Advice needed please. Ethics related questions.
I really don't know why I'm asking this, and I'm not one to do things the same as everyone else.
I have a new album brewing, and what's happening to my catalog mindset recently is this:
Give it all away for free. Nothing, zero, zilch.
Is this wrong?
I mean, I take enough. Sure I buy records, I pay for subscriptions, but I also believe when it comes to money demands, lots of producers simply take the absolute piss.
So I don't buy those records. Loads of others fell off the property ladder of pseudo investment a long time ago.
The meaning behind the argument always has been: artists want to get paid for music. Because money makes them feel good. In a lot of ways? Not really. Speaking as a long time disabled schizophrenic with minimal benefits as income, you'd think I'd want to grab money at every chance I could. The answer to that is a resounding no.
It always comes down to this: as long as I have enough to live on, I'm satisfied. Accumulating loads of crap and talking a lot of shit never was on my agenda. Likewise, I don't think it should be on yours.
People want to feel part of something all the same, but the ideology that middle man mister money needs to qualify that somethings half decent? Another load of corporate opinion bullshit.
Simply, music is good, or crap, or amazing because that's what it is. To commodify it is actually an insult - henceforth the sheep ridden music industry.
Trends come and go, and the other thing is I believe my own music is timeless. Henceforth? I don't wish to put a price on that form of expression. Because it feeds into the cycle of accumulate crap / talk lots of shit - but also - sift through lots of crap.
Sorry for crashing the party in your eyes if this is a wakeup call to anyone, but at least by discussing with myself my tourettes ridden opinions I can lay a new brick on my spiritual path.
That's respectively decided then. All Focis Left Bandcamp music will be set to free. Grab anything you like without guilt.
That's the last thing I want to say here. Shit people try and make you feel guilty for not paying or paying less for their music. Culture should embrace sharing and communication. The oppositorium embraces brainwashing fascism.
Www.focisleft.bandcamp.com
Peace.
These are my own... musings on the subject and in no way reflect my opinion of your decision. You do what you want and be happy and confident in that decision 
I've been a long time purveyor of 'giving it all away, no one is listening to my stuff anyway, at least that way maybe someone will pick it up'. But, I've been thinking about it over the last few months, and I think setting a price depends what you set your goal to be as an 'artist' or whatever. Even if it is a simple one.
If you are just dicking around, fuck it set em free. But as soon as you set a goal, like "I'm going to use the proceeds of this album to... make t-shirts or press some vinyl or something", then it begins to make sense to set a price.
Making money is just straight up not going to happen. But if you can focus the gains you do get and put it back into your goal, not only do you justify the price, but you gain the sense of accomplishment and a boost in self worth.
With this mindset I'm finally getting back into things myself, starting a label etc. I'm going to see how far I can take it. If it goes nowhere, so what? I havent lost anything. I've gained the music I would be making anyways.
As for making people feel guilty? That's lame, when I read stuff like that I hit 0. Only my Mom can guilt trip me  Give it away with no pre-tense, I'll donate if I can.
There's so much stuff out there that it's a nice feeling if someone goes to even the slight trouble of downloading anything. If they're willing to pay for it as well, that's great, but just the fact that they've bothered at all is something.
I had a brief rush of bandcamp sales when I first put SC rettles up. They've pretty much dried up now, but I'm not going to switch them to free downloads. They're up there for people to listen to if they want anyway.
(13th May 2016, 10:39)Statto Wrote: I had a brief rush of bandcamp sales when I first put SC rettles up. They've pretty much dried up now, but I'm not going to switch them to free downloads. They're up there for people to listen to if they want anyway.
I've never (I think...) downloaded a Bandcamp release with "free/name your price" for totally free, I always pay something. And vice versa - I haven't bought some releases, that I like, just because the price doesn't seems fair to me at the moment.
Thanks for replies!
The other thing to answer the goal achievement utopia Ian mentions is:
It's like I realise I'm not allowed to have financial driven goals, maybe when it comes to anything.
I mean, not that the idea of bartering is so awful to me, but I find it difficult to make any changes to the way I offer music because I never have enough solvent money available for a limited run.
