In the middle of '90-s my good friend Oleg Adjigitov (he was the founder of
punk movement in our region, his first punk band was formed in 1981) had contacts
with Mordam Records - the very cool distributor in which catalog there is different
stuff of many independent labels. In the beginning everything was great: Oleg
made the orders on several CDs, got them for 8 - 10$, listened to the music
and then sold them for those who wanted (I surely did) but adding 1 or 2$ more.
That money indemnified his mail expenditures and it helped to increase his orders.
Thanks to Oleg only many CDs from such labels as Kill Rock Stars, Dr. Strange,
Alternative Tentacles, Au-Go-Go, Dischord & etc. became available in our
region. It was a powerful impulse for local punk-scene support.
By time the politics of Mordam Records has changed from affably - friendly to
"business coldness". The prices on CDs grew up to 12$ first, then
to 15$ and finally up to 18$ for one!!! It is interesting to notice that in
advertising booklets the price rarely was 10$. When Oleg wanted to find out
the reasons of this strange price discrimination he has come across dummy silence.
Naturally, nobody could buy CDs for 18 -20$. To satisfy interests of the aboriginal
music fans Oleg began to record this CDs on cassette - tapes. He honestly wrote
about it to Mordam Records and asked to low the prices again. We still quote
the answer of Tommy Strange: "Oleg, it's OK! Continue to copy them!".
In the middle of '98 there was a default in Russia and dollar has grown four
times. It was the end in contacts with Mordam and other distributor labels.
As our administration says the crisis has gone, economics grew up and the welfare
of Russians increase. Yes, it may be so but not so fast as we expect it to be.
You can judge yourself: in the city I live in (in Volgograd it is near 1 mln.
people) the wage in 100$ is considered to be very good. The majority of the
population got more lower wages. For example, I work as a foreman in the mix
material Department on the local tractor Factory, my wage is 50 -60$ per month.
The student's grant is 7$ per month, the average wage of the teachers is 60$
per month and so on...
It is very funny that in Moscow and St. Petersburg the level of life is several
times higher than in the province that is why the relations between their citizens
reminds the relations between Americans and the citizens from the "third
world" countries.
Let's get back to my region. Of course there are many ensured and pleased by
life people. But I think you'll agree with me: most of "independent music"
amateurs don't belong to them. Ska, punk, HC, Oi!, surf, garage, avant, etc.
fans are usually students or workers, which haven't got (for different reasons)
good career and as a result they haven't got a good wage (-100$!).
In this situation the words inadvertently said by Tommy Strange is very helpful:
every CD is copied instantly (absolutely free!). If you refuse somebody you
can immediately spoil the relations with the whole movement and get the title
of miser! Everybody knows who got two CDs of Dog Faced Hermans, who has Tuxedomoon
and to whom Minor Threat's "Complect Discography" was sold to... I
hope Jello Biafra, Ian MacKaye and Steve Albini do not hardly experience concerning
those dollars that they could get from Russia (and on practice they got nothing
from Russia!).
CD-R, MP3 copies have replaced cassette copies and it is difficult to convince
somebody to buy CDs for 10$ if CD-R costs 0.3$. It is useless...
By the way, do you know the prices for original CDs in our shops? They are 2.5$
for each! If it is more then nobody buy it! The assortment there is not good
but there is one interesting moment. On one shelf with original CDs there are
bootlegs absolutely illegally for the same price. I want to assure you - in
Russia there is no struggle against piracy. Sometimes, unfortunately very rarely,
there are some bootlegs of Madness, Sick of it All, Residents, Throbbing Gristle/Coil,
etc. The best things are MP3 collections , where on one CD-R there are all the
albums of the band plus photos and the texts (Ramones, Television, Coil, Nina
Hagen, Pogues, Mano Negra, Iggy Pop, etc.) How else could I buy all the albums
of Nina Hagen on my wage?
The same situation is with the computer soft: for 70 rubbles (2.5$) you can
easily buy the disk with several versions of Windows plus some more programs
or, for example, a collection of Adobe soft or the full collection of sound
processing programs... May be you won't believe but I've never seen a computer
with original Windows (or Photoshop, or Sound Forge, or Page Maker...)!
Talking about the ethical side of this question - I thing: BGM, Gema, Microsoft,
Adobe and other monsters loose their possible profits. Isn't it good in the
period of antiglobalism?!!! The other thing: D.I.Y. bands and labels become
very famous in Russia without any particular efforts (people will tell all their
friends about a good band, it's recordings can be spread all over the country
in hundreds of copies, many people will visit it's web site and may be in 10
- 15 years, when this band come to Russia, the musicians will be very impressed
that so many people love them here and know well!).
I want to hope that the best rushings of real musicians... I mean... to change
the world ( may be you think I am naive but I really think so!). Money, glory
- it is not the most important for me... Earn your money in the West until we
have not grown rich here in Russia. And we'll continue to love you honestly
and disinterestedly.
DJ Nishtyak
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