Hi KJ, I'd really like to hear what he is doing for the community. While I agree wiuth the fact that there is no law out there that says he has to do anything, I would really like to know what the perception is as to what he is doing (a lot of).
The argument that he has more overhead than others so has to charge more, is insane to say the least. Maybe smaller labels are not doing adverts in full color in magazines, but they are doing way more for this "community" at this point by providing variety. I wonder what Jeff and Mad Mike would have thought of someone charging this much for a record 10 years ago. Do you think he is helping or supporting this community in any way by doing so? If yes, then buy 10 copies. My standing argument that I have discussed with many people on and off this list is that these same originators, or whatever you may call them, are where they are because of many of your hard earned dollars. While this in no way makes him beholding to his fans, many of the ideologies that have been spewed about what techno is really about have been overshadowed by capitalism. No one is saying that he should not make any money. That's great! Everyone should be so lucky. But what if he and others in his position could take it further than that! Galvanize this community through festivals (lukewarm overall), seminars, clubs (gasp!), and the development of new players in the game. There is so much more that could have been done by him and others to truly place them on a pedestal, which many people here have done. One expects more from icons. If he's trying to make a difference, them I'm smoking crack. There are thousands of producers out there trying to make a difference at this stage. This verbage is tired when not followed by action worthy of support. In any other industry, as stated in the email below, someone of his stature would have more control of the final price of his product. I guarantee that if he was against the selling of his product for this price, he could blacklist some distributors without blinking an eye. That, again, would be something admirable to see. I, for one, won't be holding my breath. The only way to deal with this situation is to leave your cash in you wallet or purse. If you don't want too, that's fine, but just remember how much you paid for this record when the next one is even higher. If I were a Mills fan that wanted to buy everything he ever did, I would consider this a slap in the face. That's my opinion... The following statement is the most refreshing one I have seen on here in a long time: Atomly wrote: I think artists/musicians/whatever have a responsibility to their community beyond just releasing records-- art is not created inside some sort of a vacuum. You may disagree with me, and that's fine, but that's how I feel and that influences how and where I spend my money. I think that Jeff Mills has a certain responsibility to help foster the American electronic music scene being that he is an electronic musician from the United States. It's like he took what he needed from Detroit/Chicago and then just turned his back on them. It's not like he invented techno, despite what some of you may think, but rather was introduced to a fertile art scene and is not acting to maintain that scene at all but instead is essentially plundering and pilfering whatever he can from the apparently willing fans. Kudos to you for the above. Many people here think this is a negative statement, but it is true of so many people other than Jeff Mills. Anybody is capable of saving a life, Badi. If I have to wait around for him to do it, I'd be dead. :) I don't dislike him Jeff as a person, but I think a lot of moral flexibility has been given to these icons in this community. This has become a class/caste system in the worst sense. If any one of 100 other producers in Detroit would come out with a record at this price, you all would die of laughter. But I guess him spending x hours in the studio is infintely more valuable, and the price has been passed along to you, the consumer. Hmm, I wonder if it sounds better to your ears the more expensive a record is...... Peace, Alex atomly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 01/14/2004 03:43 PM To [email protected] cc Subject Re: (313) axis [kj at technotourist dot org <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>] > Yes this is a statement, Jeff Mills invests a lot of his money back > into Detroit and to help the people who need it. He is doing a lot for > the community! He sure hasn't done much for Chicago, having lived here for years. I see him hang out at the bar when Derrick May or Cisco Ferreira plays here and that's about it. The man could singlehandedly redefine the American techno scene but won't because he's too full of himself to care. > Also keep in mind that after he drops the records at the distributors > he kinda looses control about the price. A lot of shops want to cash in > on limited edition Axis records because so many people want them. No he doesn't. If he cared, he could certainly tell distributors that if they charge too much, he'll switch to another. He most definitely has the clout and the sales draw to do that. -- :: atomly :: [ [EMAIL PROTECTED] : www.atomly.com ... [ atomiq records : po box 805319 chicago il 60680 : 312.804.5389 ... [ e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for atomly info and updates ...
