thank you for speaking up!
i, too, am having trouble with MP3.com. (please visit: http://membrane.com/mp3_game.html )
may i repost your press release there?
sincerely,
digital yoda
hi digital,
sure, go ahead and thank you.
Jiga
MP3.com, recently bought by Vivendi-universal is not a home to independent artists anymore. it is a cruel organization with a non-accountability policy, who takes away artists earnings and suspends them for no reason.
we, Analog Pussy, a techno-trance act residing now in Germany, have been top artists at MP3 until 3 weeks ago. we have earned 35k from selling cd's through MP3, getting paid for downloads, and advertisements spots on our page.
we had our songs downloaded over 1,100,000 times on MP3.com we have passes Madonna, faith hill and offspring on the charts. one day, MP3 without notice have suspended us and some other successful artists for no reason. they removed our page and took our money.
if you are interested to know more, please keep reading. if you are interested in more specific details, please reply back and we will be happy to supply you with more information.
check out our L.A.weekly cover story of last week at; http://www.laweekly.com/ink/01/29/cover-lewis.shtml
thank you
Jiga + Jinno
Analog Pussy
http://www.analog-pussy.com
Analog Pussy story
6 months ago we joined MP3.com, the heaven for Indi artists.
though we are already successful in our field of Trance Music, sell many
albums and play in raves around the world - we wanted to combine the
internet with our real world success.
MP3 encouraged us to give our music for free download and to drive traffic to our page there.
we printed our website with links to MP3 on our albums, compilations, 12"s, rave flyers. we sent the message of MP3 all around the world. in our concerts in Ibiza, Brazil, Canada, Europe, USA - everywhere we went to we made sure they all go to MP3 and download our music for free. we encouraged 16,000 fans and DJ's subscribed to our mailing list to get our music for free. our own website www.analog-pussy.com has a traffic of 6,000 - 8,000 visitors every day and we directed them all to MP3.
therefore, we were not surprised when we started going big on MP3. Analog Pussy was all over the charts: # 1 in the Trance charts, Electronic , House & Techno. on May we made it to the overall top 40 charts, getting to number one, leaving Madonna & other well known artists far behind us.
the exposure was huge. we got tons of fan mail, serious offers from labels, publishing companies, film companies, businesses, game companies. and there was also the money. within 5 months we made over 33k USD. that was from mp3 cd sales, payback for playback (p4p), and advertisements put on our page through mp3.com we became top earners and top charters within 4 months and our songs were downloaded more than 1,100,000 times!
we were in love with mp3.com
and then, one day... on May 11th...
we came back from playing in a rave in Denmark and got email from an entity called "Artist Activity". they dryly wrote that we were found guilty of an unacceptable activity and therefore we are removed from their website and our all earnings are taken away. that's it. there wasnt a signature.
we were shocked. at first we thought it must be a prank, because we were the darlings of MP3 so far. we brought them huge traffic and professional content and in exchange they featured us all over their website. some days earlier we were asked by MP3 to write a testimony as top MP3 earners, and they published it proudly on their website.
it was very real.
for days, we were experiencing shock mixed with anger and pain.
after several emails we sent AA they wrote us that they will not explain to
us their actions or reasons.
however, though they cannot specify what we are being accused of, they ask us to admit our "guilt". that is the only way they are willing to continue to talk to us. what "guilt" we asked? are we supposed to admit something we didnt do and are not aware of? please tell us what the accusation is! why are you suddenly suspending our page and earnings? the cold answer was that they see we are in denial, and therefore the subject is closed.
why, we asked. was it penetrating to their computers? stealing sensitive data? insulting an MP3 employee? sending a bomb to MP3 headquarters with our name on it? we didnt know. and we guess we will never know.
this was frightening. we heard these things happen, but in other countries, other governments.
after million downloads, after driving traffic to their site after being number 1 - now we are not wanted.
we realized something weird is going on. (a week after our suspension Vivendi bought MP3.)
we didnt really know who vivendi was, they dont control the Trance scene that much, and we were not aware of their attentions.
we just knew that it is all connected. why would they prevent independent artists from their previous earnings of cd sales and pay for downloads?
we remembered how three weeks ago we were up the charts leaving Madonna, faith hill, offspring and such far behind us.
could someone fear we will take over the charts? is someone trying brutally to block independent artists that might interfere with other plans? we dont know if Madonna is really afraid from Analog Pussy, but we think some people are.
in the real world, labels can screw artists but at least they have name and a face. we can deal with them. vivendi-MP3 on-line is dangerous place. it uses the anonymity and vagueness of the cyberspace combined with the power of money, that is worse.
in our last email to MP3 we wrote:
you have the powers, the lawyers, the money.
but we have something you dont have - we believe.
we believe in people
we believe in justice
we believe in karma
we believe in the power of music.
Jiga + Jinno
Analog Pussy
http://www.analog-pussy.com
info@analog-pussy.com