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No Address Knows the Impact of Illegal Music Downloads - page 2

By Jessamyn Cuneo on January 31, 2006

No Address, pictures, photos, pics, images, music, song, albums, lyrics, illegal, music, downlading, interviewLong agrees that this is where people are confused.

"Buying a CD is really like voting, I like this band and I like this kind of music," he says. "The example I always give — and you have no idea how literally true this is — is this: We were allowed to make our record the way we wanted to make it because Jet had done really well. And not that we sound like Jet, but we were making a "raw rock" record, like really rock, and the only way we got away with doing that was because Jet had been really successful doing that kind of thing.

"And we had all these conversations about Jet and every time somebody would be like, 'We think it needs to be blah blah blah,' we would be like, 'Well, what about Jet? Everybody's loving the f**k outta Jet...' and the label went, 'Yeah, you're right, ok.' "

Long pauses, pushing back his hair and the bassist Bill Donaldson comes and sits on the floor, tuning his bass quietly. There's sort of a solemn moment as they all consider this apparent sore spot for the group.

"And that's not a bad thing, I mean these people are running a business, they're making big business decisions and one mess-up could really ruin their year," Long explains. "When people don't go and buy records, the [record companies] think, well people obviously don't like this band, or don't like this music because nobody went and bought it, so the next band that comes along that's like us and wants to make a raw, real, straightforward rock record really may not get the shot, because the [record company's] going to go, 'Remember? That No Address record flopped.' So they're either not going to sign that band, or they're going to force them to be like [some] other band."

Lauren says, "90 percent of our record label's success is in Country and Rap and R&B, because people still buy those records...[I guess] a lot of rock fans are downloaders and it's changed rock if you think about it — if you listen to the radio."

"That's because from every indication that [the record companies] have, that's what they should be doing, adds Long.

"The [consumers] don't know about the amount of research that labels and radio stations do...songs get played and records get made when at least 60-70 percent of the research (who's buying what, what songs testing well) goes well. Like, they call a group of people and ask, 'Do you know who this band is? Do you like this song? Are you sick of this song?' And people don't know, because they listen to their iPods and it comes back and affects how much a song is played."

"Record companies go, 'Well, hell, 50 Cent is selling billions of units, but the new Staind record isn't, so we should invest more money into people like 50 Cent — even if the same amount of people have the Staind record downloaded, but 50 Cent's fans go out and buy the record."

There is some more sad silence. Long, looking truly imprisoned by this reality, shrugs and puts out his cigarette.

"I don't think people realize that that's the real situation," he says. "Everybody's gotten screwed, because you expect a level of quality in a product, and for a record to sound good, it costs money. It just does. It's not free."

So help your favorite musicians get the freedom to produce the kind of music that they want to create. Now you know exactly how it affects the artist, and you have a chance to actually change things for the better. Up-and-coming musicians especially need your support. Think about all they're giving you, and choose to give back.