December 21th, 2011: "MegaUpload Is Now Launching a Music Service Called MegaBox..."

"90% off of every dollar despite the music being downloaded 4 free.." Doesn't rhyme Busta!

You're right.

It's much easier to rhyme to "Zero," "Artists Getting Screwed"

Let's call it the "Spotify Rap," We can release it on iTunes First.

Well,  I will not buy that either ;)

Without seeing how it would actually work, we'll never know. 

I expect a full power point presentation from Mr. Rhymes. 

I would like him to deliver said info with a hard sophisticated flow, not too dissimilar to his earlier stylings with Leaders of the New School. 

Wow, what a load of nonsense! Who would have trusted MegaBox to pay a cent to anyone (besides lining the pockets of Kim Dotcom?) What consumer would trust MegaBox with their credit card number? SR

In a roundabout way Busta is saying MegaUpload paid him better than the record label he signed to. That begs a whole host of questions, not least the record label's investment and ownership of the IP he would like to sell through MegaBox.

But even so, maybe he has a point here. What if the artists were able to do that Mega deal... would Mega step in and pick up the tab for everything the label does?

Interesting thought.

Busta and his friends that are championing the would be service all have on thing in common that most artists don't. Brand equity, visibility and near ubiquity. 

Anything that they would release through something like megabox would draw millions of unique hits to the site making them breadwinners.  I can pretty much guarantee that the deal would not be the same for every artist. 

Again, we may never know how the infrastructure would work, but in the end it obviously would work very well for any well established artist, like the ones you saw in that Youtube clip promoting the service....

It behooves them to push for it the same way it behooves UMG execs to champion spotify and bash Pandora, there's more in it for them.

Essentially, they would rob other artists and pay themselves. No thanks. Do this the right way and avoid the crap.  They're all a seedy bunch though.  Kanye is like Big Baby cries for everything and can't operate a business to save his life.  Their music is wack and is not even selling. Of course they would resort to stealing. They would also steal other "uploads" and do exactly what we were against back in the day....... BOOTLEG.  That's who these dopes are the bootleg pirates, trying to dominate with GARBAGE MUSIC.  Thanks, U.S. government.  You did a whole lot of people a really huge favor.

Busta mad cause YM ain't got the money. They all say they do, but even GAGA cannot sell a record beyond 500,000 without slashing the price. Talkers and BOOTLEGGERS.

Well at least that explains why they chose to shut down Megaupload as opposed to all the other filesharing sites...

Regarding Sam@Projekt's comments, the fact is artists have trusted major labels with their accounting and budgets over decades of cross collateralising and shady expenses and they paid the price for it , so it is really choosing between a rock and a hard place... 

But I think Busta Rhymes and other rappers were already making money through MegaUpload and MegaKey?  Not to mention all the artists paid on the advertising campaign.

 Not to mention all the artists paid on the advertising campaign.

We have a winner. 

Kim Dotcom had more than enough funds to literally shell out millions for those celebrity endorsers. 

Whether or not those funds were illegally acquired in the first place, or if the service would have worked with even new independantly created productions is besides the point. 

They're in the celebs' bank accounts now and not coming back. 

They did it with Kaddafi and Eve lesbian ass with whatever that bootyscratcher name was from West Africa. They care more about the money and not at all about other people.  Eve trying to get a dollar and a whole nation starving cause of her future pops-in-law with his dictator self. These are some bad people here.

Oh my! How much imaginary nonsense can one thread bare?

(1) "In a roundabout way Busta is saying MegaUpload paid him better than the record label he signed to."

And WHAT was he paid for, exactly? Megaupload was flush with illegally collected cash. They bribed a few spokes-people to defend them. Wise strategy.

(2) "Well at least that explains why they chose to shut down Megaupload as opposed to all the other filesharing sites..."

The case began years before MegaBox was proposed.

(3) "Would Mega step in and pick up the tab for everything the label does?"

Mega had no interest in spending money to develop artists. They were buying up established artists to spread their hype / lies. These guys were duped.

Explain to me how MegaBox was going to "monetize free downloads?" This music isn't something Megabox (or FileSonic or FileServe) had the rights to monetize...

"Oh my! How much imaginary nonsense can one thread bare?"

How much more did you bring with you?

"And WHAT was he paid for, exactly? Megaupload was flush with illegally collected cash. They bribed a few spokes-people to defend them. Wise strategy."

Business as usual for any of the companies who want MU taken down.

"The case began years before MegaBox was proposed."

Timing is still suspicious

"Mega had no interest in spending money to develop artists. They were buying up established artists to spread their hype / lies. These guys were duped.

Explain to me how MegaBox was going to "monetize free downloads?" "

They don't need to spend anything to develop artists. The whole idea was a direct extension of their current business. For music sales, artists take 90%. For free downloads, artists get a cut of ad revenue. Youtube style.

"This music isn't something Megabox (or FileSonic or FileServe) had the rights to monetize..."

So you claim all music in existence, by default, belongs to EMI / UMG? It's already been made clear that this was an attempt to cut artists a better deal by removing the middleman from the equation. No one has to sign with UMG / etc to get famous if this works. (Although they'll still send fake DMCA notices to take down stuff they don't own).

