Comment by aarmenante | Hacker News Reader

Comment by aarmenante | Hacker News Reader

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Mixtapes are kind of the open-source version of rap music. Sort of free to download, remix, and distribute. Sort of... Almost every rapper who is popular right now (meaning, being played on the radio, touring...) has released their music for FREE, months, if not years, before being available for sale on iTunes, or CD. Sure, the iTunes version was mastered by someone who wasn't stoned, but it's pretty crazy that arguably one of the most popular forms of music in the world is distributed for free, on niche websites like datpiff, before it's available for purchase.

Record companies made a push to crack down on mixtape releases in the mid 2000's, even going as far as trying to pin DJ Drama (gansta grilllllllzzzzz) with a RICO charge, for illegal distribution of music owned by the rappers record companies.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/arts/music/18dram.html?...

A lot of these guys, didn't even want to fuck with the big labels, because they didn't get anything from them. The money they would receive from a record deal, could be just as easily made by selling merch, and going on tour, all without having to pay back a record advance.

Unfortunately, Apple has figured this out. Rappers are now signing deals for their mixtapes to be iTunes exclusives for a few weeks, and Apple with all their force, is cracking down on sites like datpiff for releasing the tapes they have exclusive rights too.

Young Thugs brilliant Slime Season trilogy was released on datpiff up until the third installation. Apple got an exclusive.

Just hope this amazing ecosystem doesn't disappear...

> Apple with all their force, is cracking down on sites like datpiff for releasing the tapes they have exclusive rights too.

You might be on to something. I was trying to download Chance The Rapper's new mixtape from Datpiff, and saw a message that it has been taken down due to copyright quibbles and what not. Went to HotNewHipHop and same thing ... I have to say this is the first time I've seen a message of that kind in either website.

Yep. Apple got the rights. You can get it in two weeks for free, but have to buy it to hear it today. The worst part is it's working... I caved and bought it.

It's fire by the way...

Wow, Apple securing exclusives on mixtapes is some of the corniest shit I've heard of. Get money and all but damn.

Yeah speaking of corny you should read the back-story on how Jay-Z worked a deal with Samsung(?) and some marketing team folks to block out enough downloads/streams/whatever with Rihanna's new album so it would be, essentually, guaranteed to go Gold its first week. Is it really a Gold certification if your label bought it for you?

The Chance thing, other than getting money, might be an approach to see if they can wiggle into Grammy contention. That's a rumor though. Will have to see if it works.

The next iPhone release is going to come with Gucci Mane's "iTrap" album pre-installed, if you buy the Apple limited edition "Fam" version.

> [but it's pretty crazy that arguably one of the most popular forms of music in the world is distributed for free]

I agree and I love it.

I think it partly has to with the fact that many rappers started out in the actual ghetto by selling mixtapes (many from my local area such as Meek, Cassidy, Beanie Sigel, etc...).

Releasing mixtapes shows that thay're still related to the streets and haven't gone completely commercial yet (sold out), which is important depending on the type of vibe that they're aiming for. For example, it's very important for someone like Meek Mill to maintain an image of being "real", where as it's not as big of a deal for someone like Drake who's more along the lines of a pop star.

Submitting to the demands of a record label goes against everything that conventional hip hop stands for in my opinion, so I'm glad that these guys keep releasing their mixtapes for free.

The worst part was that DatPiff has finally started putting quality control mechanism in the past two or three years or so to get separate legitimate content from artists (wheat) from the chaff and artists continued putting out their content for free.

Apple's, among other streaming services, has impacted this music negatively, and whether you are a fan of rap music or not, it does set a precedent that affects all styles, genres, and tastes of music.

I do not think all is lost - like some Underground electronic music communities, some artists will actively avoid Big Corporations....this has gone back to the days of Prince and before. There are many indie labels that still release their music on Vinyl, even.

> Apple's, among other streaming services, has impacted this music negatively, and whether you are a fan of rap music or not, it does set a precedent that affects all styles, genres, and tastes of music.

I don't share this interpretation: look at Drake, Wiz, Kid Cudi, 50 Cent, A$ap Rocky, The Weeknd, Chance, Young Thug + the rest of the 1017 label, Lil Wayne. These are people who found success on amazing mixtapes, and now those streaming services allow the artists to get paid for content they expected to release for free or for publicity's sake.

I'd throw in Kendrick but he didn't really blow up until Section 80, which was an early itunes exclusive(?) rather than a mixtape.

Besides, I don't see DatPiff going away any time soon. Coloring Book will be on there in under two weeks.

You gear content towards Apple vs selling out the trunk and the content will change. Arguably for the worse. People will get paid but it definitely will not be the same.

If you use 50 as an example, he absolutely would not exist with his early mixtapes. You cannot release those on an official platform without running the risk of getting sued into oblivion. No label is going to back something like that. I also am not a fan of the curation process with a lot of these streaming services and definitely do not have any faith that you will be able to discover some unknown talented rapper in the way that you could with someone you've been buying shit from and you know they only carried good stuff.

> If you use 50 as an example, he absolutely would not exist with his early mixtapes. You cannot release those on an official platform without running the risk of getting sued into oblivion. No label is going to back something like that. I also am not a fan of the curation process with a lot of these streaming services and definitely do not have any faith that you will be able to discover some unknown talented rapper in the way that you could with someone you've been buying shit from and you know they only carried good stuff.

I agree with all of these; my gut response indicates that because of this the "underground" mixtape sources (e.g. torrents) are not going to disappear.

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