD in the last 5 years.  They bought CD's before, but now they download EVERYTHING.  And so do their friends.  So come on, let's not be naive here 

So then explain how Britney can sell 14 million copies and Eminem can sell 9 million twice in a row, if everyone is downloading.

I completely understand how wrong I was now.....I'm embarrassed that I thought downloading affects album sales.  Just because everyone I know downloads and doesn't buy the CD, doesn't mean the rest of the world does that.  I'm 100% sure that everyone else who downloads an album later goes on to buy it.

If it wasn't for downloading, I bet Brittany would have sold 5 mil and Em barely 1 mil.  I'm sure all the artists support downloading, too.  I just can't figure out why they speak against it so much since it helps them.  But then again, I guess the artists aren't too bright because if people stopped downloading their albums for free, their sales would plummet and they would be broke.

It's silly when you really think about it----I mean how can downloading decrease sales.....downloading could only INCREASE sales.  How could it do anything else?

[hideout]

pac said it well. Who buys cd? not the drug-dealing street-thugs, girls/hoes/bitches buys cd, looking sexy sells, sex appeal sells, showing your body of sells. who sells the most these days? 50? yup..em? yup..both sex icons =P


body > lyrics, thats why you really should stop paying so much attention to record sales and just see what the guy spits

[Shallow]

Blaming downloading is bullshit in my opinion. Downloading only helps if the music is good, and if the music sucks people either delete or never listen to the albums anyway.

... but yet Overseer starts it off by saying Bustas album is great (so he obviously listens to it frequently) but he hasn't bought it.... why? ... because he downloaded it.  So, blaming downloading is bullshit.  riiiiight. 


Here's the deal: I DON'T BUY SHIT! Why should I?  I can just download it.  I haven't bought a rap album in years, and I WON'T buy a rap album for years.  I'll buy "detox", the rest can fuck off.  I'll download plenty, though. 

Now.  I just told you that I personally don't buy because I download now.  Can you STILL deny that it's a problem?  I'M PART OF THE PROBLEM, don't tell me it's bullshit, it's what *I* do.  If I'm doing it, imagine how many others are. 

Here, how many ways can I say this.  Lets see.

1.  I don't buy albums anymore.
2. I used to buy them all the time.
3. The reason I don't buy them is because I download them.
4.  Artists make less money becuase I no longer buy from them.
5.  I don't give a fuck if it's illegal because you can't be caught.
6. It's easy to do.
7. I feel no remorse because most of the rappers are assholes anyways.
8. I'd rather I have the money than them.
9. One time, I thought about buying a CD, then thought "Fuck that, i'll download it".  I was really close that time, too.

Now... 'downloading doesn't hurt cd sales".  come on man.  Man up.  Take responsibility.  Admit the truth, don't just argue something that there's no argument against. 

EXACTLY  I don't see how anyone can NOT list downloading as the main reason album sales are suffering.  I still buy a few CD's here and there, but nowhere near what I used to.  And everybody I know at work and around the neighborhood.....shit, maybe about 3 of those muthafuckas outta 20+ have bought a CD in the last 5 years.  They bought CD's before, but now they download EVERYTHING.  And so do their friends.  So come on, let's not be naive here 

So then explain how Britney can sell 14 million copies and Eminem can sell 9 million twice in a row, if everyone is downloading.

I completely understand how wrong I was now.....I'm embarrassed that I thought downloading affects album sales.  Just because everyone I know downloads and doesn't buy the CD, doesn't mean the rest of the world does that.  I'm 100% sure that everyone else who downloads an album later goes on to buy it.

If it wasn't for downloading, I bet Brittany would have sold 5 mil and Em barely 1 mil.  I'm sure all the artists support downloading, too.  I just can't figure out why they speak against it so much since it helps them.  But then again, I guess the artists aren't too bright because if people stopped downloading their albums for free, their sales would plummet and they would be broke.

It's silly when you really think about it----I mean how can downloading decrease sales.....downloading could only INCREASE sales.  How could it do anything else?

Where did I say the downloading helps these big artists sell more records. I said it doesn't hurt all that much and it's more pricing and lack of quality that does that but with hte right material and promotion you can still sell huge. I used mid level not too popular artists like Radiohead in 2000 as examples of downloading helping. Sure Em would have sold more if no one downloaded, but I feel with the addition of dubbing and burning, and the number of downloaders that wouldn't buy anyway, and those convinced to buy after downloading because of the quality that it wouldn't have meant all that much more sales. Maybe instead of 9 he would have sold 10 million. Either way he's rich. (This doesn't mean every artist would sell a million more. It's ratio based). The point with Spears was that if so many people downloaded then Britney never would have sold 14 million. More than like 99% of big name artists artists that sold well before downloading started.

[7even]

^^ I think the low record sales are fixed, in order to depict software pirates as the villains and bootlegging as an urgent problem, in order to give the Ri aa and other organisations an excuse to become more ruthless and ruthless.

(this is only directed to Shallow, the ones who religiously follow the soccer threads know why Im saying it)

[Shallow]

^^ I think the low record sales are fixed, in order to depict software pirates as the villains and bootlegging as an urgent problem, in order to give the Ri aa and other organisations an excuse to become more ruthless and ruthless.

(this is only directed to Shallow, the ones who religiously follow the soccer threads know why Im saying it)

I'd agree except that the low sales don't exist. They are just implied by the powers to make people think that. Record sales are relative to the current economy. Thanks for exposing the conspriracy. 

