Hello guys, it's my first post here. You possibly know Dub Flash, if not, you don't.
In my opinion, you underestimate what is happening due to all the free downloading. Especially in such a tiny field like reggae or - even smaller - dub.
All the small labels are struggling heavily nowadays and don't sell enough records to be able to continue. I'm completely bankrupt for example. I have spent all my money into Dub Flash and am happy if I sell 300 copies of a record. And then I see that "Dubnight" is downloaded more than 10.000 times?!
Don't you think this is completely wrong? Why are not even 5% of these 10.000 people regularly willing to pay for a quality dub release and only go for free internet downloads where a lot of stuff is definitely only minor quality? I don't understand these people.
Making e.g. dub and reggae music has become a hobby. There are more dub producers out there today than dub fans, more dub radio shows than listeners. So many people request a promo copy from me. But who generates me some sales? That's only very few DJs, the ones on real radio stations. If at all. And even if you claim it, I say that no online radio show leads to any more sales for the labels. So why give out promos or free downloads? What's the benefit for the labels? Hooray, so many people know Dub Flash? Guess what, as long as these people only know but don't support us (by buying the records), I don't care. Then they call me an arrogant bastard because I don't have the "irie irie reggae culture" vibe. Bloody hell, dem a nothing but hypocrites!
The dub "industry" has been destroyed. Look at all the little labels, most hold back their new vinyl releases. They either don't have the money at all or they doubt that it will be worth putting something out. There are more illegal MP3 copies of the "Dub Shoe 1" LP out there than sold vinyl copies. Who of you owns a Dub Flash vinyl copy? Why pressing vinyl anymore? Or CDs.
And it's not only for me personal, ask other labels or professional producers. They tell you the same. It's a difference if you only do this for fun or if the business is part of your existence. Some of them guys don't have another job from which they could earn a living. They need to get some money in from their music because it's the only thing they can do!
But due to the masses of free downloads - I want to call it "dub spamming" - nowadays, there is so much to listen to and also so much crap, that everyone is overloaded. I can download 200 dubs in a row if I want without paying a Cent. Afterwards I don't feel like going to a shop and buy the latest 10". It's pure overkill. And also, the market is flooded with crappy productions. Really, there are so many bad tunes available online (as Aliensonny also stated), I don't think these should be offered at all!
And I don't only speak about the music itself, but about the production, about the EQing, about the mastering. Every Dub Flash release got a special mastering treatment by specialists in order to make it sound better than the average sound. It costs a lot of money! It's not enough to let a warezed Waves Platinum plugin run over a tune. How many free downloadable tunes are properly mixed (don't even want to think about mastering)? That's all wrong. The music consumer is taught two things: 1. Why pay for music if there is so much available for free. 2. Quality is not an issue anymore. Am I the only one who has a problem with that?
I know that there are a lot of good new dub producers out there nowadays. And they need to put out tunes in order to become known, of course. But the way it is done today is: Offer the tunes directly to the masses for free. That leaves out all distributors, all labels, all promoters. No one could sign such an artist and hype him as being new. He is already known. And as has already been stated here, too, no one is willing to pay for this artist because so many tunes from him are already available for free. You dig your own graves!
How it should be done is the traditional way: Produce your tunes, give them to a hand-selected group of DJs, soundsystems, promoters, labels and then let them do the rest for you. Let them create a demand. If you're good, you would get your release then. Today the labels either go for popular artists, themselves or for unknown artists which are completely unknown. Some years ago, I could play a dubplate and people came to me and asked: "Who's that?" Nowadays, I play a dubplate and people yawn "heard it already on Myspace". What a pity.
Apart from that, if you want a song that is only streamable, why don't you simply record it. You all have the gear and knowledge for that, I'm sure.
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