Comments on: Why Aren’t You Paying for Music?

By: Cherelle Lewis@facebook

Cherelle Lewis@facebook — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 03:26:46 +0000

I feel like this post is blaming the little people. If someone is keeping wealth from artist it’s more likely to be the people at the top. In my experience if an artist is new I usually have to buy their music or they give it away online for free. Most music that’s illegally downloaded comes from the well off artists. I can never find music from obscure bands and I just end up buying their music. But i refuse to do the same for artist like beyonce that do just fine without my purchase.

By: steponitvelma

steponitvelma — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 17:33:11 +0000

@AnnieNilsson Thank you! This is what I was obliquely trying to get at above.

By: Boribon

Boribon — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:53:42 +0000

@John C. Calhoun@twitter As far as ethical claims go, I’m with you entirely, since the “pity the poor artists” argument is too sentimental to hold sway.

What I am saying, however, is that free downloading is not a free lunch; someone IS getting money–and a lot of it–but it’s the people doing the packaging: hardware, access fees, subscription fees, etc. I would rather give that money to people, like you, who make the music. That’s why I believe the “it’s there, it’s free” claim is just too easy to volley around. This may sound sentimental too, perhaps, but to me, this is a clear “tragedy of the commons” case (which you’re probably familiar with already http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons)

What irks me to no end is the belief–and I don’t believe you really subscribe to it–that one might say “oh well, downloads are free, good for me,” and then proceed to pay and pay once again computer manufactures whose products become obsolete in 2 years, pay, every month, internet subscription plans (1000+ dollars a year in many cases). (AND then there’s willingness to pay dearly for frivolous things like cable TV all the while uttering pieties about the death of print.)

That’s why I don’t ultimately believe that spending money on Apple products vs. spending money on music/local art scene whatever, is a “false choice.” Since 2000 I’ve gone through five laptops (2 of them Apple) and 2 iPods, 1 apple adapter, 3 Apple batteries. That 10.000 dollars (yes, $10.000, since European sales tax is 25%), could have done a lot of good to other companies than Apple, Dell, IBM. Some people change their hardware far more often than I do. Do I think that people who buy new hardware 2-3 times a year pay for their music/news? No, I do not.

By: stuffisthings

stuffisthings — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 15:51:10 +0000

@ranran Yeah the whole “They’re working, you’re STEEEEALING” debate really fails to acknowledge such things as: the radio, club play (for certain kinds of music anyway), used album sales, friends sharing albums, the role of live music, composers vs. songwriters vs. performers, libraries, and why so many musicians give out their music for free (at least on a limited basis). Also, mixtapes.

To say that the argument “you, music consumer, have a moral obligation to the artist to make sure they are being paid before listening to their music” oversimplifies things is, I think, an understatement.

Now, I’m off the art gallery, where I will PayPal $0.15 to each of the artists after I look at their paintings. Then I’m going to mail checks to Jonathan Franzen, now that I’ve finished reading my borrowed copy of Freedom, and the Patty Hill estate, for my share of the public performance of “Happy Birthday to You” I participated in on Saturday.

By: John C. Calhoun@twitter

John C. Calhoun@twitter — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 15:08:45 +0000

@Boribon It’s a false choice to say that when one spends money on an Apple product, they could have spent that on music. (FWIW, I, personally, subscribe to “crap technology” principles, but that’s neither here nor there.) My point is that what is “right” now isn’t necessarily what was “right” thirty years ago. Thirty years ago, asking someone to abide by copyright law meant asking them to not expend tremendous effort to copy and distribute these media. Now? Every middle class home has a $200-$700 computer and access to free storage on Google Play, or enough storage on the out-of-the-box hard drive. You’re effectively asking them to abide by the honor code because there are virtually no obstacles to illegally downloading music. So, my point is that when it’s unfeasible to enforce a copyright law, even one with good intentions, creators can’t fight that tide. Adapt. Newspapers are dying — but looking at it on a long enough timeline, we can see that business model was but a short detour in the history of the written word. Selling recorded music is a dying business, although much slower. The business model is screwed because the tide of technology moved too fast. Beethoven didn’t have to record his music to make a living as a composer and musician, but it was a completely different economy, then. Musicians have to figure out something else, now. Turn free distribution and free downloading into a positive. I don’t know how, otherwise I’d be doing it, but someone will figure it out.

By: Lily Rowan

Lily Rowan — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 14:24:17 +0000

@MuffyStJohn My old-lady response: Assuming you have the money for hardware, you can hear all kinds of music for free, on the radio, on Pandora, whatever. Singing by yourself or stealing are not your only two options.

…which I now see Boribon basically said as well. Good one!

By: backstagebethy

backstagebethy — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:23:03 +0000

@Amanda@twitter Good point!

By: anachronistique

anachronistique — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:12:02 +0000

@ranran I’ve been getting free downloads of albums with the purchase of concert tickets. Which is awesome, but – I would buy them anyway! I would be happy to give Fiona Apple and Regina Spektor MORE of my money!

By: bibliostitute

bibliostitute — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 08:53:31 +0000

@AnnieNilsson Exactly! I’m going to add to this only the hippy notion that actually my heart also hurts at the contortions people go through to justify this.

Also, at least go to the fucking library, and have them buy the disc for you. Sure, it doesn’t rack up to a lot of money for the artist, but damn.

By: brilliantmistake

brilliantmistake — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 03:48:32 +0000

@ranran: That link really is amazing.