Silverhawk33

friendly reminder that

like no one cares that your attention span is not long enough for 16 best vk songs of year at once, quit bitching over it

1. Do you feel like you are entitled to free music? If you do, why? If you don't, why not?

I've never felt like I'm entitled to free music. In fact I believe no one is, and the reason is simple. For all the high-flatulent rhetoric about music being an art form and the idealized/oversentimental opinion that like all art, music must be free from all monetary associations, it is a fact that music exists in our society as a commodity whether we like or not. That doesn't mean musicians are prohibited from giving away music for free; it just means that no one, in virtue of their status as consumers, should demand to get music for free. The fact that music isn't a perishable commodity (akin to, say, potato chips or MRI machines) only distracts from this reality.


2. How do you feel about people refusing to share their music because they want to support the band?

People have the right to refuse to share anything that they own. Let me be clearer. I'm not saying that consumers own the rights to the content (obviously they don't), but they do get to decide what they want to do with music in the form of a physical product (CD, VHS, whatever)--they can share it with everyone, or keep it to themselves, or sell it at 5 times the retail price, or feed it to their hamster. If they are deprived of even this fundamental right to decide what to do with the thing they buy, why would anyone even buy anything in the first place?


3. In relation to the second question, what do you think of people who tell others not to share something they themselves paid money for as they think its content is exclusively for those who paid for it?

Even if both my friend and I own the same release, I have the right to not share mine but this right doesn't extend to demanding him not to share his.


4. Do you think entitlement to free music is worse in visual kei than in other communities?

No comments on this, since I don't know "other communities" well enough to make any sort of meaningful comparison.


5. How do you feel about people who deliberately share releases in low bitrates to encourage you to buy the CD? Do you think that if someone does decide to share, you're entitled to the highest rip?

I admit that it used to be the case that I'm frustrated when I see 128 rips floating around and there was no way to find a better quality rip. This frustration stems mainly from people not providing good rips because they aren't familiar on ripping, encoding, etc. So it's sort of an unfortunate accident that we get these bad rips. But I do feel that if people really know what they're doing, they definitely have the right to share in lower bitrates to encourage others to purchase the CD. How effective is it? That's a separate question. Again, because they own it, they get to decide. I can request, but if I don't own the CD there's no entitlement to speak of.


6. Have you ever been approached by people, either on Monochrome Heaven or last.fm, who wanted you to share something? If you didn't want to share, how did they react? What did you think of their reaction?

Not frequently, but most of the time I feel people usually understand why I might not want to share something.


Other tangential remarks:

Often I find people way too obsessed with what others do with their music; those who refuse to share their music are branded "elitists" and those who don't buy their music are "leechers". A lot of these finger-pointing obscures how we should actually be buying the CD if we like the music enough and have the means to. Without blatantly endorsing piracy I do believe there's a place for sharing (mainly because it's not humanly possible to own ALL music that one likes), but this isn't incompatible with my belief that everyone should buy music insofar as they can afford it - simply because if no one buys, then no more music will be produced.

Another thing: as someone who has uploaded a fair bit of music, I think I don't only speak for myself when I say that the purported "glamor" and "reputation" of uploaders are ridiculously overstated. There's very little "benefit" (if at all) of sharing music that we own, and we lose nothing at all if we ever decide to stop sharing. Most of the time people share something because they hope to interest the community and they act out of their own goodwill, not because they feel as if they have a moral duty to do so. Hell no. I return you to my comments that any such sense of entitlement is nothing short of delusional.

limited edition TYPE A (3,100yen) of their new mini album "昏睡(konsui)" will include CD (5 songs)+DVD (including PV & PV making), limited edition TYPE B (3,100yen) will include CD (5 songs)+DVD (including studio live), and regular edition (2,700yen) will include CD (6 songs) only

I'm loving the new single release, they absolutely impressed me! I'm particularly fond of the b-sides the most so I'm definitely ready for the next album. I figured it would come out this year due to the whole 15th anniversary deal, but not this soon. This will also be their tenth album so I'm hoping for something on the level of anima and the self-titled album.

