Comments on: Oops, Did I Just Say That?

By: anonymous

anonymous — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:51:37 +0000

I can’t remember the last music CD I purchased…. from Pure NRG, to Casting Crowns, From Kieth Urban to Diamond Rio.

Heck I have even recorded streaming music from ShoutCast.

By: Aaron Guilmette

Aaron Guilmette — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:21:25 +0000

I’ve downloaded an incredible amount of music, most of which I’ve never even listened to more than once. I still primarily purchase CDs so I can do what I want with my music without Apple or anyone else telling me what devices I can play it on.

It’s a mixed issue for me. The label collects all the money–barely anything makes it to the artist. Out of a $0.99 track at iTunes, most artists see less than a dime. They get most of their income from live shows (which is why bands tour so much), memorabilia, and sponsorships. So, I support artists like RadioHead who release their albums directly to the public; I’m happy to pay $10 for something where I know the producer of the product gets compensated.

And, back to the age-old dilemma, how is swapping MP3s around any different than the old radio/cassette combo? The medium is different, but the end result is the same.

Maybe to allay any guilt, I’ll just put a mic up to my speakers when I log into my Pandora premium account.

By: Mark Gillim

Mark Gillim — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:28:02 +0000

I’ve started streaming the music from pandora.com and grooveshark.com, the music is always on tap with connectivity.

By: Matter of Fact

Matter of Fact — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:26:18 +0000

I’ve downloaded tons of music and it exposes me to artists I would have never bothered to check out. It’s stuff I would never have purchased. You could argue that since it’s stuff I would not have purchased, they’re not LOSING money on me, but they are gaining a fan who is more likely to want to see them the next time they tour or purchase a CD so I can get the whole package: CD, inserts, photos, etc that don’t come with illegal downloads.

btw, I don’t like the bagel analogy because with music, you’re taking a digital copy. If you could swipe a digital copy of a bagel and leave the original bagel there, all you’d have is a copy – and in inferior one to boot. Yes, it may feed your tummy, but if you’re just taking a copy and you wouldn’t have taken the original bagel, what have you actually done? But if the inferior copy of the bagel gets you interested in the baker, you might go back and buy the actual bagel and see if the baker makes good pastries, cakes, donuts or strudel. Then you’ve become a fan of the baker (not only the bagel) and you’re interested to see what other creative stuff the baker will come up with. You’re now in their community and you’re interested. If you hadn’t swiped that first digital bagel that might have never happened.

So the baker gained another follower/fan, even though he lost a copy of a bagel at the outset.

I agree it doesn’t happen like that all the time…but it’s how it works with me.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 13:10:36 +0000

I’m in the UK, but I am American. And a country music fan, and there is no where here to get exposure to new country music. You could even say that US copywrite laws lead me to *have* to download. MTV.com, CMT.com, and many other US sites block their videos from being shown outside the US. These are the places people would go to find out about new music and new artists. But by banning me from being able to sample before I buy, they are forcing me to take whatever steps I need.

I do not see myself as a criminal. They are not losing money on me. I do not sell the music I download for a profit. Probably a quarter to half of what I download I don’t care for, and never listen to again.

In the long run, because I would not be purchasing the music myself if that was the only option, they really are making money on me, because I go to concerts. If I did not have the music, did not listen to the artist, I wouldn’t buy tickets to the shows.

This is just my opinion, of course.

By: Brad Ruggles

Brad Ruggles — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:45:22 +0000

Interesting perspective from someone outside the US. What country do you live in?

By: Jenny

Jenny — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:35:16 +0000

It depends on what country you are in as well, as to whether or not it is illegal to download.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/09/p2p-downloading-is-it-legal.ars

This makes it pretty clear about the US, but other countries seem to focus on the uploading.

I download music all the time (I’m not in the US, for the record). Radio here sucks, and so when I see something that sounds good on a P2P site, I try it out. I have then gone and purchased some of the CDs, but I’m not going to buy a CD I don’t know I like. That’s a waste of money. So really, if I didn’t download, they wouldn’t be making money off of me anyway, because I just wouldn’t buy another CD ever.

By: Brad Ruggles

Brad Ruggles — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:31:10 +0000

Rachel – Great analogy with stealing the bagels. Sounds pretty bad when you put it that way. I suppose this topic hits a little closer to home for you since you work at a record label.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:13:23 +0000

Wow.I was literally just talking about this… I work for a record label… so downloading music illegally literally means I may not get paid.

It’s like walking into a bakery and stealing a dozen bagels. How many people would do that? It’s no different when you illegally download music…

Anyway, that’s my soapbox…

By: Brad Ruggles

Brad Ruggles — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:59:49 +0000

Evan – Illegally sharing worship songs??? That’s like a double sin!