Thief. Definition:
the act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another
the act of taking something that belongs to someone else and keeping it
Reading between the lines, this is for physical items and, AFAIK, mp3 is a digital file, non-tangible. So, you still have your music well and safe within your computer and your SEB copy Avex sent you, safe within your collection. Nobody stole anything. But I see you coming with a counter-argument already. They are COPIES. If it weren't for those COPIES available online, I WOULD NOT be here today listening to Eurobeat. Or buying SEB comps.
Stealing your job? Please... Nobody stole your studio, equipment or money. Regardless of the number of CDs sold in Japan, your salary will remain about the same because the percentage of money you get from a CD is so small that you better say you don't have anything from it. "Oh then Avex will reduce our pay". I don't think piracy would have mattered: your salary is still at the mercy of Avex.
With all due respect Roberto, Anthony is right. Today, producers just sit there and wait for the cash to come in. AFAIK, italian labels
barely advertise their work. Then, once it's out, they expect everybody to import a CD from Japan that cost ~40$CAD (Yes, that's what it cost me to actually import the CD - our dollar is MUCH weaker than the Euro). And then, you cry that nobody buys it. I don't think you have to search very far where's the issue. And this same issue is why piracy is SO prominent. And, no, the "issue" is not piracy.
You want me to tell it out loud? OK.
ZERO Marketing. Physical content is REGION LOCKED and importing is REQUIRED. UNAVAILABLE for streaming outside of Japan. Digital distribution LOCKED to Japan. Product AIMED at JAPANESE and for Japanese ONLY.
And then you STILL wonder why the fuck it only sells 500-700 copies every 2 months? Why you don't have a cent in your pocket? You still live in the 80's and that's the issue. Sitting on your laurels thinking that your fans will do the marketing job and expect of them to import a CD that they might not wish to get.
Avex = Dropped the ball pretty fucking hard through the years, only post the teaser a few days in advance and AIMED at Japanese. Cherry (pun not intended) on sundae, they don't allow comments on their videos. That just show that they don't wanna hear you shit on 'em coz they can't take opinions for shit. ON TOP OF EVERYTHING, they hold the italian labels with a leash around their neck.
Sunfire = ZERO marketing
Delta = ZERO marketing
Asia/3B/Speed Records = ZERO marketing
SCP = RARE marketing, but only for their EuroKudos series.
Go Go's Music = ZERO marketing
SinclaireStyle = Decent marketing. The only ones...
Hi-NRG Attack = RARE marketing... Malviccino only mention their new Hi-NRG tracks only when a new release is coming. Barely post their own release.
Dima = Use to market their own release but once Sjoeerd quit, there's ZERO marketing.
And then, you don't even release your own material to digital outlet or to streaming services. SCP only do it after a while, SinclaireStyle used to do it... but not anymore. Dima released older and some unreleased stuff but then stopped. Asia is usually releasing their song once they are done but suddenly stopped recently. Go Go's Music and Sunfire... nothing at all. Hi-NRG Attack, they only release stuff Avex rejected. However, their older material is pretty available though.
De Jorrio's recent gigs in Japan are the only recent gigs related to euro...
The price for the CDs, even though it used to be much worse before SEB 187, is still pretty damn expensive. If only SEB was sold at doujin prices ie. ~1590yen, it would help it.
And then, with all that, you wonder why it doesn't sell, that piracy is rampant and you don't have money. If you are still clueless after this post, I feel sorry for you.