For the money or for the music?

[brekehan]

If you had assets you created and had the ability to have them hosted for free, how many of you would give them away for free and how many of you would charge money?

I remember a time when everything was free and in searchable databases. Entire projects for study. I learned so much. Now it's $5 for a sample of a fart.

Why? What made this phenonminon come about? Are you really making THAT much? I bet 90% of these sample pack sellers are brining in less than 50 bucks a month. Why not do it for the love of the music and to give back?

[ntom]

While I'm not in the sample business, I can speak from my experience with distribution of my music.

As a no named artist, no one cares or can find what I do. Those who can, I should feel happy they've at the least provided their time to listen to what I have to offer, it seems absurd at this point to now ask for their money, I have no credibility behind who I am, and therefore, the "customers" who listen to my music are more like a privilege to me, than an actual paying customer.
While I have tried monetizing my music in the past, it resulted in a lot of people turning away and just forgetting about me, because I wasn't worth the money (that could just be my own fault that I don't provide a high enough quality product) and they could find a zillion other people who offered what they had for free, even if what they found was of lesser quality, they could download it, keep it, and take it wherever they want, as opposed to be locked to just streaming my music via Soundcloud.

My point is, unless you are established and you have a name, I think most of the product should be free. Now, bare in mind, if you had a 100% stock of just free content, I believe this inherently de-values your product, and therefore, I do not believe all of your product should be free, but most of it probably should be, save for maybe a few particularly well done, well recorded sample packs.

EDIT
I would also like to add the fact that when you offer your products for free, it shows you put faith in your customers. I hate it when developers, publishers, or whatever treat me, the customer, as if it's some sort of privilege that I get to use their product when in truth it's the other way around. If you set your stuff up as "pay what you want" you may find, while a lot of people are downloading your content for free, some may enjoy your product so much, they may pay twice or even three times what you think it is worth.

I know with certain free-to-play video games I have dropped well over the amount of money a non-free-to-play, brand new retail game would cost. Not because the game made me FEEL like I needed to give them money to play, but because I WANTED to help support their development. And also, in the free-to-play model it almost creates a "credit without risk" where you could essentially, over time, buy the value of the product through a drip feed, rather than dropping a large amount all at once.

A lot of published media these days follow an antiquated route of distribution and seem to forget that times are a lot different. Honestly, I do think it's time digital media changes how it is distributed, so as a last, and cheesy bit of advice towards this: You can be part of that change. Show your customers you have faith in them, instead of think every single one is a criminal.

[RunBeerRun]

Err... for neither. I played little league baseball for 2 years as a kid, I didn't become mind-f***ed obsessed over that, either.

[jancivil]

I'm not well known relatively speaking, but there are people that seek me out from reputation or heard the thing on the radio. Believe it or not.
Now, there is a way to get high quality files of everything I've published for free, but I'd rather keep it on the down low. If you care much, you'll have found it.
For instance, someone gave me $107 for an album (pay as you like over that 'one dollar minimum') and I gave him the keys to the humidor. Is it fair for me to show everybody in the world that now? It fvcking isn't.
My music tracks are a calling card for other business, as well.

I don't need people to have these on their hard drives, though. I don't owe it to the world. People can grab the things off of Soundcloud or Youtube, as well. And_they_do.
I feel zero obligation {or desperation} to have best quality widely available for free.

Also, ethically, I think this downloads for free notion shits on the world of musicians. It's already crossed the Rubicon some time ago, but I don't have to agree with it.
I feel so strongly about this devaluing of music (we live in a world where my food usually costs me money, my rent is high, people aren't giving me most things. When they are I reciprocate), that I actually put the price of certain tracks at ten dollars, as a statement. Then I figure, I actually do want to sell a few so I lowered it.
I don't do it for the money, I disagree with the dichotomy as stated in the topic title. I just don't need to toss it at the world as a freebie, like at all.

[jancivil]

So is this strictly about 'sample packs'? I don't buy any, I cook from scratch.
I like free shit as much as the next person; I don't expect it, I would never say "I think this should be free" if the creator, curator of the content thinks they want to get their money back through it. I'm assuming it meant a material investment on their part. Some people are super community-oriented and do believe in 'pay it forward' and I admire that. I think expecting it is suspect, since it costs everybody money to live. I think 'charging people money treats your customers like criminals' is as absurd a statement as I hope to see for a while. I'm sorry, if you're trying to spin this 'everything used to be free', 'why not do it for the love of it and to give back', 'for study purposes' and all this, it's so sheerly self-serving.

[brekehan]

So is this strictly about 'sample packs'? I don't buy any, I cook from scratch.

No. Really I'm talking about all assets. Projects, midi files, audio, whatever.

I like free shit as much as the next person; I don't expect it, I would never say "I think this should be free" if the creator, curator of the content thinks they want to get their money back through it. I'm assuming it meant a material investment on their part.

I think that assumption is incorrect in 90% of the cases.
Youtube is chalk full of "tutorial videos" where kids are trying to sell the patches they made on their cracked version of <insert popular synth here>

Not ony do I think it is wrong for them to try and sell such amatuer material, but it is even more wrong to clutter the internet and legitimate searches with it.

Some people are super community-oriented and do believe in 'pay it forward' and I admire that.

I do as well, especially from talented people whom actually could be charging money for their work.

I think expecting it is suspect, since it costs everybody money to live. I think 'charging people money treats your customers like criminals' is as absurd a statement as I hope to see for a while. I'm sorry, if you're trying to spin this 'everything used to be free', 'why not do it for the love of it and to give back', 'for study purposes' and all this, it's so sheerly self-serving.

