Thursday, October 22, 2009

A SOUND RELIEF FAQ

Why is this not released in CD format? I want to buy a CD.
This project was meant to be in Digital Download format for several reasons:
1. CD duplication is a very expensive and tedious process, not to mention time-consuming. Physical formats also take up so much room space and create unnecessary storage and transport issues, not to
mention quality control ones (damaged/cracked CDs, CD rot, etc.)
2. Most people who listen to recorded music these days under the age of 40 use portable mp3 players, iPods, and mobile phones. It’s an issue of market demographics.
3. While we support legal music sharing, we want to prevent certain malicious people from making a profit from copyright infringement by burning illegal copies of the CD and selling it. If you know or see
anyone selling CD copies of this project, please kindly report it to us, as the money made from those CDs will not go to the Typhoon Ondoy relief fund.
4. This digital format is a safeguard that all proceeds will go to the flood victims and not to some heartless profiteer’s pocket.

How do I make sure that my download purchase will indeed go to the relief fund in the Philippines?
The paid download will go to a PayPal account managed by one of the members of this group, who is
accountable to everyone else on this project as far as delivering the proceeds to the relief fund is concerned. We are actively in contact with private groups and individuals here in the Philippines, to whom we are accountable. Also, this project was conceptualized by a group of Internet-based musicians who are committed to be accountable to each other. Email us at asoundrelief@gmail.com and we will send you constant updates on this project.

Is this a benefit live concert?
No. It’s a digital album containing 25 high-quality format music files that you can play on your iPod, 3G mobile phone or PC. The artists are too far apart from each other geographically to organize a live performance.

My music player does not support MP3s! What other formats are available?
You have the option of downloading the songs in a variety of other high-quality formats besides MP3s: FLAC, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, and Apple Lossless.

Isn’t it possible for someone to
just rip the audio with audio-grabbing software/code analysis tricks so that downloading won’t be necessary?
Yes, anyone with lots of time to waste and a deficiency of ethical values can ‘rip’ this, but the audio quality will definitely be inferior to the formats we’re offering. All song files are edited and well-rendered with information tags on the artist. Try to beat that.

Why can’t you just offer this as FREE download?
What will we end up with to donate to the relief fund? If you can donate more than $10 to help out the flood victims, then you can get a ‘free’ download. :)

Can I burn my downloaded tracks to a CD-R?
Yes, you can. But please DON’T SELL the CDs, and encourage your friends to help out a good cause by downloading for quite a small fee.

Isn’t $10 expensive for a paid music download?
A standard 10-song full length CD album now costs $13-$15. You either have to spend gas money or walk out of your house to go to your favourite record store. This compilation is worth the same as a polo shirt on sale in JC Penney (USA prices). $10 for 25 quality songs (equivalent to two CDs) is quite a steal if you do the math. Not to mention that you’re helping out even if you’re just downloading music, and you don’t even have to leave the comforts of your home. On the other hand, you have the option of choosing which songs you like, and download them for $1 each.

Why should I help people from a faraway country in Asia just because they were devastated in a flood?
Indeed. That, my friend, is a life-changing question that only you can answer. Just put it this way: If it happened to you, how would you feel if someone asked you the same question? What if your house goes underwater, and you have no insurance, no clothes, no food, no money and practically nothing except the muddy clothes on your back, and everyone you ask for help from ignores you? Empathy makes sense, doesn’t it? 

My downloaded files won’t play! Can I get my money back?!
Sometimes glitches like that happen in an electronic world. If the file you downloaded won’t open (btw, it’s in a compressed file folder; make sure you have WinZip or WinRar to de-compress it) Kindly send us back the file by uploading it in a file-hosting site and linking it to us; if proven that the file is corrupted, we will send you a download code free of charge. On the other hand, you do know that bad DSL connections and other similar predicaments are beyond our control. It’s your risk.


Go back to http://asoundrelief.bandcamp.com to listen to more music!

Posted at 5:11 AM 32 notes

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