The list of Rappers and their $itches supporting Megauploads is a prime example of why the music industry will continue to decline.

These uneducated MoFo's need say no mo. cuz they dope.

That's great to hear that Busta would be getting paid 90% of revenue, I mean by the looks of things he needs the money. Poor chap only has on 3 diamond rings, 1 diamond watch, a simple diamond chain and diamond studs.

Liquidate, or borrow from Mashonda and Alicia like you been doing.

Swiss couldn't rap to save himself and neither can Kanye (caught between model beards since most Black people ae of the kind that think Tyler Perry is straight), but hey........... the Hip POP music is on some wack crap.  All of them are homosexuals and lesbians acting like they are like the rest of us.  No way.  Scammers, all of them.  Anyone with real talent they squelch and make invisible.  No one cares anymore anyway.  What others do care about is that these slugs are not going to just say it is for music when they know damn well they'd sell whatever they could to stay relevant.  Screw the music industry.  There are one or two artists, sadly NONE in Hip POP.............. or whatever they call this whiny shit.

so mr. rhymes is going to return the substantial advance paid to him by his record label in order to get these megaupload royalties? 

I don't believe anyone would take (business) advice from people who can't be bothered to type "two" and use "2" instead, pretending that their lives depend on skipping three letters from their very important public announcement.

your argument is illogical and thus worthless

"illogical" doesn't mean what you think it means. Go outside and buy a dictionary.

il·log·i·cal/iˈläjikəl/

Busta's my guy but he's off the mark here.

hmmm....

When the internet power elite or Big Data call for a blackout to protest SOPA - Stop Internet Piracy Act and the Stop Online Piracy Act claiming lost freedom of speech or reduced innovation, i take a look at the music industry as it was 15 years ago and it appears to me what have been damaged are industries susceptible to piracy, music, books, movies, software and other illegal knockoffs flooding the global markets or freely downloaded by Data Lockers like MegaUploads and Pirate Bay.

Music sales are down 50% since 1999 in both the U.S. and around the world. Any other industry experiencing a decline of this magnitude would consider it a catastrophe, all caused by theft.

When foreign media terrorist hide off shore in some Safe Harbor state or under a blurred interpretation of copyright laws to avoid liability while they collect advertising and subscription revenues from users of their pirated material., Big Data takes them under their wings proclaiming freedom of speech or forced government intervention.  

A once vibrant creative industry is on the eve of destruction costing over $150 billion so far in lost revenue and millions of jobs around the world.

They can't create for nothing and compete with Free.

umm, i think many many many artists are creating with nothing and competing with free.  and i think the industry is feeling the pangs of no longer being useful.  artists are subsisting in larger numbers, and no you've never heard of them. but they don't care.

Busta actually thinks he could have kept 90% of the income that would have come in every time someone downloaded "Gimmie Some More" on MegaUpload without someone from Warner knocking on his door asking for thier cut?

Artists! Want to keep 90% of your profits [or more]?

Three easy steps:

1. Pay for the recording, mixing, mastering, distribution and promotion of your music.

2. Don't sign with a label or any 3rd party that will want you to give up all or some of the rights to your recordings and therefore pay you only a portion of what your recordings earn.

3. Keep the money.

Streaming services and their payouts aren't perfect or ideal but if you think you're getting screwed start by barking up the right tree.

It's a distinction without a difference.

Hey Paul, check out this article:

Quit Whining About SOPA and PIPA. Where's the Public Outrage Over Internet Piracy?

All these whiney artists seem to forget the labels made them who they are through manufacturing, branding, marketing, etc.

Wah wah wah. Of course an outside entity is going to pay you better for ad revenue via illegal downloads. IT COSTS WAY LESS THAN...manufacturing, branding, and marketing ;)

None of these "rappers" and auto-tuna R&B chicks would be ANYWHERE without labels.  They are MADE artists and not at all authentic.  Artists who the people feel are REAL will pay for the music. This is why there are some who are way above Lady Gaga, who keeps talking about how many followers she has.  Yeah, but you could not even sell your music unless you basically GAVE THE SHIT AWAY.  A few actually HAVE the talent to rise, these right here are studio hens laying eggs for massa.

Oh come on. All these dipshit artists seem to forget who discovered, invested, and pushed them to where they are. No shit he makes a lot of 'revanue' via stuff like Megaupload; they're A) giving you a deal that no artists will get and B) are riding on the success of decades of devotion via your current label.  Busta Rhymes needs to get schooled or something. Or go into a different business if he's so unsatisfied with his monthly royalty checks.

Yeah, we would never had beethoven, bartok, mozart without the labels pushing them to compose and go play live gigs.

Just like Shakespear could only write thanks to the publishing industry!

Music has been there since the cavemen, copyrights and IP are recent 'inventions'; and the customers don't want to support it anymore apparenlty. But hey, labels are right, ppl SHOULD pay for things they don't care that much and that are totally overpriced.

1st it was all because of hometaping from the FM, then it was all about my double-deck tape drive, they then blamed my minidisc, then it was all because of my cd burner, then napster, then kazaa, then TBP/torrent, now megaupload, glad the ppl blaming the world for their failure couldn't spell IRC or NZB. Damn, if they only knew!