Is it? It wasn't in the 90s. We had databases full, and I mean full of entire projects, midi, samples, patches, etc from amatuer musicians. A lot of whom went on the become professionals. Coincidently, the music in the 90s was more inovative and generally better than it is now, and as far as electronic music goes, I would say it reached it peek at that time. Of course, there are other factors.

Look at the tracking scene back then. People were uploading months and _years_ of their work, because they knew plain and simple, "I am a hobbiest."

Sure people need to make a living, but is a 13 year old kid recording a saw wav a valid vocation worthy of income?

If only formally trained sound engineers were charging money, where that was their job, I could see that. However every Tom, Dick and Harry is trying to sell something. These people are not professional sound engineers, or professional anything. They have (hopefully) real jobs or are attending junior high.

Customers are also hobbiests. Not everyone is a professional. When I Google for a sound these days, I literally have to sort through hundreds of advertisements and videos trying to sell me assets before I find anything, and that is what I have issue with.

I mean look at the sound ware forum here. Who are these people? They all have an formal education in sound engineering and own their own studios? I think not. More often than not some Joe recorded something in his bedroom or with his Tascam handheld hopping on the bandwagon.

I don't expect this to ever change, but to only get worse. One of points of making this thread is to ask the question, 'why did it turn out this way'? What happened since 1990?

Why is it then when I go to a electronic music production event all I hear is chatter like, "dude, we could totally make a website and sell your patches. People would pay for that shit," and "dude, we should start charging people for this meetup. I had to send emails! That's work!" and "Dude, you could post a few tutorials and then charge people subscriptions!".....I never hear, "Wow man, that really inspired me. You are so creative and we appreciate you sharing with us."

What happened to people?

[Hink]

Err... for neither. I played little league baseball for 2 years as a kid, I didn't become mind-f***ed obsessed over that, either.

I'll said it before and I'll say it again, as a kid I was like most of my friends, gonna be a pro ball player...then I joined little league. Three years, maybe 4 hits, a handful of catches, a million strike outs and plenty of dropped balls later guitar came knocking at my door and saved me I'm not gonna answer the title question anymore though, no offense to the OP but it's been done to death. I'll just quote "The Fools" and say "I rock, therefore I am"

[ntom]

Err... for neither. I played little league baseball for 2 years as a kid, I didn't become mind-f***ed obsessed over that, either.

I'll said it before and I'll say it again, as a kid I was like most of my friends, gonna be a pro ball player...then I joined little league. Three years, maybe 4 hits, a handful of catches, a million strike outs and plenty of dropped balls later guitar came knocking at my door and saved me I'm not gonna answer the title question anymore though, no offense to the OP but it's been done to death. I'll just quote "The Fools" and say "I rock, therefore I am"

Not sure why I bothered with a lengthy response when I think yours adequately sums up how I feel about it.

[brekehan]

Err... for neither. I played little league baseball for 2 years as a kid, I didn't become mind-f***ed obsessed over that, either.

I'll said it before and I'll say it again, as a kid I was like most of my friends, gonna be a pro ball player...then I joined little league. Three years, maybe 4 hits, a handful of catches, a million strike outs and plenty of dropped balls later guitar came knocking at my door and saved me I'm not gonna answer the title question anymore though, no offense to the OP but it's been done to death. I'll just quote "The Fools" and say "I rock, therefore I am"

Not sure why I bothered with a lengthy response when I think yours adequately sums up how I feel about it.

I like your lengthy response better. I have no idea what the baseball and little league response really means. Other than that a lot of people think they'll be pro and never make it, but how that related, I dunno.

[Zombie Queen]

What happened since 1990?

Cheap electronics killed the profession. I like it better that way.

[SODDI]

I think all of you should give me all of your "assets" for free.

For the music, man.

[Hink]

Err... for neither. I played little league baseball for 2 years as a kid, I didn't become mind-f***ed obsessed over that, either.

I'll said it before and I'll say it again, as a kid I was like most of my friends, gonna be a pro ball player...then I joined little league. Three years, maybe 4 hits, a handful of catches, a million strike outs and plenty of dropped balls later guitar came knocking at my door and saved me I'm not gonna answer the title question anymore though, no offense to the OP but it's been done to death. I'll just quote "The Fools" and say "I rock, therefore I am"

Not sure why I bothered with a lengthy response when I think yours adequately sums up how I feel about it.

I like your lengthy response better. I have no idea what the baseball and little league response really means. Other than that a lot of people think they'll be pro and never make it, but how that related, I dunno.

well my friend RunBeerRun mentioned little league and the point is often what we think we want and what comes to pass is often quite different so that's why I used that (and quoted it). The original question asks posters to make a choice, I would suggest there is no right choice. In our lives most people change the careers several times, as we grow we have many different dreams and as an old fart who as been at this a long time (life) I will say that our tastes on almost everything change throughout our lives. What I wanted at 12, at 20, at 40 and at 60 (if I make it that far, got 5 years to go) should change or something is likely wrong and I am not growing.

So what does the little league story mean? Well there is a reason they say "follow your dreams" and not "force your dreams". I hope that clears it up for you

[vurt]

What happened since 1990?

Cheap electronics killed the profession. I like it better that way.

loads of stuff has happened in the past 24 years
far too much to list here!

[arkmabat]

How does the saying go?

Musician:

Someone who spends $5000 on equipment
To drive in a $500 car
To play in a concert where they get $5

[vurt]

personally im in it for the chicks
i donate all my proceeds from music to the rspb.