[ZILLA THA GOODFELLA]

The secret to T.I's success is the females. Not that he's making soft songs, but the fact that every single female I know thinks he's the finest lil nigga ever basically says it all. Anyone ever been to a T.I show or after parties? You'll know what I'm talking about. Nelly is in the same category, females loved him ever since Country Grammar and that wasn't a song towards females, but he had the looks, that package that you need to get marketed at that level. We don't understand this because obviously not too many of us is homosexual on here. But that's just the way it is. Plus a hot single doesn't hurt. And if you really wanted to know, Hip Hop is bigger than ever now, including sales. There's just so much diversity that you can't see why artists are selling less unless you analyze it to a higher degree. Mcdonald's and Burger King used to sell the most burgers before all these other fast food places popped up in the 90's. 

[Mr. O]

well yeah, bootleggers are hurting sales, thats a given. but i'd like to place a little blame on the industry itself and the artists too. if we were shown better product, we might be inclined to shell out 15-20 bucks. but right now, an hour and twenty minutes of club rhymes over a techno pop synth isnt gonna convince anyone besides dj's and radio companies that the album is worth copping. that i put on the artist, fuck you niggas for killing hip hop and still demanding our money. Then there's the business of selling music. when it used to be a major industry, corporations decided they could take less chances and still make money if they had A&R firms find artists who would bring in the most dollars, regardless of lyrical talent. this started the decline because if a rapper wanted to make money, he'd have to kiss the A&R firms ass just to get a shot a record deal, then whatever A list producer was in the house, the A&R guy in the house, and the guy from the label are all standing over dude in the studio like, lets make dough. sooner or later there is no art, just manufactured noise that will get drunk ppl who have no artistic sense at all dancing in a bar. anyways, i'm rambling cuz i have a lot of hate for major media, but yeah, case in point. if you want to sell big, which is what all poor black niggas want, you have to sacrifice artistic control which in turn alienates you from real fans, which in turn means declining sales. is there an end in sight to this? i dont know. i for one will continue to bootleg the shit out of every new album i want until they start either PUTTING OUT GOOD ALBUMS, or LOWERING THE PRICE TO BELOW 10 DOLLARS. simple as that.

fuck industrial bitches that tryna control mcs creativity...if they just let them be...it's all good then...better music (hopefully) and then more buying.

[Trauma-san]

^ bullshit.  Name 1 artist who went 'independent' and then got BETTER or doper on the mic.  Now, go ahead and name the 10 in your head that you can think of that turned to SHIT as soon as they got an independent deal because they didn't have to answer to anybody and could release whatever wack ass shit they wanted to. 

[Shallow]

^ bullshit.  Name 1 artist who went 'independent' and then got BETTER or doper on the mic.  Now, go ahead and name the 10 in your head that you can think of that turned to SHIT as soon as they got an independent deal because they didn't have to answer to anybody and could release whatever wack ass shit they wanted to. 

I personally don't think any current artist will shine after hip hop laves the mass mainstream but it will create a new movement on the streets, simply because it'll be a new generation and there will be no drive to create what is current right now. The imagine will fall away and a new image will be created. Like how Nu Metal came out a few years after hair metal died. Very different forms of metal but metal none the less. There will be a new hip hop on the streets. I don't know what it'll sound like but it will happen eventually.

[Don Jacob]

i'll just sum up the reason why records arn't selling in 2 little stanzas


1. broadband internet, album in 10 minutes or less or your pizza is free

2. think about it, when was the last time a REAL bonafied classic album has hit the streets? think about it.  You don't buy clothes you don't like or shitty tv's and dvd players, why pay 20 bucks for 2 hots songs and some pictures when you can get all that for free?

[Mr. O]

i'm waiting for a special edition of the busta.. great album.. but i always get stiffed buying shit i like when it comes out.. for a special edition to then come and be there for "johnny come lately" fans...

IMO busta's is a great album

downloading etc is a poor excuse.. quality isnt always there.. and this is the poorest time of year for retail

... but yet you haven't bought busta's great album.  NOT a poor excuse, a dead-on excuse.  Downloading has probably halfed hiphop record sales.  JUST MY OPINION, I could be wrong although it's never... EVER happened before. 

Downloading can be a good thing...i rather hear the whole shit before buying...ya know what i'm saying?

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

Blaming downloading is bullshit in my opinion. Downloading only helps if the music is good, and if the music sucks people either delete or never listen to the albums anyway.

... but yet Overseer starts it off by saying Bustas album is great (so he obviously listens to it frequently) but he hasn't bought it.... why? ... because he downloaded it.  So, blaming downloading is bullshit.  riiiiight. 


Here's the deal: I DON'T BUY SHIT! Why should I?  I can just download it.  I haven't bought a rap album in years, and I WON'T buy a rap album for years.  I'll buy "detox", the rest can fuck off.  I'll download plenty, though. 

Now.  I just told you that I personally don't buy because I download now.  Can you STILL deny that it's a problem?  I'M PART OF THE PROBLEM, don't tell me it's bullshit, it's what *I* do.  If I'm doing it, imagine how many others are. 

Here, how many ways can I say this.  Lets see.

1.  I don't buy albums anymore.
2. I used to buy them all the time.
3. The reason I don't buy them is because I download them.
4.  Artists make less money becuase I no longer buy from them.
5.  I don't give a fuck if it's illegal because you can't be caught.
6. It's easy to do.
7. I feel no remorse because most of the rappers are assholes anyways.
8. I'd rather I have the money than them.
9. One time, I thought about buying a CD, then thought "Fuck that, i'll download it".  I was really close that time, too.

Now... 'downloading doesn't hurt cd sales".  come on man.  Man up.  Take responsibility.  Admit the truth, don't just argue something that there's no argument against. 

Great response.  Props.