FAQ
HipHopSite Digital FAQ Version 1.2
Last Updated: SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2007
PART ONE: About HipHopSite Digital
  1. What is HipHopSite Digital Music Store?
    HipHopSite Digital Music Store is the future of HipHopSite.Com.
    It is an online digital music retail website that allows its users to legally purchase
    and download digital music in the MP3 format.
  2. Why did HipHopSite close its physical retail end?
    Our physical record store’s lease was up in July 2007, and we were at a crossroads
    on whether or not to try to keep it going, or to move forward and change with the times.
    To put it simply, it stopped working for us. With music industry trends showing a steady
    decline in CD sales, not to mention the death of vinyl retail thanks to digital DJ programs
    like Rane Serato Scratch Live, the store could not survive.
  3. Was it a snap decision to close the store?
    It had been brewing for a while, because we had seen things decline over
    the past two years, since the advent of the digital music player and digital DJ setups.
    We knew the demiseof physical goods was coming, and had always planned to go digital
    eventually anyway, but as things got worse, we decided the best plan of action would
    be to move forward with the digital movement, and discontinue the physical end completely.
  4. Will HipHopSite still stock and ship physical products?
    Other than what we have left on the old site, that’s all folks. All 12inch vinyl singles
    are $1, LP’s are $2, and CD’s are $5. Everything is discounted and priced to sell, until it’s gone.
    Go to http://www.hiphopsite.com if you are interested in making last minute purchases.
  5. How long will the old HipHopSite mail-order site run for?
    The two sites will run side-by-side for a while, until the beta version of HipHopSite Digital
    finished and replaced with version 1.0. At that point, the old site will most likely be shut down, discontinuing the mail order process completely, so get those final orders in.
  6. Will HipHopSite still give us news, reviews, and interviews?
    Absolutely. Content updates will run on the old site for a while, just until the new site
    is completely finished. Eventually everything will run on one site.
  7. Where are all of the album reviews and interviews from the old site?
    They are currently only available on the old site, and will be updated there for the time being.
    Soon we will have everything ported over and archived on the new site,
    but most of our time and resources are being spent on converting the beta to its full version.
PART TWO: About Downloading Music On HipHopSite Digital
  1. I thought downloading music was illegal. How does the artist get paid?
    Downloading copy written music from a peer-to-peer client is illegal.
    Giving a copy written song or album to a friend, in most cases, is also illegal.
    Buying music online from a digital music store, however, is completely legal,
    although make sure you are dealing with a reputable company that you know and trust.
    With HipHopSite Digital, we obtain permission to sell music from each record label
    or artist, and pay them per sale.
  2. What about album art and liner notes?
    The plan is to have digital booklets in place for all releases, however that will not
    be possible with every record label. Ultimately, we believe that each release
    SHOULD come with a PDF “digital booklet” including all of the art and information
    that one would usually get from a regular CD booklet. However, many record labels
    still have not embraced this idea just yet. Wherever possible,
    HipHopSite will be offering digital booklets with many full-length releases,
    provided we can get support from the labels to do so. Releases that include
    the digital booklets will be noted in the item’s description. Album cover art
    will also be embedded in MP3 files, wherever possible.
  3. What will happen to the cool special offers HipHopSite is known for?
    They aren’t going anywhere. While we can’t offer you physical promo goods like t-shirts or stickers anymore, we can give you exclusive bonus tracks that you won’t find elsewhere. Bonus tracks will only be available if you purchase the entire album (which in most cases will be a better value than purchasing the songs individually). Bonus tracks will not be in place for every release, but during our beta launch, each Aesop Rock, Strong Arm Steady, Madlib, Yesterday’s New Quintet, Blu & Exile, and Shape Of Broad Minds have bonus tracks in place and are ready for you to download. Plus, you won’t have to wait two (or more) weeks to get what you paid for, nor pay for shipping.
  4. How come songs are $1.39 instead of .99 Cents like on Itunes?
    What is D.R.M.?
    Files are $1.39 rather than .99 cents because they are high-quality MP3’s and not DRM protected files. DRM stands for Digital Rights Management, which limits what you can do with a regular Itunes file. For instance, regular Itunes music files cannot be copied and moved to multiple computers that you might have in the household. Regular Itunes files will not play on digital music players other than the Apple Ipod, and are not compatible with digital DJ setups like Serato Scratch Live. All of this is because of DRM protection.
    Traditional MP3’s, which we offer here on HipHopSite, allow the consumer free reign to do what they want with them. While sharing MP3’s is still illegal, the higher price point allows the record label a little more piece of mind in regards to what is done with the file after it is sold. We don’t encourage you to share your HipHopSite Digital MP3 files illegally, but we’re not going to police you with lousy DRM protected files either.
  5. What bit rate quality are the files in?
    HipHopSite Digital MP3 Files are 192kbps or higher, up to 320 kpbs. Quality of files will be noted in the individual item description.