Japanese: Visual
 
 
 

BUCK-TICK - 或いはアナーキー tags: gothic rock, industrial rock  
      DuelJewel - Story tags: hard rock, metal  
      girugamesh - gravitation tags: hard rock, alternative metal  
      MUCC - THE END OF THE WORLD tags: rock, alternative  
      NAINE - NEW ANSWER IS NEW ENDING tags: electronic rock  
      NoGoD - Make A New World tags: metal  

it is announced at Sick² one-man live tour final at Takadanobaba AREA at 2014/12/30 that their new maxi single "冬の終わる場所。(fuyu no owaru basho)" will be released at 2015/03/18 (3 TYPE)
 
TYPE A (2,160yen) will include CD (2 songs)+DVD (including "冬の終わる場所。(fuyu no owaru basho)" PV), TYPE B (1,620yen) will include CD (3 songs)+booklet, and TYPE C (1,620yen) will include CD (3 songs & corr. 3 karaoke) only
 
 
their live-distributed single (title not yet finalized) will be released at their one-man live "女の子を騙すだけの簡単なお仕事です。5" at TSUTAYA O-West at 2015/08/27
 
 
btw they will hold their presents live tour "最近調子に乗ってるらしいSick²でも冷やかしに行かないか？" since ジェネ★(gene) birthday live at Ikebukuro BLACK HOLE at 2015/03/15 and up to 祭(matsuri) birthday live at Shinjuku BLAZE at 2015/03/31
 

This is Maiku and I have no heart. And I foresaw this. Mostly the single for the Album OMELAS. If you know anything about Ursula K. LeGuin, she wrote a short story entitled The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. It's a story about people who choose to leave paradise. Now, in the song OMELAS by THE KIDDIE the chorus goes "So this is my policy for the world I leave," This, the song title, and the album title led me to suspect this was the last hurrah. THE KIDDIE did something different with DYSTOPIA and it definitely shows a side of them that is new. Something glimpsed in Yusa's joining of The Legendary Six-Nine. They are moving on to things different from THE KIDDIE and I wont be surprised to see new bands sprout from this disband. Especially with how skilled most of the members are. I'm excited to see what will happen. 8D

omg this so much.
 
if seeing a band you dislike disband actually makes you feel good, i'm afraid there's something seriously wrong with you. and if you simply don't care, why even bother to comment? leave their fans alone tyvm.

A band I remember since they started. I liked everything until poplar. Then a few major singles were good. After Sun'z up, never really cared. Sad to see them go though. And I'm really getting tired of these hurr durr, they're not good glad they're disbanding bs etc Taste is subjective, and not everyone likes the same music.

ADAMS new album "SEXPLOSION" will be released at 2015/06/03 (2,700yen), which will be sold in advance at their European live tour since 2015/02/20

I'm not defending some of his other actions, but how does Kiwamu telling you that a live distributed CD you wanted to buy is only available at lives make him bad at contributing to the overseas fandom? That is what a live distributed CD is. It's supposed to make more people come to the band's shows because they can't get it anywhere else.

VELVET EDEN live-distributed DVD "STREET OF ALICE" will be released at their one-man live "Ruins of Pale rose～蜘蛛の異徒(kumo no ito)～" at Ikebukuro RUIDO K3 at 2015/05/24
 

 

Unpopular opinion but I really like DADA and I'm really happy for this

Always excited about a new album from SuG! Now I just need to catch up with their single releases.

MUCC LIVE DVD "SIX NINE WARS-ぼくらの七ヶ月間戦争-「THE END」@国立代々木競技場第一体育館" will be released at 2015/02/25 (7,452yen), which will include 2DVDs+2CDs (including scene/live songs of their one-man live "SIX NINE WARS-ぼくらの七ヶ月間戦争-「THE END」" at 2014/09/23)
 
 
SET-LIST at 2014/09/23:
 
01.THE END OF THE WORLD
02.ENDER ENDER
03.Ms.Fear
04.G.G.
05.謡声(utagoe)
06.ガーベラ(gerbera)
07.World's End
08.Tell me
09.999-21st Century World-
10.WateR
11.369-ミロク-(miroku)
12.未完の絵画(mikan no kaiga)
13.メディアの銃声(media no juusei)
14.JAPANESE
15.ニルヴァーナ(nirvana)
16.Hallelujah
17.風と太陽(kaze to taiyou)
18.咆哮(houkou)
19.Mr.Liar
20.死んでほしい人(shinde hoshii hito)
 
