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"Shadow" "Camera obscura" ...all I'm thinking about is Fatal Frame now xD

I need to pre-order this asap o_o...

Wow that was completely fucking amazing. On par or better than how much I loved Ride-Hazard. This is going to be my summer rock anthem, with 100% certainty.

Remember how I was always skeptical about this band and I even asked what do you see in this thing, because I never felt anything about them ? Well, now I feel. This is fucking awesome and I actually can't wait to hear it. I bet it'll be one of the best VK releases we'll get to hear this year.

Ah i thought so. well we are in a agreement those are some of the songs i come back. I think of reload though as early grieva since some parts have the same sound in the riffs.

never've drawing anything proper so doodles is all there is
and dropped w.i.p.s i guess 

Noctis (FFXV)

 
 
Pride (FMA:Brotherhood)

 
 
Visual kei... LOL

Ay Yo!
Post pics of your cosplays so I can tell you how cute you are
 

 
here's my most recent one. Its not the best of pictures but it'll do.
I did Fuu From Samurai Champloo 8D
 
and before that I was Sasha from Attack on Titan
 

 
SHOW ME YOURS NOW 8DDDD

yay, cool! i wouldn't mind if mjo, umbrella or mekakusi won this, but jin-say are definitely my favs on this va

Not a very long list, because I didn't attend to every vk concert here in Finland, just the ones I liked.
 
2006-11-26 D'espairsRay @ Helsinki, Tavastia
2007-03-20 MUCC @ Helsinki, Tavastia
2007-10-11 Moi dix Mois @ Helsinki, Tavastia
2007-10-30 the GazettE @ Helsinki, Tavastia
2007-11-04 Dir en grey @ Helsinki, Tavastia
2008-03-31 Matenrou Opera & Versailles @ Helsinki, Tavastia
2008-07-03 Miyavi @ Helsinki, Tavastia
2008-08-18 Kagrra, @ Helsinki, Tavastia
2008-10-12 exist†trace & Black:List @ Helsinki, Gloria
2008-10-18 SINCREA & GARI @ Helsinki, Gloria
2009-02-08 LM.C @ Helsinki, Gloria
2009-07-25 D'espairsRay @ Helsinki, Nosturi
2009-09-23 Miyavi @ Helsinki, Tavastia
2009-10-18 vistlip @ Helsinki, Gloria
2010-04-28 exist†trace @ Helsinki, Gloria
2010-09-22 D'espairsRay @ Helsinki, Tavastia
2011-01-20 -OZ- @ Helsinki, Gloria
2013-09-29 the Gazette @ Helsinki, The Circus
2013-12-15 EAT YOU ALIVE @ Helsinki, Gloria
2014-03-16 Miyavi @ Helsinki, The Circus
2014-04-11 ADAMS @ Helsinki, Gloria
2014-04-18 heidi. @ Helsinki, Gloria
--
2014-09-06 Lycaon x BORN @ Helsinki, Gloria
2014-09-15 sukekiyo @ Helsinki, Nosturi

I agree with rsasai that CD sales can indeed be a big indicator whether or not a band decides (or their management, tbqh I have no idea who even makes the final call) to tour abroad. After all, if a band sees they've got quite a bit of CD sales in some part of the world, it might be worth it to tour there. CD sales do not make everything though; I've seen indie bands who play even smaller venues than Nocturnal Bloodlust come to Europe, bands that gathered audiences on a regular concert of only about 200-300 people in Japan (and only about 30-40 in Europe) and yet decided to tour this continent more than once. I'm pretty sure even less people in Europe bought the CDs of these bands than the amount of people who bought Nocturnal Bloodlust's latest release. Sure, these bands are cheaper to bring over, but hey, if bands like DIR EN GREY and the GazettE can be brought over (who are probably a lot more expensive than an indie band like NB), I doubt costs would be the main problem, even with these indie bands.
 
