It's me Lilian from WSJU, I checked out your website again, and as usual very interesting! Especially the article about us getting "jipped" or however you spell that :)!!, in buying these CD's at 18 bucks. It really is crazy. It was really cool to see how you explained everything and analyzed every point. You said what everybody thinks but is scared to make so publicly known. N-E-Way just wanted to let you know your site was great as usual.
Take Care.
I love you piece on the recording industry. I can tell a lot of time an research went into such a thorough piece. Not to mention your laymen's way of dealing with the article.
Great Job!
Dear Nestor,
Is my first time visiting your site, is great. I enjoyed reading about payola, music industry and piracy. I personally enjoy music passionately and have a great collection of music, from which I could have made financial profit like many people in NY and other places do. However I have great respect for music and it's performers and would never do something like that. But on one side I think music industry needs to re invent itself such as the ones dealing with the Spanish market, and not necessarily small labels I look forward to read more interesting information on this site. "Buen trabajo caballero".
Sincerely,
My name is Rick Hiir. As of a month ago, I was the first full time Latin Label Manager for any independent or major record company in Canada. I had been with KOCH International for four years and was distributing noted Latin labels such as MP, Caiman, Ahi-Nama, GDN, Candela, Putumayo, Tinder and Shanachie exclusively in Canada. I have since started my own exclusive Latin music distribution company in Toronto which will focus mainly in Canada, however I will be licensing tracks for worldwide Latin compilations in the future. I just wanted to compliment you and the Salsa Web, for very realistic and objective views on the music industry and great info on the artists. Not only is this site insightful for long time salsa afficionados but also for educating beginners of Latin music. If anything, the only criticism I have is that I wish I could print some of these articles off your sight (black background with white lettering does not print). Anyway, I will make sure that I review your site on a regular basis. Keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
Nestor:
I am just writing a few lines to comment on your thoughts on the pricing
of recorded music in your "Kiosko". First, thank you for writing the
piece. It is important for people to be informed about these matters.
Second, payola, in spite of current belief to the contrary, does not
represent "the" reason why CD's are so "expensive", but just another
ingredient in the cost of the "asopao".
For example, did you know that the people that make the largest amount of cash, upfront, in this business are the ones that transport the CD's? Yes, the trucking companies!
Piracy is a form of socio-global welfare.
In the case of Salsa, whose
audience throughout Latin America is mostly lower middle class, and poor
people, a Venezuelan taxi driver doesn't make enough "bolívares" to pay
full price for a CD, so he goes to the Sabana Grande area of Caracas,
buys a pirated CD or cassette, and the music is his. Who cares about
cover, liner notes, etc? Those are for people like you and me, and we
are in the minority! The recording companies (and all businesses) look
for the currency with the highest value, so investing thousands of
American dollars, for example, promoting DLG in Russia, hoping to make a
return based on "rubles" is suicidal. When your returns have to come
through the filter of a weak local currency, this, in turn, means more
work for less return, which means lower indicators in the trading
markets, which means that your company is not efficient, which means
that you will be looking for employment soon. In other words, those of
us with money (American dollars), pay for those pirated copies in
poorer markets. This is not a scandal, it is common economic practice.
In the publishing industry
since the late 70's, A book that will cost
you $17.00 in Puerto Rico, will cost you about half in Uruguay, although
if sent back to Puerto Rico, it will cost about $20.00. You and I have
American dollars, and we pay for it several times over. I have
tons of illegally photocopied books at home. Do you think that a
medical student in the Dominican Republic has the money to buy new
textbooks for school? My ex-girlfriend, who's from Venezuela, had a
thriving book photocopying business and practically all
of her clients were university students that couldn't afford the
legitimate textbooks, in English or Spanish.
So, this is much more complex than we might think.
Keep up the great work!
Blessings,
Great article on payola! What the industry needs to do is create a bunch of
new labels run by small guys who have contracts stating that they cannot
sell out to the majors. Distribution needs to be done over the Internet and
by 1-800 numbers, cutting out the wholesalers. The only outstanding issue is
promoting the music. Why hasn't the US adopted Digital Radio like even
Canada has? Because you're absolutely right; the "big-5" mob has this
industry so far up their ass that they don't remember how to shit.
Let me know if you ever organize; and count me in. I'm ready to make a whole
lot of noise!!!
Congratulation on a very refined article.
I think 5 bucks is a fair market value for something that costs a dollar
+ to produce. Over here in the desert, it is difficult to find the music
I seek, let alone pirated stuff.
Ness, you're a cat with integrity and a noble cause, but your pissing
against the wind when you expect these Piranas to do the right thing.
Especially when the upper echelons are "connected". These mammy jammies
cobran lo que el bolcillo aguanta. The other day I purchased a computer
and a monitor. I wound up paying 100 dollars less than the marked price
for the monitor. It wasn't on sale. So... That tells me that the monitor
was overpriced by at least $100 in the first place. Staples didn't lose
squat on that sale. Pisses me off! Makes me think I could've gotten it for even less!
Congratulations to you again.
Nestor: Indeed, you have made a very good article with an eye opener to
every one. I had fun reading your article ... well expressed, good sentence
composition, and most of full, a "point" that kept me at the edge of my
seat! It is hard now a days, to find folks that can flawlessly express themselves
grammatically correct.
The Payola concept is not new, as you know better than me, and I hate to admit, but the price is what makes the difference. As a former musician (back in the 70's), I experienced some of the pain of knowing that I was only getting a fraction (paid once as you stated) of what the producers where making ... and they didn't even had any abilities nor skills to play any instrument.
However, if a musician wants to be known, he/she must sign one of those ridiculous contracts with the "Labeling houses", due to the high cost of creating an album. In any event, I want to thank you once again for the great commentary on your article. It was a pleasure indeed to read.
Keep up the message .... others will follow!
Hi!!!
©1997 - 99 Nestor A. Louis VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE SOLELY THOSE OF THE AUTHORS.
Home Page | What's New | CD Reviews | Artist Interviews | Opinions & Editorials | Favorite Sites