BORISLAV MITIC Discusses the Murder of Music

By Ivan Chopik
November 24th, 2009

absolute250

Borislav Mitic returns with a majestic new album The Absolute. The virtuoso Shredmaster delivers his strongest musical statement as of yet for Lion Music. The album is available on the 4th of December 2009 – more information at http://www.lionmusic.com/cd/absolute.htm. The following is a special message from Borislav regarding the new release:

My internet friends,

I would like to send a message for all those who intend to dowload my album for free :

Here are a few words on a very important subject to me – illegal Internet file sharing download!!! This is also known as – MURDER OF MUSIC! Since I have a new album “The Absolute” coming out on December 4th now would be the right time to get into this matter of life and death.

You see,… it is very hard to master an instrument. It takes a lot of years of practice, discipline, study and dedication (like going to a university and more) to reach the level of playing that I and similar musicians are at.

It is really very hard work to compose quality music and create something special for you listeners out there. It is very hard to make records too because the studio time is very expensive (making your own project studio is a big cost too and not many can afford it or even know how to operate it). It is also very hard to find a Record label to publish your music these days,… and even harder to arrange real retail music store distribution to circulate the music on the market and make it available everywhere.

But musicians go through all these pains because they love and believe in music and they believe in fair and just financial reward return for hard work of producing beauty of music they offer to the world. Don’t you agree that musicians should be paid for their work?

When people illegaly post or download free MP3 files on Internet of the music that musician made so many sacrifices to create – it is the sign of ULTIMATE DISRESPECT! This means literally taking the bread off the musician’s table and spitting in their face!

The music business works like this… (if you don’t know).
Musicians who make the music give the album to the label under certain conditions. Then label sells it through its distribution channels and shares the percentage of return income with the musician. Stores and distributors also get their cut for the retail sale service to you – the customer. So the bottom line percentage per a CD that goes back to the musician is quite small in the end. Also don’t forget that musician invested money in studio time so this has to be covered before musician makes any real profit money!!!

To make a living from music this way a lot of CDs have to be sold. That CD money also gets re-invested in touring, new albums, promotion, etc.
Everybody in the chain of music industry is living from this system of sale… magazines, concert promoters, labels, music stores. Every single CD sold counts and especially today for smaller artists like myself who do not have a big budget at their disposal to promote themself in mainstream media, TV, Magazines, etc (yes, all that actually has to be paid for and costs quite a lot).

borislav2I know,… CDs in stores cost money (16$ a piece?), the world is in economic crises and it’s easier to get a free download so that you can put that money into buying your pants and cookies, right? Hey, you can make a cool free collection of thousands of albums with no money invested at all! Woohhhoooo, viva la internet!! How cool is this!!!??? Well,… NOT COOL AT ALL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you eat? Yes…? Me too! (inspite of legends you might have heard even we musicians need to eat). To get food I have to go to the grocery store and pay money for it like you. The same goes for clothes and other products. If you would try to take (or “download”) food or clothes from the grocery or clothing store the people dressed in blue outfits called THE POLICE would try to stop you since this is considered a crime of stealing. What if everybody starts stealing food unpunished? How will the grocery store employees survive? What about their family? How would the farmers producing food survive if we take it from them for free? They would not.

Do you catch my drift? Just because you CAN download music for free today on the Internet doesn’t mean you SHOULD. You CAN also beat up an old lady on the street and steal her pension from her wallet … but somebody CAN beat you up too and do the same to you. Would you like this? Or would you perhaps like to go to work 9h-17h for free? Would you like musicians to visit your home and take some of your property for free? Why not? They can use it… the same way you can use illegaly downloaded music without paying for it.

This all would be called robbery of course and is illegal and if we would apply this pattern of behaviour to the society in general as a rule of life we would very soon have a society of filthy, wild savages!

My point is – if there is no money coming back to us musicians for the ultra hard work we invest we will all eventually give up and stop making music. If the unchecked Internet theft goes on much longer very soon there will be no more new albums from the artists you like and cherish so much on your illegal free MP3 collections!!!

This will be THE END OF TIMES FOR MUSIC! After we musician give up the labels will fold, the music stores will turn into … shoe shops for example (you can’t download those through internet can you now?)!
Soon after that the whole music industry, concerts, fun time, guitars,… will be dead and gone – thanks to Internet and illegal global piratery system! Game over!

So if anyone of you wants to continue supporting – KILLING MUSIC (that you are supposed to love) go and join the Internet gang of music hijackers for free through torrents and file sharing sites! The blood will be on your hands…
But If you want the music to SURVIVE please treat it like you would like to be treated yourself and do the right thing by paying for it. I always paid for the music I wanted and I don’t see why each of you can’t – there’s really no excuse!

SPREAD THE WORD!!! SAVE THE MUSIC YOU LOVE! Or let it bleed and die… It’s all in your hands – the choice is yours to make. I vote for life but if it’s death of music – so be it! We can also live in a world without real music but then don’t complain in the future to come how the music in the media around you is bad and lame and “where have all the good times gone”.

You have been warned!
Borislav Mitic

About Ivan Chopik