Just because you're paranoid...

This is not a rant.

At least, that’s not the intention.

And let me say this upfront, I’m fully aware that I don’t actually have a leg to stand on. I’m in the wrong. I know that. I’m aware of it. And I’m not about to deny it. So if you’re expecting this to spiral into a fuming outburst of bile and rage, you’ll be walking away disappointed. I’m not going to throw my toys out of the pram. And I shan’t be making any melodramatic proclamations about how record companies are killing the music industry.

However, it appears I may be a marked man. Someone has me in their sights and they’ve fired off a couple of warning shots. Having been blogging for nearly three years without getting into trouble, I’ve now had two posts removed in two weeks. Someone took offence to the tracks I’d posted, contacted Blogger directly and had the entire posts removed and deleted. Slightly heavy handed of them I feel but it’s their prerogative. Had they contacted me directly, I would have had no problem removing the tracks while leaving my reviews and opinions intact. Luckily, I have copies so am in the process of reposting them. Minus the offending tracks of course.

The posts in question, were reviews of The Verve’s 'Forth' and Cold War Kids’ 'Loyalty To Loyalty'. Is it mere coincidence that both were slightly negative reviews? I don’t know. I hope not but the cynic in me can’t help wondering. Are both bands on the same record label? Again, I don’t know and to be honest, I can’t really be arsed to check. I guess I should find out and if they are, I should probably refrain from posting bands on their roster.

So, if I know I’m in the wrong and I have no issue with removing tracks when asked, you’re probably wondering what my point is?

Well, it’s because I consider myself a responsible mp3 blogger. I follow self imposed rules that I feel are pretty fair. I don’t post whole albums. I don’t link to places you can download whole albums. I never post pre-release material. And I always link to places where the music and bands I’m posting about can be bought. I go out of my way to find versions of songs that are not commercially available. Almost all of the tracks I post are live recordings, acoustic sessions or widely unavailable tracks. You certainly can’t buy them anywhere. If I can’t find an alternative to the studio recording, I don’t post about the band or record. The reason I do this, is to give you a taste of the music I’m writing about, while still giving you the need to buy the single, album, DVD or whatever the product may be. Correct me if I’m wrong but if someone likes a live version, I find it hard to believe that they would prefer having that, to having the real studio version. If I do post up a commercially available studio recording, it’s because I have been given permission by the band (usually unsigned) or by the record company.

So, bearing all that in mind, excuse me if I feel a little frustrated that my non-commercially available posts are removed when, after an effortless search on Hype Machine, there are dozens and dozens of mp3Blogs offering studio recordings for free. If you were so inclined, you could probably download ‘Forth’ and ‘Loyalty To Loyalty’ in their entirety in under five minutes. And some of those blogs are almost certainly bigger than here, generating larger traffic flows than I could ever dream of. How is that those blogs, who you could argue are directly taking money from the record companies, get away with their posts remaining intact? Like I said, I know I don’t have a leg to stand on, but excuse my sense of frustration.

So what does this mean?

Well, if you come here and posts start randomly disappearing, now you know. And if one day, there’s nothing here at all, you can be sure it’s not because I got bored and deleted the blog. Two years and eleven months after I started writing To Die By Your Side, I still thoroughly enjoy it. Whether it looks like it or not, I put a lot of time and effort into the site. I’ve discovered more bands and spent more money on music and gigs than ever in my life. I hope you enjoy your visits here too.

And if you are the band, record company, PR person or whatever and you want me to remove the tracks I post, here’s a crazy idea for you. Something to run up your proverbial flag pole. A bit of thinking outside the box. Why don’t you open up a conversation with me? As a music fan who still spends plenty of money on his obsession, I’d have thought you’d want to keep me on side.

mp3 / music