I consider piracy with visual kei fans a two-sided problem. First, you have the fact that a lot of visual kei fans do not buy the CDs of their so-called "favourite" VK band (whether or not you dislike that mentality isn't really relevant to my argument so I'm just letting this for what it is) because they feel like they're not the target audience anyway, and it's not something that will hurt them. AGAIN, THIS IS PURELY HYPOTHETICAL AND DOES NOT REPRESENT MY OPINION ON THE MATTER. I mean, if they really DID want to target the fans abroad, why do their official webshops not ship outside of Japan? Why are their releases only on the Japanese iTunes? Why do I have to order the CD from Japan and spend a fortune on shipping costs (and perhaps taxes and customs) to get that CD here while I could have free access to it with the click of a button? This isn't going to hurt the band! If they really wanted to target me, they'd attempt to reach out more! Why would I put money into something that's only going to be used for promotion in Japan?
 
The other side is that the slight amount of people who DO buy CDs do not make up enough people for the band to take their audience abroad seriously. I've read a couple of band interviews where VK bands were confronted with the question of how they felt about having fans abroad. Some of them seemed suprised, others said "oh that's nice I guess". For my hypothesis NB is actually a really good example because they seem to be willing to come abroad. They put their music on other countries' iTunes stores, they have an official YT channel that ISN'T restricted to Japan alone and some of the members even tweet in English. "Why don't our fans see this, we're trying!" Like in my personal opinion I think NB is a terrible band but that doesn't take away the fact that they are trying. So on one side you've got fans thinking they aren't reaching out enough, on the other side the band thinking that they DID do enough.
 
The current business model is outdated and forms a big part of this problem. There are plenty of things bands could do next to what they're doing now to promote themselves more to foreign audience if they actually wanted to/could. NB wants to, we've seen it in their efforts. They could, smaller indie bands with less sales have done it without going bankrupt. What's stopping them? The amount of people who download their stuff? Like Zess said, how many people would've actually bought your CD if they hadn't found out about you through illegal downloads in the first place? This doesn't take away the fact that it's still illegal and that fans should definitely chip in where/if they can (and if they don't, they're just a pretentious freeloader), but the music business needs to evolve and use piracy to their advantage instead of desperately trying to fight it. This band has every right to speak up about something that is illegal and "fans" who feel offended but never actually buy something even though they could buy it as a luxury (and then I mean that you have everything necessary provided for) should really stop being so incredibly entitled. On the other hand, NB can't expect to sell tons of albums abroad because a) the attitude of many vk fans is completely opposite of theirs and b ) not enough people enjoy their music.
 
But for the love of god, if you really enjoy this band and you can afford it, buy that fucking new album they're releasing is2g.
 
sorry if this is too long and makes no sense but i hope you guys sort of get what i mean whoops

Well I'm definitely going to check it out, even though I don't love them as much as I used to. I always want to stay positive about artists I used to love.

Brief comment about foreign fans: the ratio of us gaijin at NB's Shinjuku BLAZE oneman last week seemed to me higher than usual. One of my friends even got into the meet and greet session for drawing a signed cheki. Those guys definitely know they have the beginnings of popularity overseas. Hell, as someone mentioned before about bands being as 'tech savvy' as us, if Masa is smart enough to tweet about piracy he already knows that these download links are on foreign sites and being downloaded outside of Japan. The interest is there.
 
And I don't want to start anything with nekkichi but that comment a few posts back about NB being mediocre even within the VK scene is just a bit of a dick point. Everyone is entitled to their own taste in music and if there's one thing I truly hate about fans it's their unfailing ability to trash talk anyone they don't listen to themselves. Seriously, I don't know why more people can't just enjoy the music they like and stop giving a damn what everyone else does. It's great when we can share enthusiasm about the ones we like, or even introduce someone to a new favourite, but there's no need to enter an argument about illegal downloading in relation to a band and say it's irrelevant because they're not even good. It's called taste, get over it.
 
