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that was the straw that broke the camel's back.
and it's kinda symbolic b/c that was the last album (i think) that hit that sweet spot where something was both commercially viable and artistically flawless.
one one level, i was like, "see, people WILL buy an album if it's good."
but then they slapped me in the face by re-releasing the special edition a few months later that had the bonus tracks. (unrelated, it's amazing that in 2004, long after the LP era was finished, that usher released an album where every song was good enough to be a single, and to top it off, he had unreleased stuff that was great enough to fit on the album as well. it's like enough material for a double-album where everything was rock solid, artistically.)
anyway, to your point, i downloaded the bonus singles out of spite. and really, that was the breaking point in terms of me buying CDs as they were released.
i never went to the store with anticipation to buy a CD after they did that to me.
*** sidenote*** i STILL pay for music. i buy songs off of iTunes instead of downloading them.
but that's b/c i still feel that there is something to be said for trying to financially support the art that i want to be produced. but i can't recall the last time i bought an album at a store b/c there was "buzz" attached to it. "confessions" was the last album that did that for me, and they burned me.
so they kinda lost a hardcore supporter of music by pulling that shit. and if i feel that way, i can't imagine that casual music fans are even considering buying an album at the store.
fuck the labels, they deserve what they get.
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