"Ethics" of Downloading Music?

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CDMills

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I'm writing a paper about downloading music, and why I (we) do it, and why it can't be stopped, and why it is good for musicians. I'd like to get some opinions from you guys to help round out the article. Any comments relating to downloading music, the riaa, etc is appreciated. Thank you.
 
For me, music is not about money, it's about sharing the love, so I don't think that anyone should ever want money for their music.

At the same time, I'm not so naive, and I understand we live in a capitalist society, and people need to pay the bills, etc... and furthermore, I am prepared to pay for music that I like because I know how much of their heart and soul a good musician pours into it, so much so, that I don't really 'have the music' until I have the sleevenotes, and a colorful cover, etc...

My music collection is quite large, I have countless CDs and records, so I don't feel in the least bit guilty when I resort to downloading to find the kind of music I can't find in any stores, especially live music.

I think most genuine music fans are happy to pay for their music, but I think the music industry should wake the fuck up and realise a few things:

1) Mass-marketed pop music is not 'music', and nobody should have to pay for it. There is no heart in pop music, it's merely a commodity, and they deserve to choke and fucking die for forcing it upon us. Personally, I don't listen to it, or download it, or even know about it for the most part, so it doesn't affect me in the slightest, but it really, really pisses me off that Metallica, or some fucken brainless American pop group can get all narky about people downloading their music when they can't even write anything worthwhile. Metallica were all good before they discovered the money, and now they suck satans cock.

2) Technology is only going to get more advanced, it's mp3's and the Internet today, who the hell knows what it could be tomorrow. You either adapt, or get run over by the machine, there's no point bitching and moaning about how people are abusing the technology, it's their's to abuse, and it's not like the music industry has the moral high ground or anything.

3) The Internet is an amazing tool for exposing great music to an international market. Use it, or stay home. If your music is really fantastic, people will find it, and eventually, you will be able to do great things with it. If your music is merely average, or worse, crap, suck a dick and make it better, and don't you dare fucken winge if someone steals it, cause they'll have forgotten about it by next week and you wouldn't have sold it anyway.
 
because paying $20 for a cd is like paying $20 for a sunset.

imo

and real musicians would rather their music be spread throughout the world anyway it can be spread. real music is about the music and not the $$$, granted artists need to survive, but thats what tours and merchandise is for. a real artists name speaks for itself.
 
here's my thoughts:

1) download my music if you want - the only thing that vaguely concerns me is someone ripping it to send to a label. that's fucking shitty, and it has happened in the past.

2) i choose to purchase all albums / tracks. i have downloaded in the past but fuck - people in the psy scene aren't making much money. i'm not talking metallica acting like fucking bitches, i'm talking people who are probably not seeing more than a coupla grand MAX for their years of work on one album.

with that in mind, if the $20 i spend goes to buying some new equipment for the artist, or allows them to work full-time on music, then i'm totally happy to be doing it.

of course it helps to get paid regularly for DJing :D and it helps even more to get given money to buy tunes with... but that's rare ;)
 
because paying $20 for a cd is like paying $20 for a sunset
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That's it. Do you realize how big money is 20$ ? There are so many different musics to discover, then 20$ means that people with little income wouldn't have the right/opportunity to discover it (they would have to keep on buying bad commercial stuff they heard on tv as they don't have money enough to experiement with new styles they don't even know about taking the risk to waste their money buying something they dislike)...if a cd would cost 3-5$ that would be ok, but record/producer companies have no respect for this art or for the people who love it, they want the big money, it's them and not us which are killing their own bisiness.
Luckly there is internet, and that's a very good thing.
Fuck businessmen ! Music is free !
 
I'd say one should pay for the music if one actually had money for it. But i don't so downloading is the only option.
I think i support the artists more by downloading their music than i would by not listening to their stuff at all
 
Here's my way of doing things. If I download something and find myself listening to it more than a few times, I'll go out and buy it. Beyond the fact that artists need income to continue to create music, I think if they're making music that I really like, they deserve some money from me.

I don't think there's anything ethically wrong with downloading per se, but I think if you only download music and never pay for it, that's a problem.
 
if i had to pay for my collection, id prolly be in the 6 figure range.

but like ive said in other posts on this topic, i do have at least 4-500 actual purchased cds, that was before i discovered high speed internet.
 
I have a brother who is a professional musician, so I am a little passionate about this issue.

1. For the people who say musicians should just be happy to "spread their music around the world." Do you feel this way about other artists? Should films be free? Should paintings or pictures be free? These are forms of art, correct? Where would you draw the line?

2. It's really not the established artists getting screwed. There are thousands of people behind the scenes who have lost their jobs due to the p2p downloading craze. Also, smaller bands now don't have the chance of getting signed because the industry is in shambles due to the downloading.

3. I realize it is not a perfect system, and that CDs will be obsolete in a few years anyways. But I don't see how anyone could say that this is not an ethical problem. Granted, CDs ARE overpriced. But, stealing is stealing.
 
^you have a point, but i'm a broke-as-a-joke college student... who just happens to have an obsession with music. i wouldnt be able to buy the CD right now as it is, regardless of how much i loved the band, so downloading and listening and spreading the word of a new band i loooove is better than nothing... and i honestly think any self-respecting band on the rise would agree.
 
1. For the people who say musicians should just be happy to "spread their music around the world." Do you feel this way about other artists? Should films be free? Should paintings or pictures be free? These are forms of art, correct? Where would you draw the line?
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Films as well. If you look at the film market, it's the same thing. Most of it is garbage, and the small amount that is worth seeing, is worth paying for. But I definitely don't feel bad about 'stealing' a movie from a Hollywood major. They are not in it for the art, they're in it for the buck, and 90% of what they release is pants. I figure they owe us... ;)

I work for a video store though, and I buy a lot of DVDs so I'm not really that big a culprit... and the rest of my money goes on music!

I still think that if your art is good, really good, people will pay.
 
faithfully dangerous said:
^you have a point, but i'm a broke-as-a-joke college student... who just happens to have an obsession with music. i wouldnt be able to buy the CD right now as it is, regardless of how much i loved the band, so downloading and listening and spreading the word of a new band i loooove is better than nothing... and i honestly think any self-respecting band on the rise would agree.
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^ Believe me, I understand your plight. The music industry really is in a state of disarray right now, because no one has been progressive enough to merge the technology with the business side of it (well, maybe save Apple).
I don't think downloading is an *overtly* egregious moral offense. There is no doubt about it that CDs are overpriced (although you can find pretty sweet deals sometimes) and often times, as you said, downloading can help promote the individual artist. However, what annoys me is when people say they are "entitled" to the artist's music. People forget the blood, sweat, tears and MONEY that go into recording an album.
This will hopefully all work itself out over the next couple of years. CDs will be obsolete, and we will be able tu purchase music directly off the Internet (well, we can do that now, I suppose) Hopefully, a middle ground will be reached where artists can rightfully earn what is theirs, and the consumer won't have to shell out 15-20 bucks for a CD.
 
Music is art its an expression its meant to be explored and listend to by many not priced and controlled.
 
THE WOOD said:
real music is about the music and not the $$$, granted artists need to survive, but thats what tours and merchandise is for. a real artists name speaks for itself.
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funny you should say that, because a musician's music IS in part his/her merchandise.

not that i'm against DL'ing music, but your statement kind of contradicts itself.
 
QUESTION:

how did all we impoverished people listen to music BEFORE the internet? i guess we all lived in silence...
 
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