Thursday, June 09, 2005
The Politics of Downloading, pt.1
I download music. Much of it (most of it) is legal, like promo mp3s from artist sites and occasionally the free iTunes songs with winning Pepsi bottle caps. The only mp3s I have paid for were the Data Panik (formerly bis) songs that were released on a limited 7" that would have cost a fortune to ship from Scotland.
Illegal mp3s, well, I download those too, but they have to lie in a politically grey area. My criteria for downloading these are as follows:
In the first case, if the album sees a reissue, I'll most likely purchase it. I would like to support these bands, but the unavailability of their work prevents me from doing so. #2 is no different from taping your records to play in the car, so I see nothing wrong with that. #3 is a case of the artist getting their just desserts. I'll support you up to a certain point, but I won't let you take advantage of me. #4 I have the most trouble with ethically, as my downloading the bonus songs prevents the domestic label from getting a return on their investment. But then, If I didn't buy the import in the first place, would they even be able to justify releasing the album here? I'm the reason they saw a market for the album to begin with. #5 is no different from making a backup, only a retroactive one. Seems perfectly legit to me.
On the other hand, if the RIAA were really so uptight about artists not getting paid for every person who hears a given release, wouldn't they try to fight the sale of used CDs? The only people making money on those are the sellers, not the artists, and every store (even the large chains and online retailers) sells them. I'm sure used purchases cut into sales of new releases just as much as mp3s do...
Illegal mp3s, well, I download those too, but they have to lie in a politically grey area. My criteria for downloading these are as follows:
- The release is out of print domestically, or otherwise impossible to find. The Pop Group's "Y" and Killer Pussy's "Bikini Wax" are examples of this.
- I already own the release on vinyl, and don't want to go through the tedium of recording it onto my hard drive.
- The release has different songs on each format. Say I buy Alcachofa on vinyl, I'm not about to buy it again on CD for one or two different songs.
- I bought the album as an expensive import, and it gets re-released domestically with extra songs that I don't feel are worth $13 by themselves.
- My hard copy of the release gets damaged. Downloading is like backing up your files in this sense.
In the first case, if the album sees a reissue, I'll most likely purchase it. I would like to support these bands, but the unavailability of their work prevents me from doing so. #2 is no different from taping your records to play in the car, so I see nothing wrong with that. #3 is a case of the artist getting their just desserts. I'll support you up to a certain point, but I won't let you take advantage of me. #4 I have the most trouble with ethically, as my downloading the bonus songs prevents the domestic label from getting a return on their investment. But then, If I didn't buy the import in the first place, would they even be able to justify releasing the album here? I'm the reason they saw a market for the album to begin with. #5 is no different from making a backup, only a retroactive one. Seems perfectly legit to me.
On the other hand, if the RIAA were really so uptight about artists not getting paid for every person who hears a given release, wouldn't they try to fight the sale of used CDs? The only people making money on those are the sellers, not the artists, and every store (even the large chains and online retailers) sells them. I'm sure used purchases cut into sales of new releases just as much as mp3s do...
Comments:
<< Home
Re: Used CDs
If you ever go to a record store with a good trade-in counter, you might notice a good amount of people trading in multiple copies of the same album that are still in shrink wrap and have either just hit the street or are about to hit the street. Ever wonder how those people end up with so many extra copies of the same album? I don't think I need to explain the irony of the music industry there.
Your points on downloading pretty much hit the mark. We definitely need the resource just to find music that is impossible to find otherwise. Backup copies (or downloading a song to hold you over until you find the actual album) are also a definite benefit to downloading. Oftentimes, I'll download something because I don't want to spend money on an album if I haven't heard it. There are still a lot of record stores without listening stations and I want to know if an album is worth the purchase. Do you wonder how many people actually do end up purchasing copies of tracks they download? I think that depends more on the quality of the product than anything else.
If you ever go to a record store with a good trade-in counter, you might notice a good amount of people trading in multiple copies of the same album that are still in shrink wrap and have either just hit the street or are about to hit the street. Ever wonder how those people end up with so many extra copies of the same album? I don't think I need to explain the irony of the music industry there.
Your points on downloading pretty much hit the mark. We definitely need the resource just to find music that is impossible to find otherwise. Backup copies (or downloading a song to hold you over until you find the actual album) are also a definite benefit to downloading. Oftentimes, I'll download something because I don't want to spend money on an album if I haven't heard it. There are still a lot of record stores without listening stations and I want to know if an album is worth the purchase. Do you wonder how many people actually do end up purchasing copies of tracks they download? I think that depends more on the quality of the product than anything else.
I think the record industry DID fight used CD sales when they first got started.
To which I say, fuck 'em. If they want to hold on desperately to an outdated business model, fine. I have utterly no squeamishness about downloading.. but if I want to support my favorite bands, I'll go to the concert or buy a t-shirt-- they make far more money from a tour than they get from their label. :P
Post a Comment
To which I say, fuck 'em. If they want to hold on desperately to an outdated business model, fine. I have utterly no squeamishness about downloading.. but if I want to support my favorite bands, I'll go to the concert or buy a t-shirt-- they make far more money from a tour than they get from their label. :P
<< Home
Archives
2005-04-24 2005-05-01 2005-05-08 2005-05-15 2005-05-22 2005-05-29 2005-06-05 2005-06-12 2005-06-19 2005-06-26 2005-07-03 2005-07-10 2005-07-17 2005-07-24 2005-07-31 2005-08-07 2005-08-14 2005-08-21 2005-08-28 2005-09-04 2005-09-11 2005-09-18 2005-09-25 2005-10-02 2005-10-09 2005-10-16 2005-10-23 2005-10-30 2005-11-06 2005-11-13 2005-11-20 2005-11-27 2005-12-04 2005-12-11 2005-12-18 2005-12-25 2006-01-01 2006-01-08
