Members Acid Hazard Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 this is very funny to me, how this has continued. For the record, Beat Kangz did not hang around the AKAI booth with our product hanging around our necks. We did however walk around the convention floor. I haven't been up on all of the BS being talked about here. We had a very successful experience at NAMM and details will follow. Users here can continue to talk trash, the bottom line is that our product is superior in it's creativity, tech specs, and design. Furthermore for everyone mocking the name as some sort reference to our intelligent it's completely ridiculous. There is slang in every culture. I'm willing to bet my life that none of the users in this forum speak without some type of slang, and purchasing equipment whether it's a car or a musical instrument with unique lingo is a part of modern culture. We shall see who will have the last laugh. Well, you're guys' genius marketing campaign has already smeared your name with AT LEAST 50% of your possible customers. Not to mention marketing an instrument up with such an amateur product name as Beat Thang with even more amateur street slang is ridiculous. There isn't one shred of professionalism in any promo i've seen for this product. You guys has better hit a crucial price point with this thing, or it's not even gonna get off the ground, and you sure as {censored} BETTER hit all those much touted specs w/o nary a hiccup with as much {censored} you and your Kangs have been talking. You guys can spout specs til you're blue in the face, but it doesn't mean jack until it's done and lived up to your hyperbole. So far all anyone has seen is a pic of a unit that looks like it was markered black, and a small video of a pretty rave in a box light show. So far, there isn't {censored} to show for this "MPC Killa". Your seriously putting a lanyard connector on there to hang around your neck? Wow... that IS ghetto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Acid Hazard Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 If anyone can furnish video of these cats with their beat thangs hangin' tough around their necks, i'll pay pal you a dollar =o] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grumphh Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 Do you understand that we are your customers? We are? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AfroRouge Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 Good point. It's pretty easy to go on thinking that it's "cultural myopia" that makes people react this way to this form of hip hop culture, but the truth is that hip hop is ubiquitous and well understood. Probably a good number of us listen to a lot of hip hop, and some of us even make it. The cultural myopism here is in the Kangz assuming respect where it hasn't been earned, and then getting self righteous about things going sour because they failed to approach things professionally. It's not the slang that's caused it, it's their attitude. Dave Smith has sold plenty of Mophos even though that's a terribly stupid name for a product and plenty of people mocked it. But he didn't come in here dismissing those people as haterz and acting like everyone should respect him because he's from the streetz or whatever. Why bother when the unit's specs were the real focus? It's so much better to let the facts (the product) speak for themselves and not try to win every Internet pissing contest in hopes that a victory will sell more units. I've seen this happen in a few other forums, where a business has vaporized its good will by letting a spokesman get into public fights on a forum. It's a terrible strategy. Silence is golden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members killedaway Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 We are? ssshhh... no, we're just being nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xmlguy Posted January 19, 2009 Author Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 I think I'll be sticking with my used $500 MPC1K. I don't like paying an extra $1,000 to get half the midi in/out I already have, drop 4 audio outs, lose the expansion to a 100G+ internal harddrive, the features of JJOS, and to get only 16 midi tracks vs. 64. My $250 SP-404 can play directly off of CompactFlash, has lighted pads, and runs forever off of batteries. My $150 padKontrol has lighted pads with a light show, with an XY pad. I have this crazy notion of dollar value: if I pay more, I should get more. Maybe when I can find a used Beat Thang for $300, I might be willing to downgrade. There isn't much its got that I don't already have, at a much lower price tag. As I write this, AudioLines.com has a B-stock MPC2500 for $1,250. I know it's not exactly fair to compare used and B-stocks with new, except that I judge based on how much real cash I'll need to pay to get the features I find important, and on that basis, I see no future for the Beat Thang in my hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members suitandtieguy Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 i'd like to be the first "president" to step up to this beat making challenge, what the rules are, and who the panel of judges are. what tools? only our own, or are other manufacturer's products allowed if there are gaps in our product line? for example, i don't build oscillators or envelope generators, but i'd need to use them with my modules. can we multitrack? is this a free-for-all ... can i use my Hammond and my CR-8000 and shizzit? are we only allowed to use "beats" we've been paid cash money for, or are demos allowed? anyway guys, i'll be waiting for you at the soul train station, with my pimp stick and my modular. bags packed, i'm ready to go for this challenge: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xmlguy Posted January 19, 2009 Author Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 anyway guys, i'll be waiting for you at the soul train station, with my pimp stick and my modular. bags packed, i'm ready to go for this challenge: Are you still pursuing the pimpmobile, or did it drop you off at the station? Where's ya pimp cup and grill? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Diametro Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CHEZZ Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 to me it's fine if people in this forum mock us at this point... our experience at NAMM proved that people all over the world love the product as well as the concept. Some people don't. Like many users here, I have worked as a musician for quite sometime. Not everyone is going to like us, and we don't expect for 50% of the people to love us, enough people will love our product and that will make us successful. We are not seeking everyones affection or approval. If you don't like us that's cool, our skin is thick enough to deal with that. People reading the forums here can read between the lines of exactly what you are mocking about our style, strategy, and product. Your thoughts have been taken in and reviewed. People said Hip Hop would never last, that it wasn't music, that the culture was ridiculous and cocky. Today it's evident who has won that argument. I cannot respond to everyone here but I would rather focus on positivity and I would like to dispel one of these rumors. We did not go into AKAI's booth with our product "hangin around our necks". People that were dismissed as haterz where people who were mocking our name. If I mocked the name AfroRouge you might do the same. Rumor 2: Our product is not affiliated with Zoom. We are an independent electronics company and we are releasing an incredible product that has already begun to shake up the industry. I don't intend to spend a great deal of time here engaged in a negative dialog. Our experience at NAMM was absolutely incredible, and speaking with users on the floor in person we found that our product was just what they were looking for. The forums serve a wonderful purpose but they are also filled with miscommunication and people who thrive on negativity and trash talking. We didn't want to name our product like everyone else, we wanted to release a product that represented us and how we felt. We would rather have our Beat Thang than a "javai 635-2847 xld" The fact that 3 guys who started from a position of struggling artists have over the course of a few years been able to build this and compete with billion dollar institutions is enough to garner some respect. Indeed we have built a lot of respect, and we have built some hate along the way and that is to be expected. I tried to squash the conflict amongst the cultures but that is pointless here at this point. Simply watch for our Beat ThangZZZZZZZZZZZin a store near you this spring and play with it. You will be surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundwave106 Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 Even on mpc-forums, which is their target market... I'm sure once it's out and people are using it and these guys are too busy running their business to go round talking {censored} on the internet there'll be some balanced opinions on what the machine can actually DO, rather than just how it's marketed. Heh. There was even comments on the childish marketing on futureproducers. If that forum isn't the target market for this box, I don't know what is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khazul Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 People said Hip Hop would never last, that it wasn't music, that the culture was ridiculous and cocky. Today it's evident who has won that argument. And its still {censored}.Dunno how many people here are into the hip-hop music/culture thing? Not many I think? As for the culture aspect - well its the ruin of the planet as far as Im concerned - theyre basically seem to be a bunch of theiving bastards who have no place in the legitimate music world - instead of bling most of them should be locked up and paying the royalties for the stuff they ripped off by doing some more useful - community service/chain gang perhaps?Grooveboxes on the other hand can be intersting and useful for all sorts of dance and other music but I very rapidly loose interest when some twat is trying to ram hip-hop culture down my throat. To take it elsewhere.If you want come come back without the hip hop bagage and tell us how its useful for other stuff - thats fine - perhaps you may be received rather better Know your audience and dont waste time on the wrong audience with the wrong approach - marketing 101 etc.(And BTW - I have and use an MPC2500 and the thing is pure of any hip hop influences and it shall remain that way!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Delicious Lamprey Problem Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 The fact that 3 guys who started from a position of struggling artists have over the course of a few years been able to build this and compete with billion dollar institutions is enough to garner some respect. The fact that nobody had freakin' heard of you a month ago and now the Internet thinks you're losers shows that you have horrific PR skills. I genuinely hope your product succeeds despite this; I still believe that competition is good! Really, best wishes. I'm just shocked that at this point you're not openly saying "sheesh, did we {censored} up or what?". That, sir, would generate at least a modicum of respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Space Peeps Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 i don't hate you CHEZZ. i actually wish you the best. i'm a firm believer in competition being healthy for the market and especially, the consumer. if you can truly bring an mpc killer to the market, this will force akai and any other groovebox manufacturers to step up their game and to improve their product. that would be a good thing. the marketing strategy that your company has adopted though is terrible. most people, like myself, have issue with the way this is being marketed. i mock any adult that uses that 'battle' attitude of 'i [censored] bigger than you' or otherwise known as 'my dad is bigger than your dad'. it's probably a good idea not to alienate potential customers. hiphop is but one genre of music that makes use of a hardware sampler / sequencer. you might want to lighten up on the rhetoric a little bit. you can attract more flies with honey than you can with vinegar, and with today's poor economic climate, it's even more important than ever. you're in the business to make money, so it just seems like a no brainer to me to appeal to as many potential customers as possible. you might want to re-evaluate the marketing strategy that you've chosen. i'm in the market for a hardware sampler / eequencer, but i don't think you'll make a customer out of me. i've been turned off by all of this nonsense. i still wish you the best though and i hope you find the success that you're looking for. that's my humble opinion, for whatever it's worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Audacity Works Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 ...compete with billion dollar institutions is enough to garner some respect. Indeed we have built a lot of respect, and we have built some hate along the way and that is to be expected. I tried to squash the conflict amongst the cultures but that is pointless here at this point. Simply watch for our Beat ThangZZZZZZZZZZZin a store near you this spring and play with it. You will be surprised.Your post was amicable until this. C'mon, man. Your product would be nothing if Akai hadn't done it first. Show some respect. Even if Beat Thang is everything you claim it to be, talking about how it's going to mop up the competition is in incredibly bad taste. Dave Smith and Roger Linn will more than likely trump everyone with their new LinnDrum II, but you're never gonna find them talking $#!t about their competitors. It's just not done. Personally, the name doesn't bother me. You know your market and you're going straight after them. Right on. But unnecessary ebonics and misspellings in press releases is incredibly annoying... And I produce hip hop for a living. Ebonics single-handedly killed Scratch magazine. Their otherwise excellent writers dumbed their content down to such an extent that anyone with any technical know-how whatsoever rolled their eyes and thought "next!" I'm not hating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khazul Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 And I produce hip hop for a living. Oops - knew there had to be one LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Audacity Works Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 Oops - knew there had to be one LOL Well, among many other things. I cut my teeth and learned a lot of stuff from top hip hop guys, who have now all moved to film scores, television, and other genres... because commercial hip hop is dead. That F#$%ING retarded 808 dirty south crap was the last nail in the coffin. And I love a lot of hip hop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cram1960 Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 pinched from FutureProducers: BEATKANGZ (BEATKANGZ is offline)9 posts, Registered UserAs for the marketing. We are who we are and make no apology for that..... We are going after Akai because they came to our studio, blew smoke up our a$$, got us to trust them and then tried to steal our idea with the xr 20. They Even jacked some our sounds so its very personal. They took food out of my son's mouth at a time we were really struggling just trying to make ends meat....... So now its war. It was either 187 or find a way to build a machine. They should be glad we found a way to do it where they could at least not have to die. This aint no game to us. A man who has just had his dream stolen and has no money to provide for his fam is a very dangerous serious person.Imagine having one of your best songs stolen by a major artist when you have a baby on the way....We are proud to be from the ghetto and give 2 $hits whats some petty haters got to say who never even touched the machine..... This journey was long and hard and required a great deal of sacrifice and struggle for our families. When the haterz figure out how to start and independent electronics company, come back from being robbed by 3 major corporations and make a beat machine from scratch that rivals an industry standard and inspire Roger to come back from the grave then they can hate all they want on the marketing. We are having fun and are gonna act a damn fool watch...... Get ready winter NAMM 2009 is gonna be nuts. We are bringing an army. This aint no gimmick it's war.... We live and die for this for real!!! We'll film the destruction of a dynasty for the world to see. We got plenty mo cheese and corn for all the haters to eat while we make history.........its gonna be so "loltastic"We are not trying to offend anyone (Except Akai) but we aint gonna pretend to be anything other than who we are. Hell yeah so "Mo Bang" ya damn right!! That was kind of a joke at the time but we are getting a kick out of shaking things up... hell we might name a button "fug akai" just to give people something else to chat about at 4am in the forums) There are plenty of machines and companies that use conventional language and conventional marketing. We aint them and this is a new Thang. Dont get it twisted this WILL be a pro machine.... just crazy namesSorry for the Rant but it's been a long time coming! (Emphasis added)why did he spell "haters" properly over there, and intentionally misspell it here? Trying to impress us with his street cred? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Delicious Lamprey Problem Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 ...are they threatening Akai employees with death? I smell litigation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 Being that they knew for sure that this board here was filled with Akai secret agents (it's in that ill-fated thread), I wonder how much of this could be attributed to old-fashioned paranoia.There was a reason I kept making drug-related jokes... this whole thing sounds like it's coming out of a mind (or minds) that seems a little bit odd. I'm not saying drugs are involved (though he did answer with "most of the world does drugs, so what"). But this is epic fail, indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unfed Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 do you have a big problem with drugs or what? the hip-hop world isn't exactly a bunch of crack smokers. do you mean marijuana? have you ever smoked pot? your comments make you seem very uneducated regarding the use of drugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 I don't think you understood my point at all, neither did you read all of my post.What I'm saying is, these guys sound paranoid ("Akai stole the bread from my baby's mouth, and all you guys in this forum are Akai representatives trying to sabotage me").As I said, I'm not saying drugs are involved, but that paranoia seems to exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members setAI Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 blah blah blah- people still hung up on the silly marketing- [which certainly got people's attention] what I want to know is: how much $$$? and should I wait to check this out before I buy an Sp-555? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unfed Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 uh, yeah, i read all that. they certainly seem paranoid, or at least making something out of what may not entirely be the case. but you keep mentioning drugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted January 19, 2009 Members Share Posted January 19, 2009 You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.