EN1
夢烏P
21.ホムラウタ(homurauta)
22.オルゴォル(orgel)
23.空と糸(sora to ito)
24.ホリゾント(horizon)
25.流星(ryuusei)
26.大嫌い(daikirai)
 
EN2
27.前へ(mae e)
28.MAD YACK
29.蘭鋳(ranchuu)
30.故に、摩天楼(yue ni matenrou)

NIGHTMARE has announced a new single called "blur" for which the release date is on 2015.01.07
 
Type A : 1944 yens
CD :
1.blur
2.Buddies
DVD :
1.blur (PV)
 
Type B : 1944 yens 
CD :
1.blur
2.Buddies
DVD :
1.Buddies (PV)
 
Regular edition : 1296 yens
CD :
1.blur
2.Buddies
3.Such a Nonsense System 　
 
http://www.nightmare-web.com/pc/info_detail.php?id=10002824

WRITE-UP:
 
Matenrou Opera returns with an album that tastes like a concept album, yet leaves the over-all decision on whether it is or isn`t up to your interpretation.
 
The term Avalon refers to a place in so-called Arthurian legend, where both the Excalibur was forged, and legendary knights as well as King Arthur himself was buried. Some speculate it to be an island off the coast of Scotland and Wales.
 
The album is laden with sounds reminiscent of Medieval times, and song titles refer to heaven or paradise, which Avalon is a gateway to; that is where the concept album feel plays in, yet the songs actually tell varied tales which can not always be played in to the album`s title, and the inclusion of the previous single A-Side Orb further leads us astray.
 
Concept album or not, this album is definitely not a collection of different tracks or hits thrown together. It plays more like a film cut into different parts, telling different stories, but almost always fitting a certain feel, and that is the experience you get from this album. It has a common title, but the experience is a unique one. The `Opera` touch of the delivery along with a unique vocalist matched with a hard band delivers a one-of-a-kind experience, and I think that is really what you are getting from this album. It`s not another rock album, not another VK album, it is something of its own, and you need to sample the singles from the album to see if you will enjoy this experience. One key thing to keep in consideration is if you like the vocalist and delivery, as this is a comon point of divergence amongst opinion.
 
To me, this more of a sit-down and listen album rather than something you can throw on, although tracks like Orb, 隣に座る太陽 and クロスカウンターを狙え are the tracks I would think you are likely to throw on as stand-alone listens. The album doesn`t use hooks or catches as much as you would expect from a modern album, if you want a comparison, I would say it is more like Versailles from a different era.
 
Track Count: 12
Listens: 15-20
Production Quality: Great sound, yet my personal preference is for a wider sound stage and more clarity in individual intruments, esp. more of the guitars.Though they seem to specifically like putting emphasis on the vocals.
 
Overall Rating: Great album, defined, unique experience, listening on the I will skip some tracks, but if I want to let it play out there are no skip-inducing tracks.
 
Worth the Purchase?
For me, this is definitely worth the purchase. Although it is not an album that will get the most rotation. It is something I will keep in my library and bring out on occasion.

while everyone is entitled to their opinion, and while the album may not be a grand ol stroll in the park, I think people are being a little immature and taking the bashing way out of hand. I'm not a Sadie fan, and I haven't listened to it yet, but I do respect that they have a following and that some people find it good music. By all means, give it a negative review, but anything beyond tasteful and professional word play just makes you look like an elitist douche who thinks your musical taste is superior to anyone who may like this album. 

This may be a bad example, but telling someone hey you're a little over weight, try some healthier options is a lot more respectable than saying, JESUS YOU FAT FUCK JUST KILL YOURSELF YOU WASTE OF SPACE. which is what I'm comparing all this bashing to. 

On top of that, a group effort to bash on a release does not make this forum look appealing for new potential members that may have great things and activity to contribute. 

