CAT5

I really don't care whether my favourite band uses the small amount of money they make from CDs (which isn't quite a lot, considering a lot of the album sales money is used to pay other people involved in the process of making a CD, as someone already stated before me) to take their kids to the zoo or sniff coke from a prostitute's behind. The money they make because I spend it on them is theirs and they can do whatever they want with it, unless they're using it to support neo-nazi's or smth like that lol (then obviously I wouldn't put money into people who support that sort of thing). They put effort and time into making the music so I shouldn't feel entitled just because I bought that CD that they should do what I want them to do.
 
Just buy what you enjoy from a band. They released an album you didn't like? Too bad, then don't buy it. But don't start whining that you spent so much money on them and now they're "doing this to you and you feel so betrayed". A band does whatever they want musically (unless in specific cases with awful contracts or whatever but then again it's still up the band itself to decide to go major and in the process lose some of their individuality) and if you don't enjoy it you should just not support it.

Supporting the music you like/love is wonderful, but as many have noted already, buying all of the merch/CDs in the world does not mean you get to control the will or fate of the band. If the band is going to change styles, disband, or use their money snort cocaine from the dirty asses of prostitutes - that's simply beyond your control. It's a bit egotisitcal to think that you own a band because you own their CD, or to think that a band has to conform to your whims because you spent money on them.
 
You see, there's this wonderful thing called "free will" - so if you like it, feel free to support it - if you don't like it, you don't have to support it.

I agree with this! I know all music forums have both leechers and active community members, but in my personal opinion quite a bit of visual kei fans have started to feel so incredibly entitled lately to have the releases they want on the release date and if they don't they start throwing hissyfits about it. The really old VK veterans had to trade to get the stuff they wanted, they had to climb mountains, cross rivers, fight dragons for that one Gazette release
 
I remember when someone bought the limited edition of an album and uploaded it and also promised to make a DVD rip and people legitly started spamming their thread with impatient and rude messages as to why the DVD (which was a full live DVD in ISO so you can imagine the size of that file + the time it would need to rip/upload) wasn't uploaded yet only two days after the initial album was posted.
 
People need to realize that behind every file there is a person who bought that release, probably paid a shitload for shipping (if they're physical copies) and then was so kind to rip it to their computer in a good quality and share it with the rest of the world. You don't even have to press thanks or even say it, I just wish more people realized this before they start calling someone a liar or an ass.
 
Though concerning bitrate, I've always been on CAT's side with this: share it to the fullest or don't share at all. People who upload releases in 128-192kbps and say "go buy the album if you want a better quality" are obviously not sharing the release to share awesome music and give one of their favourite artists more exposure, but purely because they want a big e-penis. "Oh look at my 320/Lossless rip of that album that you can't have lol", is something I'm very much against. On one side I'm like "yeah okay I'm happy people share it at all" (especially since I've gotten into a lot of Japanese regular indie music, where it's a lot harder to come by releases than it is in VK) but sharing bad quality isn't going to solve the problem. If you really share a lower bitrate to have more people buy the album, then I've got some news for you: it doesn't work. A lot of VK fans don't care about bitrate that much (as long as it's listenable), especially if they're young and don't have the cash to import VK CDs from Japan. I actually would feel more opposed to purchasing an album I only have an 128 rip of because it misses a lot of details that I can hear in a 320 rip. Good quality can just really enhance the musical experience, at least, that's how I see it. People who want to buy the album will buy it anyway, this "here's a low quality"-method doesn't work and it makes you look like a douche, sorry.
 
tl;dr - share to the fullest or don't share at all
 
SORRY FOR THE LONG POST.

Yes, but the difference here is that you didn't intend to lower the bitrate. In your case it just happened because you weren't familiar with the ripping proces and everyone can make such mistakes in the beginning ! The ones I mean are the ones that know what they're doing and choose to go for bitrates like 128 kbps.
 
You know, it doesn't really feel like they're sharing to spread awesome music and share their love of the artist with others. When I find a cool album and purchase it and then share it with my friends, I do it because I enjoyed that release and want to expose it to more people, so that maybe other people will find new music that they'll enjoy and that will make them happy. If I share (though I haven't shared in ages) I do it out of love for music. There's nothing wrong with actually stating "please buy the CD if you enjoyed this release!", in my personal opinion it just doesn't feel right if you put it as an excuse NOT to share to the fullest. But hey, everyone should share how they want, I'm not entitled to anything and if they want to do this be my guest.
 
I agree with CAT on the matter that sharing low quality out of spite isn't the best thing to do. It's probably better to explain the situation to them and if they don't want to listen then they're really not worth your time. As stated before, people can be so awfully entitled to certain things!
 