  6. Why is the catalog so limited at launch?
    Because we are starting over, and it takes time and care to add each product to the site, especially when digital booklets and bonus tracks are involved. Products will be added very frequently, so keep an eye on the site to see what comes next.
  7. Where are the major label releases?
    EMI is the only major label that offers their products in a DRM-free format currently. Industry trends are showing the others will eventually switch over as well, but for now, the DRM-free digital music market is owned by the indie labels.
  8. Why is HipHopSite Digital only open to U.S. customers?
    Will HipHopSite Digital eventually be available to other regions?
    Unfortunately, this is because things are much more complicated in the digital realm. Record labels have different companies handling distribution rights for each country, not to mention different regions have different release dates for each album. Because we are U.S. based, we will only be offering our products for sale to users with U.S. based credit card billing addresses. As we grow, this will change, as we customize the site for each country or region. Users outside of the U.S. are still welcome to browse the site and window shop.
  9. What happened to all of the cool individual artist and record label pages
    from the old site?
    The technology is not quite in place yet, but all of this will be back in effect shortly.
  10. How come I can’t preview a track before I buy it?
    This feature will be added to the site within the next few weeks.
PART THREE: Using HipHopSite Digital
  1. How Do I Download Music On HipHopSite?
    Simply browse through the site and choose the songs or albums you would like to add to your shopping cart. In many cases, you will have the option to purchase songs individually, or to buy the whole album as zipped package. We recommend buying the whole album, as it is a better value and it counts for a Soundscan sale, which keeps the industry going. Plus, many times purchasing the full-length will include exclusive bonus tracks (where noted) that are not sold separately, and sometimes digital booklets.
    Once you fill your shopping cart completely, you will have to create a new account, as none of the information from the old site has been ported over. From there, the checkout process is self explanatory.
    When the transaction is complete, you will be taken to the “My Downloads” page, which will include links to the files that you have purchased. Single songs will be distributed to you as .MP3 files, while full albums will be distributed to you as .ZIP files. The download links are good for 24 hours or two downloads.
  2. Can I give My Downloads links to a friend?
    Besides file-sharing being illegal, it is not recommended, in case something goes wrong with your original purchase, and you need a backup link. Not to mention, you must be logged in to the site to use the links, and it is obviously unwise to share your personal log-in info.
  3. What is a .ZIP file? How do I get my music out of this .ZIP file?
    A .ZIP file is a form of file compression that shrinks down the size of multiple files by packaging into one big file. (No sound quality is lost during .ZIP file compression.)
    Once you have the .ZIP file on your hard drive, you can “unZIP” the file, which will uncompress all of the MP3 files into a regular file folder. We recommend using a program like Stuffit, which can be downloaded for free at Download.com. (http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?tg=dl-20&qt=stuffit&tag=srch)
    In Windows XP, to open the file, double-click the zipped folder to access its contents. To extract the files from the folder, do one of the following: To extract a single file or folder, drag the file or folder from the compressed folder to a new location such as your home directory (also known as the M: drive). To extract all files or folders, right-click the compressed folder, and click Extract All. In the Compressed (zipped) Folders Extraction Wizard, specify where you want to store the extracted files.
    On a Mac, You can open a ZIP folder on a Mac using Stuffit Expander. Stuffit Expander is usually already installed on a Mac in Applications > Utilities. If you do not have the application already, however, you may download it for free from Stuffit.com. To unzip the folder of MP3’s, simply open Stuffit Expander, and drop the ZIP file into the Expander window. When you drop your ZIP folder into the expander window, the expander will generate a new folder with all the MP3’s ready for use.
  4. How do I view the digital booklet .PDF file?
    To view the .PDF, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded from Download.com (http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?tg=dl-20&qt=adobe%20acrobat&tag=srch). This file contains all of the original album art and liner notes that you would find on the CD version. Remember, not all albums will come with a digital booklet .PDF. Albums that include the digital booklet are noted in the item’s description page.
  5. How do I listen to an MP3 file on my computer?
    Simply click on it. Most every computer comes pre-loaded with Windows Media Player or Apple Itunes, both of which will play your songs. If you don’t want to use either player, you can use a third party application like WinAmp for Windows (http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?tg=dl-20&qt=winamp&tag=srch) or VLC Media Player for Mac (http://www.download.com/VLC-Media-Player-OS-X-/3000-2200_4-10717937.html?tag=lst-4-1)
  6. How do I burn my MP3’s to a CD?
    We recommend using Nero for Windows (http://www.download.com/Nero-7-Ultra-Edition-Enhanced/3000-2646_4-10709139.html?tag=lst-0-1) or Itunes for Mac.
    Detailed instructions for PC can be found here: http://windows.about.com/od/savingtodiskcdordvd/ss/burnmusic.htm
    Detailed instructions for Mac or Itunes software can be found here: http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/how-to-burn-a-cd-in-itunes/
    If you have a problem using HipHopSite Digital or have found a bug in the beta software, please email details of the problem to digital@hiphopsite.com