Edit: Also the whole comparing bands to other bands thing. If people haven't listened to Suicide Silence, BMTH, before NB, why should they have any reason to think they are a 'copycat' band or imitating their style? Looking at VK being primarily a Japanese genre, I get that lots of Japanese listen to music from overseas, but that's no reason to imagine a VK fan listens to loads of Western metal too. I'm sure there are plenty of Japanese visual fans who listen almost entirely to VK and only find out about new bands through the VK scene. 
 
As for rsasai's abridged thesis, I can see a lot of good points in there. And since we are talking about VK in particular, it's fair to discuss the Japanese market. In Japan at least, I think the whole in-store bonus scheme actually does a lot of good. It invites fans to actually go to a brick-and-mortar store and buy a new release, and even get a little comment DVD (or even something like live or off shot footage). There's so many little indie stores in VK - Like an Edison, Jishuban Club, Little Hearts - that distributing extra goodies between them means the kind of fans in VK will go out of their way to get the member they like, or the best bonus, even buying more than one copy. Then there's in store events, which allow fans to actually talk to the bands they love and share their enthusiasm in person, and for anyone else stumbling into the store that's more word of mouth. 'Did you see that crazy bijuaru band in Tower Records yesterday? I think they were called Nocturnal Bloodlust or something.'

I always had problems, and found the video playback had issues such as reduced quality, random artefacts, low frame rates, inability to handle excessive loads, etc...
I also had issues with subtitles, and found the audio was low quality in many cases.
Then it had trouble with Matroska video types, as well as codecs interfering with other codecs, and vobsub not running smoothly with my custom made subs.
That's just me though.
I used MPC btw with some codec pack, either CCCP or the other popular one.

I think you have some good points, but I still disagree with a vast majority of your ideas.
 
1. I never stated that I believed it to be possible for Nocturnal Bloodlust to tour any country other than Japan at the moment. That isn't a feasible option at the moment, because you are correct: They aren't big enough. However, that does not mean that the option of touring abroad isn't something the band is thinking about on a pretty real level. HOwever, before any band has the opportunity to tour (or even play a single show abroad) they need to worry about the financial aspect. And you're right; they aren't making enough sales at the moment, but I would state that they certainly have a growing fansbase. Maybe not this year or next year, but if they continue on their current path, I don't understand why it is so difficult to believe they could potentially go abroad.
 
We have bands like "BLOOD" and "LOKA" and even "The Sound Bee HD" that went on tour in a foreign countries, and I would go out of my way to state that their success had more to do with supply and demand that the music itself. We had very small bands being supplied by eager promoters (with less influence of management because they were small) and a high enough demand for 'visual kei' bands to supply a small band and give them the opportunity to tour. Now, take a band that has a bigger following (from the influx of forign followers on twitter, facebook, and the overall hype with most foreign fans to this band) and I would state there is a high possibility of roi. However, this is where management sees lack of sales abroad, and not the people. We know the fans exist, the management does not. And, given time, I would state that the band would grow in popularity and would be more feasible for a tour of some sort. However, management does not see that option.
 
Let's also be honest: at a lot of visual kei lives abroad, it has nothing to do with the band. That's sad, but it's true. It's very common for fans of visual kei to go to visual kei lives abroad because they are visual kei. That's, unfortunately, the sad state of the foriegn visual kei fandom.
 
Youre 100% right in stating that the current industry is flawed. That is why I think it is important to work with the industry and show that it is an viable option to reach out to a broader, more international audience. But because they don't have the demand,  they're not going to supply. 
 
As for Nocturnal Bloodlust and the 'art' of popular music, I would state that you're partially correct. You're correct in that Nocturnal Bloodlust changed their style. That's on them, fine. (I think this band and visual kei do not mix well, I'll admit that) But saying they don't have the market may be going a bit too far. I would state that interest in them is high enough for us to be debating the finer points of illegal downloading, of the numbers of people downloading and checking them out, or even youtube hits to at least be a slight measure on market potential. 
 
That's really what it seems we're debating about: Potential. Potential for sales, potential for international involvement, potential for money-making. 
 