 
I do agree that everyone should be free in how they rip their CDs, but there's nothing wrong with personally disliking certain mentalities. Take CAT for example, CAT shares his stuff out of love and passion for music, and because it's his mentality that he'd like to enjoy music to the fullest, he'll always share the highest possible bitrate he can get his hands on, whether that is a 320 or a 192 rip. Other people don't have this mentality and mostly do it because they want to receive a lot of status on this forum and in the online VK community. Like I said, if they want to share it that way I won't be the one to complain in their thread, I'll take the file and be grateful for it, because they still purchased it and took the effort to upload it (they could've chosen just not to), but I guess my mentality is just different.

I've been on a fair amount of dates last year, but it's not because it was a hobby (although, I guess based on the amount of time I spent trying to get to know people and then seeing them in person, I guess you could say it did add up to actually being a hobby...).
 
I don't really have many crazy stories, but I did have a bad habit of not being ready for a relationship, mentally, which caused its fair share of problems. Whomever said "boys don't cry" has never tried to break it off with one (or several...). While I'm not exactly proud that that happened, I did need the experience of seeing a variety of different people to get a better sense of what I want out of someone I could potentially spend my life with.
 
If I had to pick a craziest, I'd say it was the one time I went to a Chinese restaurant. I barely knew what the guy looked like and he didn't wait for me outside so I had to like...fumble around in a dark place to find someone who -looked- like they were waiting for a date to come in. After talking to him more, all of his stories were pretty much about how he got mad at someone, got drunk, and then did something to fuck up their life. One of his stories was about how he had to go to the bathroom in a class he didn't like and his teacher kept telling him "no." He said something like "Well then I'm going to shit on your projector or I'm going to get up and go" to her to resolve this conflict. I thought I was fairly charming, but I never considered telling such a quality story to someone whom I've just met.
 
The best part, however, was when he was talking about a "hood rat" he had met while drunk who had a nipple piercing in the wrong way (she had it pierced vertically). He asked me if I knew what kind of piercing that looked like (he used that actual name for it, so I wasn't really sure), and when I said "no," he unbuttoned his shirt and showed me his in the middle of the restaurant.
 
Oh.
 
After that, he never texted me again which was because, I'm assuming, I wasn't very interesting to him. I never messaged him either because that's about the point in my life I decided I really wanted standards or something idk

Supporting the music you like/love is wonderful, but as many have noted already, buying all of the merch/CDs in the world does not mean you get to control the will or fate of the band. If the band is going to change styles, disband, or use their money snort cocaine from the dirty asses of prostitutes - that's simply beyond your control. It's a bit egotisitcal to think that you own a band because you own their CD, or to think that a band has to conform to your whims because you spent money on them.
 
You see, there's this wonderful thing called "free will" - so if you like it, feel free to support it - if you don't like it, you don't have to support it.

Damn. I never realized how long I've been away from the vk fandom. I remember the good old days of Tainted World...
 
I'm injectcandy. carouselcues. aciid_cl0bb3r. lawren.
maybe you've seen me around, maybe you havent.
 
Been listening to VK for pretty much 10 years now~
I cant believe what has happened over the span of this time.
 
I'm looking to get back into the fandom and listen more actively.
 
So hello again!
 
And shout out to my Canadian vk fans

Supporting the music you like/love is wonderful, but as many have noted already, buying all of the merch/CDs in the world does not mean you get to control the will or fate of the band. If the band is going to change styles, disband, or use their money snort cocaine from the dirty asses of prostitutes - that's simply beyond your control. It's a bit egotisitcal to think that you own a band because you own their CD, or to think that a band has to conform to your whims because you spent money on them.
 
You see, there's this wonderful thing called "free will" - so if you like it, feel free to support it - if you don't like it, you don't have to support it.

Well, I don't upload as much anymore as I used to do, mainly because I don't listen to so much new jrock anymore, but I mostly see it as a community service. I downloaded a lot over the years, why should I not give something back if I can? As such, uploading is its own reward I guess.
 
 
 
But, in all honesty: when I was still trading and had access to rare stuff, it was highly satisfying to upload some rare stuff just for the sake of it. Especially when other people who acquired it the same way would try to flaunt it into others people's faces. Sounds silly? It sure is, but gosh yeah, that was satisfying.

Whats your favorite breakdowns?
 
Mine happen to be from Lycaon
http://youtu.be/PLUWdFlezIo starts around 1:21 with a awesome high pitch squeal
 
http://youtu.be/wMvepFRPYlQ and their latest breakdown, 2 parts starts at 1:59 first hard guitar rebing followed by a back and forth beat with electronic synth sound picks up with double bass with yuuki whispering.

UNLIMITS new album "アメジスト(amethyst)" will be released under Jun Gray Records at 2014/04/16 (12 songs, 2,300yen)

I buy music and merch for my myself, not to support anyone. However, if I help artists getting a bit more money that's great, no matter what they use the money on, be it to record music, go on tour, buy expensive clothes, pay prostitutes or buy drugs. That's none of my business and they are free to spend it on whatever they want without me complaining about it.
 
 
 
 
Do you think most Japanese bands decides where their CDs and merch should be sold? I'm sure most bands would want their CDs to be sold anywhere in the world, but at the end of the day that's not up to them to decide, but the label they're signed to.

