For those of you new to this particular party, about a month ago and in response to the Digital Economy Act I started an experiment in which I will spend the next year living without the BPI and their US equivalent the RIAA. As part of this I’m keeping track of what music I do buy, but also what music I find that is on those labels and I regret not being able to buy. I said I was going to do roughly monthly updates, of which this is the first.
The two big discoveries of the last month are BPI Radar and RIAA Radar which very helpfully tell me if a particular album was released on a label that is affiliated to the two odious organisations. This should make research on the subject a hell of a lot easier, though there still are grey areas. For instance a particular album may have a Japanese release on a label that’s not a member of either RIAA or BPI – but its US and European releases are affected. In that case, I’ll still not be buying the album this year.
So, since my last update I have made the following music purchases:
1. I have pre-ordered the new Zoe Keating album. It comes in two versions, one for $14 and one for $20. I splurged $20 on the posher version with the extra tracks and I’m very much looking forward to it.
2. I have also pre-ordered the the new Bitter Ruin album. I bought it for the cover price of £10. Again, can’t wait!
I’ve also read a review of a house concert with @solobasssteve and will be looking into his music in the near future. And my research on BPI Radar seems to indicate that VNV Nation are safe to buy, and I’m at least two albums behind on them, so I may well end up returning to my bleepy goth phase.
The biggest item to file under regrets is Melissa auf der Maur. She’s another one of those artists I discovered through the Volcanic Ash Cloud of Doom, as she ended up stuck in London and played a gig with Amanda Palmer which was webcast. From what I can tell, even though she’s experimenting with distribution models for her new album, she is signed to a BPI member label. If anyone knows otherwise, please tell me – I’d love to give that lady money!