Say I wanted to offer digital CDs, which I do. Nobody has knowingly taken me up on the offer to crowd fund for a bloody good deal I might add - a Clavinova instrument CD.
Maybe this is just another case of there being so much out there. Or maybe it's that so much of my stuff is already out there. For instance,every 7 days I get 70-100 unique visitors, but nobody knowingly buys my stuff. It seems most don't even attempt to listen to me that I already give up ideas for CD and vinyl, please myself as much as possible digitally, and give everything away for free.
Now THAT has made me happy. Made my day as well. The ultimate combination: free downloads of my stuff - 8 records in stats - and lots of it.
THAT IS WHAT I WANTED ALL ALONG.
You can do all and more of these things with it
- make mixes
- use samples for free
- share
- be a label scout and contact me about CD or vinyl if you are a record label.
-- this last one is skewed by my limited maths.
But yeah, fantastic. Thanks so much. As Statto picks up, but indicates more nicely, I crave attention. I'm not selfish or Kanye West level of seeking but life gets lonely for me pretty quickly and I have low self esteem.
This has made me so happy. 
In regards to dub plates I had a friend who got one cut for twenty quid. Statto, how much did pressing one SC record cost if you don't mind me asking?
Pm if easier. Thanks.
Just done some research on vinyl pressing costs 300-1000run and the last option here has left me pleasantly surprised:
https://www.prices.keyproduction.co.uk/vinyl
~that seems to good to be true! It's under extras, does that mean it is in addition to a regular priced order?
I got a quote from tangible formats a little while ago, worth checking out. He says he can achieve proper bass using his fancy new lathe. Most lathe cuts sound as terrible as the bands who cut to them, so that was a bit of a surprise. Not sure if it is worth the risk though, but it seems the best option I can find for super low runs of vinyl.
http://www.tangibleformats.com/
My research sheet (all the prices have been converted to Canadian):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1...sp=sharing
Just uh... ignore the comments from my fiance lol.
(13th May 2016, 14:32)Muttley Wrote: Statto, how much did pressing one SC record cost if you don't mind me asking?
I pressed 300 (3x12) to sell at £10 each (non-profit), which works out at £1000 per 300 12s (or in that area anyway)
That's total cost; i.e. mastering, metals, pressing, packaging, plus money I paid to the artists.
I can't remember what the actual pressing cost.
But really my advice about pressing vinyl records is... don't.
(13th May 2016, 10:39)Statto Wrote: I had a brief rush of bandcamp sales when I first put SC rettles up. They've pretty much dried up now
having said that, someone has just bought two copies of SC Vol.3 
I can mostly handle my subjects, but my maths is absolutely dire. My sense of alternate realities through proliferation of the English language might not have helped.
I simply can't understand from the figures on my head how labels even manage 1 pressing of 300 vinyl, keep going, manage their shopping and household bills, and not go bankrupt.
Well, I can in the long run. If I was getting paid for what I contribute to society each day I'd find I'd have a lot more money to play with. That's respectively decided as not going to happen. But then, somehow I don't want that, either.
As an aside, back in my radio days, I purposely sought out DIY / free releases to playlist, as a way of hearing new tunes, and exposing sounds not heard in my local area - dnb included - tunes you weren't going to find in your local record bins. I did that for a long time. If you were into ragga-jungle at all in the early 2000's heyday for example, breakcore, etc, much of that music was free dl's, the internet created the networks, that's how the sounds got heard. Also if you were down, dubstep wouldn't have happened either without free tunes spamming the internet, dubstepforum in the earlier days was full of people & producers sharing free links, full lp's, what have you. IMO, that's why the sounds still exist, outside of the standard record labels of said genres, the music was accessible, and yes, often free depending on the source.
From a dj standpoint, for those that still DIG for tunes physically or digitally, I'd like to think there are still those tastes that are wiling to expose the DIY producer / artists making tunes, NOT found on record labels. I think it is important, IMO. It shows there is an alternative. I used to get political about it. heh. Call it a punk rock thang, whatever. It exists in dance music. I'd still support that idea if I was still djing.
Food for thought.
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