I don't think the band is failing. I don't see that happening, because they just announced a new tour (in larger venues), a new album, they hit between 1-5 with all their latest releases on the indies oricon chart, and they have a lot of attention on them right now. This isn't about the band failing, because they're doing just fine in the domestic market. The issue is they are losing sales and selling opportunities abroad. They're losing in the international market not because the interest isn't there, but because it's easier and free to just illegally download. And, as I've previously stated, you're not going to get what you want until you have an active voice in the market. Continue to illegally download, and you're never going to get a voice.
 
I am not passing moral judgment on those who illegally download, but I think your reasoning is flawed in a business perspective. Because it obviously does affect the market enough for the band to actually say something about it, because they do want to branch out internationally. And they're not going to when they don't see any money in it. It's music business for a reason.

best release of 2013 in my opinion.

OT: I don't have any input into this discussion but I do have to say this is one of the most intelligent and well-debated conversations I've seen on MH in a long time without any chaotic slandering towards one another.

I'm sure I'm going to get shit for this.
 
Let's begin with a simple concept: Illegal downloading is illegal. This is not a moral statement, this is just a fact. More importantly, those who host copywritten materials are actually breaking more laws than those who download songs. This is not a debatable fact. Now, are the current modes of selling CDs and other music outdated? Yes, they are. Are there issues with a international-based way of purchasing music? Yes, that's undeniable. But is it illegal at this moment to take music that you did not create? Yes.
 
So, legally, Nocturnal Bloodlust does have a right to state that it is wrong for people to illegally download their music. So, they do have a right to say what they want, even if we disagree with it. Can they sue? Yeah, they can. Will they? Probably not, because I'm pretty sure they wanted to prove a point more than anything. Should they? Honestly, I don't think so, but it would definitely help bring changes to the way we see illegal downloading. Bands going after illegal downloading doesn't happen very much... and for a Japanese visual kei band to go against a foreign fanbase? Pretty much unheard of.
 
Now we get into the rest... like moral dilemmas.
 
But before we get there, it's important to cover what a CD sale (or MP3 sale) actually means. 
 
You're correct to assume that a CD sale does not go to the artist directly. Typically, the money goes to the label, and a portion of that income goes the the musician themselves. The label typically pays for the production of music (time at the studio, audio and visual equipment, artwork, mixing, raw production materials like CDs, jacket covers, etc.), the purchase of raw materials for the band itself (make up, costumes, equipment vans, sometimes actual equipment, etc.) the production of memorabilia and other goods, travel, food, airfare, payment of their staff (I'm not sure, but last time I saw Nocturnal Bloodlust they had three permanent staff. Their roadie, and two people from management) as well as payment for space at lives. 
 
In regards to the 'lives' payment, visual kei venues require you pay at the end of the night, after performing. It's not unheard of for small/medium venues to cost between ¥150000-¥500000 ($1500-5000) and you damn well better prepare to have that money on hand. At Taibans, yeah. It's split between the acts, but even then, that means you need to sell a lot of tickets. Why do you think a lot of band members sell at their own tables? Fans are far more willing to pay money to their favorite member than to a staff member... who'd have to be paid as well. 
 
I once saw an indies band back in 2012 at EDGE and then accidentally met their guitarist at Ikebukuro Station. He was actually debating on whether he should eat a bowl of ramen or walk the 4 kilometers home, because they were short that night and he had to give all the money he had in his wallet except for a ¥500 coin. I bought the guy a ramen cup because it was just so depressing. Bad nights happen, and if you don't have the money, don't be surprised if you have to actually dig it out of your own funds.
 
Then again, I lived across the street from 7-11 where a super indies bandman worked nights. Because most indies band members have to have two, sometimes three jobs. Hell, Natsu of Nocturnal Bloodlust worked in a 7-11 for a long time to pay for his band activities.
 
Being in a visual kei band is expensive. So, while sales don't go straight into the member's pockets, you can bet that they're just as important for the band to survive. A band can't make or sell music if they don't have the money to play or even record. 
 
I'll also put here that there is always complaining when a band disbands on here-- I've seen it time and time again people saying it isn't fair that an indies band disbanded, that they were such a huge fan of the music. But it never seems that we actually talk about why they disbanded. "They're not selling tickets or cds" is a good reason. In fact, one of the first comments on here was about how bands just conditionally disband if they're not doing well. We think that's stupid (or at least I do) but then when a band takes it into their own hands to say something about why people shouldn't illegally download their music, people throw a hissyfit. I don't understand the logic. If you want a band to survive, you buy the music. Because supporting the band you enjoy doesn't mean you make a few gifs and put them on tumblr, or draw fanart. We live in a time where, for musicians to thrive and actually continue with their activities, they need money.
 
Then you have to factor in the importance of selling CDs in a less understood way. Every time a sale of a cd is made, it shows the interest in the band. In Japan, charts are still important to knowing where a band stands. The better your sales doesn't just mean how many cds you sold, it directly effects how much advertising your next single or album receives. It can mean the difference between your video getting played on repeat on the tvs in Tower Records or getting shoved in with all the other releases. It directly reflects how many interviews the band receives offers from, how many spots they get on television, how many radio stations play the songs. We're not going to get into super big details in regards to marketing of visual kei, but it is extremely temperamental to the wants of the market.   
 
And here's where things get interesting: Visual kei isn't as popular as you would think. This is still a niche market not with an unlimited amount of funds, space, or attention. In an industry like that, you have to understand what it means for a band to lose out on a 'sale'. Even a handful of sales abroad DO matter to a band that's fighting for recognition.
 
Let's also talk about people requesting that a band travel abroad to play lives for foreign audiences. I don't think msot of you realize how expensive that is-- it's obscene. Let's talk about a 'normal' tour (like Dir en Grey, or D'espairsray for a second.) 
 
If a band wants to play in the US, they actually have to compete for visas. They have to prove the worth of their music and show that they are not going to affect the American music industry negatively. To get an entertainment or artist visa in the US, it's piles and piles and piles of paperwork, because the US goes out of its way to protect their music industry. The fees for getting a band to tour art astronomical on their own, but to tour the US? It's horrifying. That's actually why a lot of bands skip over the US and play in Europe. The visa requirements are far less stringent and it's cheaper.
 
This is why a lot of bands end up playing at conventions. It's typically cheaper for the band, because the convention has people who know the laws and are willing to pay the fees required. However, it isn't unheard of for bands to play on the promise of being paid when they arrive... and never getting paid. Or, not making the money they expected and being unable to recoup that money. And, during that time they're abroad, they aren't playing for their core audience, meaning... they're missing out on that much money. 
 
It's amazing how many times I've gone onto official youtube channels and seen the requests for a band to go abroad... and then see those same names pop up in filesharing places. Because guess what? The band sees that, too. They're tech savvy. They know where they're selling cds. They know where they're not selling cds. So, by looking at that, they can tell that they aren't selling enough in Europe, in the states, or wherever they are getting requests for lives from. And you know what that does? That influences the band against going abroad. They see that their cds aren't selling in that area, so they don't believe they would be able to recoup the money they spent on going abroad. They don't believe enough fans exist to pay for their visits. 
 
Illegal downloading is directly affecting who you get to see go on tour abroad. 
 
So while we can debate over how big of an asshole Masa is for saying that illegal downloading is wrong, you have to understand where they're coming from. It isn't unheard of for labels to drop bands for not making sales, no matter how great the music is or how talented the band is. 
 
I'm also stunned by the sheer amount of self-righteousness and entitlement going on in this thread. No one is entitled to free music.
 
There are 'needs' and 'wants'. Needs are things like water, food, shelter. Wants are internet, computers, music made by men who are wearing ten pounds of makeup and are waving around guitars. 
 
You want the music. You will survive without it. I'm not sure of the ages of anyone on this board, but I will say this: I had that same opinion until I actually had to pay for my own bills.
 
Before I became an adult. 
 
Now, let's talk about Nocturnal Bloodlust themselves for a second. 
 
This is the closest thing foreign fans have gotten to an internationally-minded band in a very long time. They make sure their music is available for fans abroad, two of the members are fluent in English and regularly converse with fans, and they have been going out of their way to bring foreign fans into the fold. They even made it so foreign fans could become members of their fanclub. They want to go abroad. And let's remember how a band can find it viable to go abro--oh. Right CD sales in foreign countries, not the number of requests a band receives.
 
In addition... they run their label pretty much on their own. All of the costs? They pay for them. Iris and Crisis is Nocturnal Bloodlust's label. They have connections to Raiz Entertainment (their old label) which has connections through the industry... but for the most part, they're the people who have to pay for everything. We can debate on if they should have gotten into visual kei until the cows come home, but the fact of the matter is: Shit is expensive. 
 
'Fans' are also pissed off because they got called out on it. The band knows people are illegally downloading, and brought it up. They want to talk about the problem. It isn't even the first time the band's done this--they did it last year, and the year before that when they released Ivy. Now, rather than having a discussion about illegal downloading and what the foreign fans want... people railed against him. They said he was overbearing and an asshole, and that he didn't have a right to speak out about illegal downloading. That's not the conversation they need.
 
If you want to have a conversation with the band about how to better market themselves to foreign fans, do it! I think it would be a good idea if they opened an international webstore where fans could buy goods and CDs. A way of buying songs off their website that are bundled with lossless versions and photos. Add special goodies for people who buy mp3 versions. It's cheaper to buy the versions of all their releases off itunes in USD than it is for Japan (example, their newest single costs ¥250 a song but in USD is only $1.29.) This is also a band that makes sure the cds are available within a week of their release in Japan, because they understand that once the cd is out there... they're not going to sell as many copies. But even a few matter. 
 
 I think it would be great if they tried to use more English and worked to try and make themselves more internationally minded. Rather than getting angry that the band is mad at foreign fans for illegally downloading, make it so the band knows what you want. And you'll buy.
 
There will be people who continue to illegally download. That won't change. People who think they somehow deserve music and the work of other people. People who think they're entitled to music (the reason I can't even begin to imagine.) And there's nothing any of us can do about that. But buying a cd or MP3 will at least show the band where fans are, and will make your voice heard.
 
And this isn't just for this one band. This is for any band with a huge foreign following. Most bands are ignorant of how popular they are in foreign countries, because they just don't sell many cds in those areas, so they don't know. What you have to do, as fans of a band, is be loud about your love for a band. Otherwise... this will just happen time and time again.

I’ll clear things up as well, and reiterate my point: domestic sales are important, but the existence of paying foreign fans should come as an unexpected ( ✔︎ ) unplanned ( ✔︎ ) unpredictable ( ✔︎ ) addition to the revenue, given the such and suchs of isolated Japanese retail and distribution. A band that is a certified flop by local measure has really no right to ask their foreign casual listeners to pay, while they failed to attract dedicated audiences in their home market.
 
 
yet your part of debate dives as low as “have you seen the struggle of that 7-11 onigiri wrapper who does this to support his ART?”.
 
 
my bad, I can’t exactly see when you’re being more or less objective and when you trying to appeal by adding sentimental quality to your wall of text.
 
 
and this has happened since ever, and is a normal part of the music business. artists are not entitled to being successful by definition, it's a combination of talent, hard work, luck and chance. chilean downloads have really killed no one aside from chilean bijuaru kei impersonators maybe. 
 
and they came out of local scenes, that for the most part are completely unknown outside, and those buckets of money came due to major labels seeing potential in one band out of dozen and investing into its marketing and promotion.
this is the part that nokubura is supposedly missing at this point, assuming their talent is guaranteeing those sales expectations. and this is where
really says nothing to me. if they are inefficient at promoting their music, coming up with a declaration for foreign fans (which started this topic) is not going to change anything, because, see how much they are going to profit from itunes.
 
coming up with a paypal donation account and a polite explanation (“we struggle & please support us as a band directly if you can not buy our music by some reason”) would have done them more good than sending out desperate tweets
 
 
In this case, I truly hope they will get even more fans in the same age group and stfu for good & become rich and famous.
 
 
it’s not “fans need (sumthin-sumthin)”, it’s “bands need” to attract fans who will willingly go out of their way for them. we’re clearly on polar stances when it comes to expectations and responsibilities. you completely miss that N.B. in particular is incredibly disposable - we all mourned when Rentrer en soi disbanded, after its FWD management basically alienated their former fans and failed to attract new ones, but no one will miss this thing at all. there will be bands who will get recognition and sales, and there will be hordes of never-was tier bands. 
 
 
 
consider putting effort into sending your message in a digestible way, and resist that temptation of falling into personal nitpicks when your epic tirades r getting misunderstood, ty.
 

It seems everyone else who has read and commented had an okay time understanding my response. You didn't, so I'm sorry I wasn't completely clarifying.
 
This topic is about fans and their purchasing habits, and the fact that a band has a right to state their opinions on illegal downloading. 
To begin:
 
As stated, the international market does directly influence the band's sales, particularly when many of these fans consider the music and band important enough to follow and request that the band visits their countries. International sales are vital if you want the band in question to take part in an expensive expedition abroad.  In addition, fans complain when bands they enjoy disband, even when it is in regards to funds, yet do not purchase music. 

The sales of even 10% of people who illegally download would have a massive affect upon the visual kei industry, which is already considered small and niche.
 
Because we're talking about visual kei, not western music. If anyone wants to know how much it sucks being the child of a starving artist, go ahead and send me a pm. 

The point of the matter is this: Visual kei is an expensive industry to be a musician. Sales are important to a band, because it directly influences the amount of industry attention they receive, as well as sponsorships, promotions, and in the end, money. The purchase of music is vital to keeping the industry alive. And yes, foreign fans are important to that, considering how numerous they are, and how very little they spend.
 
 

 
 
You're correct in one way, but I overall disagree with this sentiment because we live in an international economy. The act of 1000 fans illegally downloading a cd in Chile can hurt a band, by taking away that 10% of fans who would have purchased the cd otherwise. If international fans want to be considered a part of this industry (and considering how often people tweet, tumbl, write on facebook walls or write on boards like this) they need to become part of the financial aspects of the industry. That is how entertainment works. The Japanese domestic market listens to the Japanese people. The international fans want to be listened to--how do you get the domestic market to pay attention other than money?
 
I disagree with this completely. 
 
The band is very obviously attracting fans, but the fans are the issue. The fans are unwilling to spend money, for a variety of reasons. The issue begins with the fan. The fan (gathered from the variety of posts on this thread) don't believe they are responsible for purchasing music. They believe that because they do not have the money, they are still deserving of music, as if it were water. Music is not a right. It is not a 'need'. It is a want. And, if a fan is willing to illegally download music, then they are the problem. Their way of thinking is the problem.
 
Everyone is enjoying making excuses: "It's too expensive." "The quality isn't good enough!" "I don't have the money." "I deserve music." This is the problem. No band owes their fans free music.  
The solution is that the band and industry work with the foreign fanbase to create a method where fans can purchase music and be a part of the industry, rather than a leech sucking potential sales from the industry. Someone on this thread pointed out that a lot of fans purchase singles, but already have them from illegal downloads. The industry needs to make a product that is attractive, but even with the most amazing products.... nothing will matter until the fans change their perception of their influence.
 
And I thought this was going to go bad not because of my response, but because it seems most of you are pro illegal-downloading. That in itself is scary enough.

Very, very good post Rsasai.
 
You made many points in a well composed way, and provided a wealth of information.
 
I truly appreciate you taking the time to write that out, and look forward to seeing more of your posts in the future.
 
I have made my stance on the issue somewhat clear ( I write in stream-of-thought most of the time, but I hope everyone can bear that). But I think people keep undermining the value of actual cd sales, which I believe to be the actual measure of `stock` in a band. Even if all funds dont go to the artist, they go to the production of the works, the advertisement, the printing of the cd`s, and the future budget of the bands endeavours.
 
I am still personally thinking over the best way for bands to distribute. I like your idea of an online shop with lossless, and it would be amazing if labels banded together to get a service such as this, or even a streaming service or subscription service where you pay a monthly fee, and additional revenue is generated by ads, etc... Though I am still unsure of how much money could be made by the subscriptions and ads, and if it can equal or exceed what cd sales would generate. This is just some dreaming that I like to do.
 
As for iTunes, it is better than nothing, always, but I still dislike the quality, and I know the prices they charge do not equal cd sale revenue, or support the current system VK and other areas survive off of.
 
But at the same time, I wonder if there really is a solution, or if we will always have to deal with their being the have`s and have-not`s of society that either can buy, and enjoy, or can`t.
 
Also, I sometimes feel lonely in my stance of truly loving and being on the sides of the artists, as cynical thoughts, disrespect, and nit-picking towards the art and artists seems to permeate the structure of our modern societies.I go to various places for talking about my love of things such as music, wrestling, movies, etc... And it seems like everything is overwhelming negative, and I cant help but understand why the whole system is built around pleasing fan-girls, as well as all other obsessive fan-types, and marks.
 
However, please understand that I value everyones opinions and take note of all of them, and take all serious replies for the same worth, good or bad.

Hello,
 
These are some of my favorite sketches that I always keep around for motivation / inspiration. I don`t set out to draw anything anime / manga styled, but this is how I see things and how things come out when I just draw people. I have studied realistic styles, and anatomy when I was young, but now I like to play around and make things different, like different faces, wide shoulders, slim waists, etc... None of these are `finished` drawings, I just sketch for five minutes or less until I get the outline of what I want.
 
I have not drawn much in a while because I have many other things to do, hopefully posting these motivates me to get back to doing another thing I love.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
But most of all I just hope you enjoy looking, I share because I see many great creators here and enjoy seeing your stuff as well.

Hello,
 
These are some of my favorite sketches that I always keep around for motivation / inspiration. I don`t set out to draw anything anime / manga styled, but this is how I see things and how things come out when I just draw people. I have studied realistic styles, and anatomy when I was young, but now I like to play around and make things different, like different faces, wide shoulders, slim waists, etc... None of these are `finished` drawings, I just sketch for five minutes or less until I get the outline of what I want.
 
I have not drawn much in a while because I have many other things to do, hopefully posting these motivates me to get back to doing another thing I love.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
But most of all I just hope you enjoy looking, I share because I see many great creators here and enjoy seeing your stuff as well.

Hello,
 
These are some of my favorite sketches that I always keep around for motivation / inspiration. I don`t set out to draw anything anime / manga styled, but this is how I see things and how things come out when I just draw people. I have studied realistic styles, and anatomy when I was young, but now I like to play around and make things different, like different faces, wide shoulders, slim waists, etc... None of these are `finished` drawings, I just sketch for five minutes or less until I get the outline of what I want.
 
I have not drawn much in a while because I have many other things to do, hopefully posting these motivates me to get back to doing another thing I love.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
But most of all I just hope you enjoy looking, I share because I see many great creators here and enjoy seeing your stuff as well.

Hello,
 
These are some of my favorite sketches that I always keep around for motivation / inspiration. I don`t set out to draw anything anime / manga styled, but this is how I see things and how things come out when I just draw people. I have studied realistic styles, and anatomy when I was young, but now I like to play around and make things different, like different faces, wide shoulders, slim waists, etc... None of these are `finished` drawings, I just sketch for five minutes or less until I get the outline of what I want.
 
I have not drawn much in a while because I have many other things to do, hopefully posting these motivates me to get back to doing another thing I love.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
But most of all I just hope you enjoy looking, I share because I see many great creators here and enjoy seeing your stuff as well.