13 Comments Monday, December 31st, 2007
New Year’s Resolution - Put Your Money…
TSS Crew member Patrick M. extends a New Year’s resolution to all fans of hip-hop…
…Where your mouth is.
I’m into the practice of New Year’s resolutions.
I recognize that, as much as I love myself, I’m a flawed human being who’s prone to bad habits and obnoxious behaviors.
And vices.
Oh the vices.
My life is a constant battle, as I struggle to understand who I am while trying to visualize who I want to be. I believe the journey in between is what life’s all about. The New Year is a time to reflect, re-evaluate and move in new directions. It’s also a time to reconsider your relationships with the people and things you love, and how you can help them.
And hip-hop needs my help. And yours.
I’ve taken to following the sales numbers in recent months, and the picture is bleak. The top-tier names - Jay-Z, T.I., Curtis, Kanye - can move enough units to satisfy their record labels and turn a profit. But the second-tier artists, names that have built hip-hop into what it is today and provide the creative foundation of the art form, are simply not selling enough records. Look at some of the critically acclaimed releases of 2007. Desire did 12,000 its first week. Getback did 9600. Eardrum has done 150,000 since its release…and considered a success in an industry where you need to move 500,000 units in order to profit. Even Wu-Tang, one of the greatest hip-hop acts ever, releasing its first album in six years, only manged 68,000.
If this trend continues, record labels will start dropping these artists. We can debate the merits of mega record labels’ interaction with hip-hop, but as constructed, they provide the infrastructure. As with any industry, there has to be a means for distribution and promotion of product. Now maybe album sales are archaic as a measurement of success; lord knows there are other means of getting an album to your listeners. But fundamentally, money has to change hands from the consumers to the producer. Otherwise the market is unsustainable.
And as a consumer & supporter of hip-hop, I have not been doing my part in ensuring rap’s survival. It’s easy to explain why: I’m not exactly rolling in disposable income, CDs are overpriced (Eardrum was 19$ at Barnes and Nobles…fucking ridiculous,) and I know that when I buy an album, my dollars end up doing more to help the head of Universal build a pool at his third summer house than paying for Talib’s studio time. Plus, there’s the matter of convenience - what’s easier than hopping on the web and downloading? The entire shape and scope of the industry is fucked up, it doesn’t reward creativity and doesn’t reward taking chances. It rewards impeccable, formulaic, image maintenance, (best encapsulated in 50’s career), and disposable nonsense (Soulja Boy.) That’s what sells to mainstream America.
But the great thing about the world in 2008 is, if you shop smartly, you can control where your money goes. Consumers have never had more choice. It’s time for the hip-hop lovers to utilize this power.
Thus, I have resolved for 2008 to support the hip-hop industry not just with my keyboard, but my wallet. Every month I am hereby required to support an in-need hip-hop act through purchasing an album or attending their concert (the preferred method since more money will go to the artist…and I can get the albums anyways.) It may not seem like much, but over 2008, it’ll add up. It will also act as a vote, a message to the pockets at headquarters that hip-hop artists are worth their investment and quality music is what the fans want. Until the TSS-led revolution changes the way business is done in hip-hop (and the world,) we are dependent on their support.
I urge other fans to do the same, although I won’t hate if you choose otherwise. But to quote Jay-z, a man whose albums I will gladly never buy, “we can’t leave rap alone, the game needs us.”
The Smoking Section recaps the some of the year’s funnies, straight misses…and then the hits. Grab a drink & clear some hard drive space.
This entry was posted on Monday, December 31st, 2007 at 12:51 pm and is filed under Columnists, Stray Shots. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
13 Responses to “New Year’s Resolution - Put Your Money…”
12.31.07 at 1:06 pm
Media Districts Entertainment Blog » New Year’s Resolution - Put Your Money… says:
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12.31.07 at 2:21 pm
Swizzie says:
maybe ill buy King Mathers or Detox. But hip-hop’s current so-called elite (jay-z, Kanye, Lil wayne) have been way too dissapointing. I mean yeah Jay’s album was good, but he’s not making classics anymore.
12.31.07 at 2:56 pm
somalia guy says:
is it me or trina, got something in her mouth always……………..SHIT MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12.31.07 at 3:03 pm
chief78 says:
very well said.
12.31.07 at 3:36 pm
Curt says:
I just am not satisfied with the product right now. I used to feel like hip hop defined me. Now its like hip hop is just some shit I don’t get anymore. Until there is more variety and more artist shake the cookie cutter raps and videos they are not gettin a red cent from me. I just can’t see myself worrying bout helpin dudes who raps are about “how rich I am” get money while they cant even give me a good song in return.
12.31.07 at 3:50 pm
chad says:
swizzie doesn’t know what he is talking about!..lol kanye is the shit!….jay-z’s latest album was a classic! hov has nothing else left to prove to us rap fans. he has done it all! www.myspace.com/chad8353
12.31.07 at 4:07 pm
TC says:
Yeah Imma agree with Chad. I’ve bought like 20 albums this year, and that’s after I’ve already had them weeks in advance to their release date. There’s always good music being made. It’s up to the fan/consumer to listen and support the product. Hip Hop will never die.
12.31.07 at 5:01 pm
Douglas Howser says:
If you like it,… buy it. Easy rules to live by.
12.31.07 at 5:07 pm
D. Sinclairâ„¢ says:
TC, I feel you. I support the artists I know are quality. I don’t buy ringtones either. Buying and feeding to crappy artists is like feedin a monster, or a wild animal: once you fall for it once it’ll chase your ass for more. People fell for crappy shit like Nelly, and things have gotten worse with Soulja Boy. It’ll ONLY get worse when people don’t support the actually GOOD artists.
01.1.08 at 8:32 am
stevie says:
$19?? for a cd??
that’s 13 euro,.
thats cheap out here.. (the netherlands)
i bought graduation for 20 euro, thats $30
and i bought Getback, for 21 euro, thats the big problem overhere,
i wish i could support all the artist i like,
but the cds are so expensive, i just can’t buy every cd… so i only buy the cds from the artist who deserve the support. thinking of it,. i have to put some money away to buy ‘The Cool’ in january (europe release: 14 january)
01.1.08 at 4:56 pm
Leonie says:
Like Stevie I also live outside the USA. Buying cd’s either from the shops or online is not cheap. Lucky for the UK fans we get to see a good collection of Hip-hop artists every month,sometimes 2-3 times a week. So support can be given directly to the person,and you get to meet them without the bullshit (unless you are 50 Cent white gals only mate please) I’ve always and continue to support the international and homegrown talent. Try to recurit my peers is the hard job. Many HATE the UK scene, and prefere to buy US. FCUK DEM. I’ll keep supporting cause I know my own choice is the only one have to deal with at the end of the day. But seriously can anybody really give a top ten hip-hop albums that was worth the money in all areas?
01.1.08 at 6:46 pm
TC says:
Gladly! (NO ORDER) -Scarface “Made” -Pharoahe Monch “Desire -Ghostface Killah “The Big Doe Rehab” -Common “Finding Forever” -Talib Kweli “Eardrum” -Little Brother “Getback” -Kanye West “Graduation” -U.G.K. “Underground Kingz” -Lupe Fiasco’s “The Cool” -Jay-Z “American Gangster”
03.5.08 at 5:45 pm
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