Monday Mullings: Need More Sources
File sharing and free downloads have evolved into a huge subculture in the world of music. I for one spend countless hours, seeking, sifting, and selecting tracks on Limewire…hoping for the perfect download that does not begin with a longwinded, narcissistic rant by either by DJ Kay Slay or DJ Drama…..and preferably ones that do not end with some fellow insisting that I “hit up Trackfiends.net” because it’s “got that fire” and I can “cop an exclusive sound kit”. I do it because I love music, and Limewire just happens to be the freest and easiest way to enjoy the music I love. But is it wrong? Morally? Is it really a moral issue? I’m starting to think so and I’m mulling over the question today, is it OK to download free music? Here’s how I break it down, but I’ll need some spirited comments to help form my decision.
Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free. It’s a true adage that applies to every situation in life , especially this one. Perfect example—D4L’s Shake that Laffy Taffy is literally, the most heavily downloaded song of all time. (by leaps and bounds)….but their album, which was shitty, sold like shit….and we haven’t heard from them since. So in this world of all to frequent one hit wonders, downloading comes in handy because paying any amount of money just to bump Laffy Taffy would be absurd. That song should be permanently assigned to track 1 on the mixed CD’s of 8th graders at a juke party in 2005. Thus, my guitar doesn’t gently weep for D4L. Though their record may have sold better had it not been for free downloading, they put out an inferior product that doesn’t deserve to be bought. So here, I feel good about my downloading practices.
On the other hand, there are artists like Eminem. I bring up Slim Shady because his blindingly hot new album the Relapse has inspired this blog. He is extremely talented, with a loyal fan base that buys whatever he puts out. But Eminem got money, knew it, and took it out his pocket and threw it when he attracted the casual rap fans with the Marshall Mathers and Slim Shady LPs. That’s where the real bucks are in any form of entertainment, and Limewire challenges that. The problem is, that in the world of Limewire, the casual fan downloads, he doesn’t buy. Albums have always been and will always be leaked, so people are going to get free music forever. But when a bootlegger hooks up a casual fan with that leak, the money train stops, the casual fan is perfectly fine with downloading each one of the songs he likes, and then moving on. And that, in essence, to me is in fact stealing. Why the difference between Eminem and D4L? Because stealing is relative, just like everything. You steal a French fry off my plate, I let it slide. If you steal my car, we’re going to fight about it. Musically, D4L is a French fry, and Eminem is a beastly Mercedes. So I’m not alright, morally, with taking money out of Eminem’s pocket but then enjoying his music all the same. Regardless of how successful he is or how much money he already has. That’s his livelihood; the fruits of his labor, so exploiting that seems a little wrong.
Hence my frustration BUSE-nation. Determining how I feel may not change my behavior, because money is tight and I’m not too excited about paying 1 buck a song for the ITunes model. I have 1,000 songs on my iPod, but please believe I wouldn’t even own one if I knew filling it would cost $1,000. A few things to keep in mind, Limewire is not illegal, it’s just a loop hole. They make money when people upgrade to Limewire Pro, which gives you a license to file share, but that license costs $25 and the program cost $21. But as long as you keep clicking “no” when you’re asked to upgrade to the Pro service, you have an unlimited trial membership and you can use the service for free…forever. So who are you cheating, the system or the artists? And is it wrong either way?
3 comments:
I have always since the days of Napster been an avid downloader of music. While I do buy CDs for artists I thoroughly enjoy - Kanye, Jay-Z, Red Hot, Killers etc... - the vast majority of my enormous CD collection is burned either from friends or "illegal" downloads. Here is my take on the situation:
Ever since the internet really picked up speed, the music business has been in disarray. The problem is two-fold - 1) how do artists get properly compensated for their work when it is downloaded for free and 2) how should / can the music industry respond to site like myspace that allows complete unknowns to compete with megastars. With the internet allowing easy access to connect people to one another, unknown artists can stream their music to try and get recognition. Its the same concept as artisits giving away singles in the old day...except now its digital.
Struggling artists have no problem giving away their music - they want recognition. Megastars like Metallica have a huge problem - they arent getting paid. I find a huge disconnect in this - for people like Metallica, as much as they might deny it, it is a money issue. Even though today, artists barely make any money from albums - they make money touring - they still want people to pay. Im not saying this is inherently wrong, but in this technological age, where information and art flow from person to person, there is simply no way to stop downloading. They have to accept it. Be flattered that people are still even listening to your shitty music, Lars Ulrich. Yeah you made some good albums back in the day but i have not been impressed with your latest efforts.
I think music is much bigger than just recording an album. Yeah I have tremendous appreciation for great efforts that have been recorded in a studio - i.e. Beatles Abbey Road, every Radiohead album, Kanye's 808s (yes Jason...from a production work standpoint, the album is great)...but I will take a live performance any day. Music isnt about making money, its about making music.
Maybe im naive, but i think that artists should be glad that people would pay anything for their albums. Take the case of Radiohead's In Rainbows released last year. They allowed people to buy it from their website at whatever price they thought it was worth - it turned out to be their highest selling album and shocked the music industry. Take the Eagles last album - they offered it exclusively through Wal Mart at a severe discount to current prices and...massive success. The old model of the music industry is defunct...move on artists.
So basically, I think downloading is wonderful. If you really want to support an artist, sure buy their cd, Ive already listened to relapse 40 times - im still gonna go to borders before work and pick it up tomorrow morning. I listened to paper trail, carter III, 808s...all before they came out - still bought those albums. But, i also went to see Kanye and Lil Wayne in concert. Ive already bought my ticket for lollapalooza. If you really want to support an artist, go see them in concert, spread the word about how hot their music is and most importantly...download the shit out of them.
I forgot to include this....in my opinion, if you want to see what music is all about watch this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM
this was a project that took 10 years in the making, recorded all over the world with just a microphone and a computer. uniting people all over the world. great song too. theyve got a whole cd...i bought it. every song is powerfully moving and awesome.
It's piracy, making it a crime. A crime I commit without thinking twice about it. Just like I speed, drank before I was 21 and took money from my parents. Technology and the internet have been amazing tools, improving many ways people do business. However they have also nearly critically wounded traditional media outlets along with taking money from many artists.
Music is an industry, not just some form of self expression or entertainment. If you're going to hate on Metallica for taking down Napster then where is your outrage when during any sportscast there is a stopage and proclaimation that all airing rights are reserved for the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL etc. Under the precedent set by okaying music piracy any hacker ought to be able to hack into a telecast and freely stream that feed anywhere and to anyone.
I am not crusading against downloading music for free, hell I do it. But to those who also do it, acknowledge it's wrong and that you are taking money from people's pockets. Or else give me a quarter everytime I see you, since apparently that doesn't add up.
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