Also very simple: post a video and the person below you has to rate how good the guitar riff(s) are. A sentence or two explaining if they liked/disliked it and why is good enough. I'll start with something good:

I buy CDs (or any other band merchanside) mostly for myself. Because I like to have it. Supporting the band, however little of it actually reaches them, is just an added bonus (and what they do with their money is really up to them - I'm not too much in the business of judging other people's lifestyle.)
 
 
And if the music of a band I used to like suddenly turned bad - well, I'll stop buying it. In this day and age nobody has to buy bad music anymore. There is usually more than one way, legal or illegal, to listen to something before buying, if you are unsure. 
 
 
I think it would have to be something REALLY serious for me to stop buying music I like (or any other band stuff) just to prevent the few cents of my purchase from reaching the artist - like, I dunno, them turning into completely fucked-up nazi assholes or child rapists or whatever. Then maybe I would think "Yeah.... maybe I'll just keep my money". But them spending "my" money on useless stuff? Hardly.
 
Suffice to say, that hasn't happened to me so far.

Newbie here ; u ; thought i'd make a post introducing myself to this site. I hope to find some new music and meet some nice new people!
Some bands I love are;
BUCK-TICK
Alice nine
Asian Kung-Fu Generation(They're not really Visual-Kei iknow but still)
LM.C
 

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It could be that they got exposed to more things in a very small amount of time. Hypothetical example, but suppose they started college and had 3 roommates who were very musical. That would have exposed them to a great deal of other genres outside of vkei and possibly cause them to feel they've really compartmentalized their own tastes and try other things be it for variety, better production, or to fit in with the people they're around most now.
 
It could also very well be that they've been changing all a long, but the result seemed immediate to an outsider. 
 
As for the people who seem like their favorites change within 10 minutes, they probably never really liked that "favorite thing" to start with and seem like the kind of person who throw around superlatives without really placing any stock in their severity.

Some shitty quality phone pics of myself, my little brother, and my older sister that we took today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIBMdTtwiUQ
 
Full single on YT, guys.
 
Such a good title song tbqh (very Vulgar-ish at some parts) and yeah, I haven't heard DEG doing constant wah-wahing for awhile.
 
And about Ruten no Tou's acoustic remake - they definitely need to make more acoustic songs in the same vein...

Some shitty quality phone pics of myself, my little brother, and my older sister that we took today.

My daughter was using me as a pillow.................... again. ;; All I could do was take selfies with rays of sunlight on my face (until my niece jumped onto the bed and joined my selfies XD).

Interesting thread Zess! I have quite a few album covers that I really like, but I'll try to narrow it down to three of my biggest favourites.
 
Boris - New Album
 

 
Reason: Well basically Boris is kind of hit/miss when it comes to album covers to me. Their covers are usually very simplistic, a single colour and the name of the album + artist. New Album however matches the style of music the album presents. It's light, yet even though there are a lot of things going on in the image, it still manages to portray a very calm atmosphere. The use of colour and mixing of such is done really well, yet Boris didn't drift far from their usual methods, as the woman painted here is most probably Wata, the band's guitarist.
 
 
虹の彼方 - Seven Colors Variations -
 

 
Reason: The album cover is actually made up of two parts, the other side is on the back, but as it was hard to find in a normal size, here's the front. This is an album of an electronics artist, and what I love about electronics is how calm and atmospheric that music can be. A cover like this matches the type of music well. It's simple, the brush strokes rough but accurate and the font clear but not over the top. The wooden border looks better in the complete picture, to be quite honest, so I'm going to disregard that one.
 
 
RADWIMPS - Xと○と罪と
 

 
Reason: I guess this is a very personal choice, but I do love this cover. The black background with the huge mash-up of colours that are all unorganized yet still manage to show recognizable shapes are in some strange compatible with how this album sounds. And let's be honest, it's just pretty to look at.

I am so hyped for this. When LAR put out their last mini-album, I ended up with all of their stuff at once. It was a beautifully melancholy day. I mean that in the least high-school-goth way possible. Like Brand New or Sunny Day Real Estate melancholy.

it is announced at a flood of circle live at Akasaka BLITZ at 2014/01/19 that their new maxi single "KIDS / アカネ(akane)" will be released at 2014/04/09 (2 TYPE)
 
limited edition (2,160yen) will include CD (3 songs)+DVD (including live tour documentary), and regular edition (1,080yen) will include CD (3 songs) only

Vocals are just another instrument to my ears. I listen to plenty of bands both with and without vocals. And just as with drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and whatnot, if it's done poorly it can ruin the whole song, but it doesn't necessary have to ruin it either. What's important is that it is interesting as a whole. If a song has nothing beside good vocals, good guitars, good bass, good drums OR good keyboards it won't be enough to keep me interesting. Not even close. If there's only one element in the music that's good, then it really isn't good. Ya? Ya.