RS: Is there anything else you want to say to anyone out there?
Ellis: Buy music from the artists that you like. All of these things you see in the paper have made great headlines with twelve-year-olds and grandmothers being sued, but the fundamental fact that people don't understand is A. it's stealing and B. this concept that it doesn't hurt anybody and part of the problem is that we've known for years that artists don't make as much money as you think and record labels do underhanded things. Not all of them, but the concept of it works that way, but what people don't understand is the record companies are the people that pay the songwriters, singers, producers, musicians and the engineers. If we can't get paid to do what it is that we do, we're going to stop doing it, and that that's really the angle. If we adapted a save the music concept the same way that they've done for music in schools, for example if Sheryl Crow said "Hi, I'm Sheryl Crow and people like what I do, but if I can't make a living I'm going to stop doing it, so there'll be no more Sheryl Crow albums." I think that would put it in perspective for people. I think that part of the problem also is that in our culture is this kind of celebrityism that is constantly put in people's faces where Britney buys this and Jennifer buys that. There's this concept that they have so much money and that it's all fun and games, and some people really do have a lot of money and a lot of it is fun and games. But all of those people work really hard, it's a non-stop thing, and they're going to stop doing it if they can't make a living. That's the bottom line, and so I think that's what people need to understand, if you like somebody, if you like what they do and you want more of that, you've got to buy it, or they're just going to stop putting those things out, like anything else.
RS: You also said that if a dance album comes out, you need to go and buy it even if it's not your genre, go buy it for someone else?
Ellis: Yes. If you're really into dance or electronic music ot whatever way you want to call that, whether it's two-step or trip-hop or acid jazz or whatever the new name for any of these things are, progressive, tribal, whatever, buy those albums. Because like anything else, people in this country need to realize it's like being a minority, and when a woman's film comes out everybody goes to see that because they want people at movie houses to know we want more of this. If it's not right for you, you have to know somebody that it is right for, and if you don't you should probably expand your friend base. But you know, the important thing is to buy that music, buy it as a gift for somebody else or at the very least tell somebody that you think they might like it, you should really pick this up. I mean that's how we spread our stories and make dance music stronger.
