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Tag: music downloading

  • Elvis Costello Thinks His New Box Set Costs Too Much, Would Rather You Download It

    The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook is a limited edition, 3-disc box set that comes complete with autographed memorabilia, rare photos, posters and more. The content was recorded during a two-night show in 2011 and includes some of the great tracks “Everyday I Write The Book” and “Watching The Detectives.” It will be released on December 6th and would make a wonderful present for your music-loving family member this holiday season.

    But Elvis Costello doesn’t want you to buy it.

    A post has appeared on the legendary artist’s official site entitled “Steal This Record.” The basic message of the plea to fans is a.) our record label priced the box set way too high, b.) you should spend your money on Louis Armstrong instead, and c.) you should probably just download it anyways.

    It’s being priced at $262.46, although you can pre-order it from Amazon for a slightly less expensive $202.64.

    From the post:

    The live recording finds the Imposters in rare form, while the accompanying motion picture blueprints the wilder possibilities of the show, as it made its acclaimed progress across the United States throughout the year.

    Unfortunately, we at www.elviscostello.com find ourselves unable to recommend this lovely item to you as the price appears to be either a misprint or a satire.

    All our attempts to have this number revised have been fruitless but rather than detain you with tedious arguments about morality, panache and book-keeping – when there are really bigger fish to filet these days – we are taking the following unusual step.

    What do they suggest? First, they say that if you’re going to spend money, you should probably do it on the ten-disc box set “Ambassador to Jazz,” from the great Louis Armstrong.

    They also suggest that you could wait until they release the separate parts of the box set – the CD, DVD and vinyl – for a more reasonable price next year. And then there’s the other option, the one referenced in the post’s title:

    If on the other hand you should still want to hear and view the component parts of the above mentioned elaborate hoax, then those items will be available separately at a more affordable price in the New Year, assuming that you have not already obtained them by more unconventional means.

    So there you have it. Elvis Costello and the Imposters think that you are being overcharged for their stuff and would prefer that you download it.

    With all of the talk about the pending SOPA and PIPA legislation, and how it relates to piracy and internet freedoms, this little anecdote it just something to remember when you hear the RIAA push their support for the bills.

    On that note, let’s check out Mr. Costello in the early ’80s:

    [Hat Tip to Boing Boing]
    [Image Courtesy elviscostello.com]

  • Beatles Nostalgia Used In Anti-Piracy Campaign

    Anti-piracy group Music Matters describes themselves as a “collective effort by artists and all those who work in and around music to remind listeners of its enduring value.”

    Their campaign “Why Music Matters” is an attempt to let people know which music-downloading services that they use are not only legal, but which ones support the artists.

    From their Facebook page –

    We are also very proud to launch the Music Matters badge – this trust mark will appear on legal music services and signifies support for musician, producers, songwriters and all those who work in music.

    To provoke conversation about the significance & value of music and the impact it makes on each and every one of us.

    Services that use the “Music Matters Trustmark” include Amazon, iTunes, Napster, HMV and Spotify.

    Music Matters wants to brand “illegal” filesharing as an act that takes away from the importance of music.

    As part of this campaign they are employing short animated videos, released on YouTube, that feature stories about “why music matters.” These videos use the original artist’s songs and all communicate the message that music is important, and that’s why we should pay for it.

    Their latest video features The Beatles. From the AP –

    The estate of iconic British band has pledged its support for the anti-piracy campaign Music Matters by sanctioning a special animated short film set to their recordings.

    The Beatles’ songs provide the soundtrack for the film’s central character, who uses music to mark the milestones in his life. The film – which is available online – aims to encourage people not to fileshare music so artists can get paid for their work.

    Whether you agree with the message of the group or not, the video is pretty awesome. It uses 4 Beatles tracks to show us how important the shared listening experience is to everyone’s life.

    You might have noticed that the video isn’t very specific in it’s anti-piracy message. If you didn’t know what “Music Matters” was, you probably wouldn’t know that this video is anything more that a Beatles tribute clip.

    I guess that works in favor of the Music Matter campaign and against them at the same time. Someone like me, who doesn’t entirely agree with their premise, can still feel emotionally connected to the video.

    But people who don’t know what Music Matters is trying to do can see that message however they want. For instance, “Music is a shared experience, and it matters, yes, so I should go out and download as much Beatles music as I can – for free.”

    The YouTube comments on the video show a pretty heated debate about filesharing and the music industry. Some, however, don’t seem to understand the message of the video.

    This isn’t the first of these animated videos produced by Music Matters. You can watch videos featuring Iron Maiden, Elbow, and Nina Simone here. Here’s one about Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott –