Guest kingdok Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 There's this guy I work with who gets all excited when [insert unknown band name here] on MP3.com posts new trance tracks. Meanwhile I'm thinking, "Hmph. There's so many mediocre artists being signed to major trance labels. Anyone who isn't able to get signed must REALLY blow." The MP3s are okay -- some good ideas here and there, but there's still something novice-sounding about them. Maybe it's the equipment they used. Or does it have to do, to a lesser degree, with the fact that they aren't hinged to any particular label? Am I a fool for not scouring MP3.com (and similar sites) for independant artists? Am I merely being spoonfed by labels? In the age of MP3s, is there really anything special about being signed to a label? I've grown so accustomed to a shiny package that I can hold in my hands with a stamp of approval from a reputable label. Does that make me some kind of spoiled elitist? Your honest opinions, please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest etherdesign Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 Well there are two factors to this problem.. there are good artists signed and unsigned, and bad artists signed and unsigned, but the difference is.. 1. Unsigned artists who are on mp3.com or a similar massive site (and don't promote their stuff to their audience through forums) are lost in a sea of music.. mp3.com is so huge, that finding music there is more trouble and it's worth sometimes, sure you can search for genre "psy trance" or "goa" but chances are, 1 in 50 songs (about) in any of the genres there aren't labelled correctly.. and when you do find one labelled correctly, it may or may not even be good stuff. 2. Signed artists have their stuff on label sites, and shop sites.. Most likely, one of these sites will have some soundbites of some songs on the album, if they don't there's always something like Audiogalaxy so you can hear a few songs before you buy the album.. for the most part, you know what you are going to be getting by what label puts it out etc.. I guess that doesn't really answer the elitist question, but the fact of the matter is it's alot easier get good music from labels than it is from MP3 sites. (Unless, again, they post to forums like this or other music maker forums so you can go right to the site and listen instead of searching mp3.com, iuma, or google for hours on end.. I have cable and I don't even enjoy doing that much, I can't imagine anyone at 56k would do it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mr unknown Posted March 23, 2002 Share Posted March 23, 2002 signed artists are usually (not always) experienced people, but a fresh idea comes from everyone who tries to... sometimes u can enjoy a track from an unsigned artists even if the mastering isnt pro. Any human creation deserves to be taken as art and any art is anjoyable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bugbread Posted March 23, 2002 Share Posted March 23, 2002 Some of the stuff on MP3.com is freakin' amazing. There is a big difference in sound between signed and unsigned bands, due to recording studio conditions, but for electronica it comes down purely to skill. That is, the best indie band in the world will still sound better if they're signed, because they get recorded better, but a signed goa artist will not necessarily sound better than an amateur one. The only obvious issue is that ANYONE can put MP3s up on MP3.com, even if it's crap like the stuff I put up. A signed artist may be unoriginal or uncreative, but they probably won't be crap. Anyway, if you have the time and effort, it can pay to listen through there, because there is some REALLY good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest akindo Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 Can you list some of this excellent stuff maybe? Thanks! akindo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bugbread Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 I would, but the stuff I've been really impressed by has been jungle, not goa. I really liked Strange Angel for a while, I remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jikkenteki Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 You can increase the amount of good stuff you find on MP3.com by checking out stuff on the Goa/Psy type radio stations. There is so much on there that simply listening to the random artists will more often than not simply yield crap. The tracks on radio stations tend to be tracks that stand out and thus act as something of a crap filter. I haven't been spending as much time on MP3.com as of late (I am in a bit of a dispute with them as they have owed me about $100 for well over a year now and haven't paid up. Hence why I have't posted any new tracks there in awhile), but when I do surf through I have noticed that alot of signed professional artists are popping up there as of late, so yes you can get signed artist music there as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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