So I guess all I have to say is, let's not waste so much energy hating on something you clearly dislike. You dislike it, great share that opinion and move on to something more enjoyable.
 
EDIT: this is not directed to any one person in particular, and those of you just speaking your mind, by all means keep up the good work. But if giving this album a bad review is the highlight of your week... I'm really sorry that you have nothing better to do. :'[

Agreed. Having read through the thread, I was afraid I'd be the only one to say I didn't dislike it. Of course, there's a few songs I much prefer over others (TOKYO GYPSY is my favourite track and I have a thing for Engrish singing so GESSHOKU is fab xD) and I agree with the majority too when I say it's clearly not their best release. I haven't listened to all their songs, only most of their older songs once or twice, but overall, it just sounds like a change of style a bit and it's always a breath of fresh air when that happens with bands I think. As I quoted above from Hellion, it does sound like there is 'actual originality' in this piece compared to their other albums. Then again, I'll listen to literally anything and enjoy it! It's a fun album, it really is in my opinion. I guess another factor as to why I liked it was because I was prepared for the worst after having read comments and reviews of it hah. So yeah, I'm actually not disappointed since I was expecting, like, the worst. xD I keep repeating the opening, it's so funky and fun hah. This isn't a proper review lol sorry, just commenting as well. And I can agree with Furik about the 'misleading title.' Why GANGSTA, out of everything? Doesn't really fit the overall feel of the album I think.

First and for most: Not listening to an album simply because of a title and majority negative reviews is different levels of stupid. And I'll leave it at that.
 
So I've made it through a good chunk of the album to give a solid review on the album. I will start off by saying this, I do agree that naming the album Gangsta was probably one of the dumbest decisions ever. I don't get any of that gangsta aspect or feel while listening to this release. Or maybe its so subtitle that It hasn't caught my attention. As far as the everything else goes, I do stand by my status update in which i stated this is a strong contender for one of the best albums this year. Why? The musicianship. I admit that this release as a whole isn't anything spectacular or uber amazing but that aspect is something that I appreciate a lot. Madrigal De Maria was literally Uroboros part 2 and The Black Diamonds  and BLEACH were just a compilation of crap songs with zero to no effort put in (besides ROSARIO). Gangsta sounds like the band actually enjoyed writing these songs and they don't feel forced or try hard-ish. 
 
This is the album that should have came after COLD BLOOD because COLD BLOOD was also a great example of SADIE just being original and doing their thing. Gangsta is what Beautiful Deformity is to the GazettE. A step back into doing what they can do and excelling at it. The sad part is that even though I enjoy this release, I know SADIE will disappoint with the next few releases after. They really are an inconsistent band that hasn't yet figured out how to progress properly...and they probably never will. However, I'm pleased with this release. 
 
7.5/10

Going to buy this album. I never listened to their last one that much but this one seems more uptempo and hopefully more push and play, as their last was more atmospheric and was more of a sit down and listen kind of experience to me.
Really like the album covers, and the juxtaposition with the title, band look, sound, and presentation.
The use of the word Gangsta as a marketing ploy obviously worked very well, as I see crowds gather to bump threads on different sites, and everyone just has to see the video and hear the song, even if just to criticize. As a VK band it is small-scale, but it develops a crowd of outsiders who love to hate them, and are exposed to their music, and gives fans a mentality that there are naysayers and the band is underrated, etc... Though obv. It only keeps the band on the mind of those already in the VK bubble, and wont translate to any visible increase in foreign sales, esp. when it is mostly serious fans and or collectors who buy much, and purchase of this album is being discouraged in its News thread.
Anyway, just rambling here, but I see Sadie is in the same boat as BORN, where it is cool to make fun of them, and that makes everyone follow them over other bands. I expect this to continue for a while, just like MuCC's following, where they changed their approach to.music years and years ago but people still post in every thread about how they used to be better, yet these people still follow every single release regardless.
(Dont take this post as a negative judgement, just a neutral observation).

the embarrassment is strong
 
 
 
 
can already imagine "u dont fakku wizzu me baka mazafakka HURRDURRRDDURRRRDURRRRRRRRCHUGCHUG"
shaping into album of the year indeed