Since the turn of the century, the issue of music sharing via internet has spawned much debate. Over the past eight years, countless lawsuits have been filed by the record industry for the distribution of music without pay, with charges ranging from $750 to $150,000 per song. The majority of court cases are aimed at those who upload albums for distribution rather than those who download them, though there has been much debate over the legal and ethical implications of both (Brooks, 2003).
By far the most famous court case was filed by metal masters Metallica against peer-to-peer file-sharing originator Napster in the year 2000. With their most recent record, however, they seem to have made amends with the downloading trend, with drummer Lars Ulrich recently stating on air “If this thing leaks all over the world today or tomorrow, happy days. It's 2008 and it's part of how it is these days” (PunkNews). According to a 2003 article in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, as many as 60 million Americans regularly download music for free, and that number has increased dramatically over the past five years. More than half of those downloading music are teenagers who do not see the act as being wrong, as they were taught from an early age that sharing was a good thing (Brooks, 2003).
Ironically, it has typically been the more famous artists and record labels who have the biggest problems with free music sharing, while struggling artists and labels are happy just to get their music out there, as downloads often lead to actual record sales, merchandise sales, and more concert tickets sold. Personally, I find it frustrating that the only people you hear complaining about losing money are the ones who already have more than they know what to do with. Artists typically earn mere cents for each record sold, and as I see it, Britney Spears losing a quarter for that unsold record at the local Wal-Mart is far less of a hardship than the teenager who shelled out $18 from their minimum wage job to find out that the disc only contained one good song.
In a previous course, one of the topics discussed was the issue of copyright infringement and the ethics of music downloading. I admitted that I do occasionally download songs, but only for the purpose of sampling. If I like what I hear, I will surely buy the band’s records, as I enjoy having the complete concrete package of lyrics and artwork in addition to the songs. I am an avid music supporter, owning somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 CD’s and 200 concert t-shirts. I have attended literally hundreds of concerts and volunteered innumerable hours of my time to help book and promote bands. I’ve had my name listed in the thank-you notes of one nationally-known and many local bands’ CD’s for my endless devotion, and have even purchased albums after the band themselves gave me an advanced promo copy for free. And despite all of this, I had a previous classmate openly call me a thief, proclaiming that my actions of downloading the occasional song for personal enjoyment were unforgivable. I found it ironic, considering the vast majority of the artists themselves couldn’t care less if I “stole” a song or two, or even a full album.
As I see it, burning a CD in this day and age is really no different than recording a cassette for your friend in the eighties, and no one ever considered that a crime. Music is an art and a passion that’s meant to be shared with as many people as possible. In the end, true music fans will continue to support bands worth supporting, and if the careers of the generic one-hit-wonders crumble in the process, then good riddance to them. I will gladly give my last dollar to a struggling touring band to make sure they have food on their plates and gas money to get to the next show, but should I really feel guilty if P. Diddy can’t afford another layer of Gucci wallpaper for one of his 19 bedrooms? Are music downloading ethics really a black and white issue, or is there a gray area? For the time being, it seems that the answer remains in the eye of the beholder.
By far the most famous court case was filed by metal masters Metallica against peer-to-peer file-sharing originator Napster in the year 2000. With their most recent record, however, they seem to have made amends with the downloading trend, with drummer Lars Ulrich recently stating on air “If this thing leaks all over the world today or tomorrow, happy days. It's 2008 and it's part of how it is these days” (PunkNews). According to a 2003 article in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, as many as 60 million Americans regularly download music for free, and that number has increased dramatically over the past five years. More than half of those downloading music are teenagers who do not see the act as being wrong, as they were taught from an early age that sharing was a good thing (Brooks, 2003).
Ironically, it has typically been the more famous artists and record labels who have the biggest problems with free music sharing, while struggling artists and labels are happy just to get their music out there, as downloads often lead to actual record sales, merchandise sales, and more concert tickets sold. Personally, I find it frustrating that the only people you hear complaining about losing money are the ones who already have more than they know what to do with. Artists typically earn mere cents for each record sold, and as I see it, Britney Spears losing a quarter for that unsold record at the local Wal-Mart is far less of a hardship than the teenager who shelled out $18 from their minimum wage job to find out that the disc only contained one good song.
In a previous course, one of the topics discussed was the issue of copyright infringement and the ethics of music downloading. I admitted that I do occasionally download songs, but only for the purpose of sampling. If I like what I hear, I will surely buy the band’s records, as I enjoy having the complete concrete package of lyrics and artwork in addition to the songs. I am an avid music supporter, owning somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 CD’s and 200 concert t-shirts. I have attended literally hundreds of concerts and volunteered innumerable hours of my time to help book and promote bands. I’ve had my name listed in the thank-you notes of one nationally-known and many local bands’ CD’s for my endless devotion, and have even purchased albums after the band themselves gave me an advanced promo copy for free. And despite all of this, I had a previous classmate openly call me a thief, proclaiming that my actions of downloading the occasional song for personal enjoyment were unforgivable. I found it ironic, considering the vast majority of the artists themselves couldn’t care less if I “stole” a song or two, or even a full album.
As I see it, burning a CD in this day and age is really no different than recording a cassette for your friend in the eighties, and no one ever considered that a crime. Music is an art and a passion that’s meant to be shared with as many people as possible. In the end, true music fans will continue to support bands worth supporting, and if the careers of the generic one-hit-wonders crumble in the process, then good riddance to them. I will gladly give my last dollar to a struggling touring band to make sure they have food on their plates and gas money to get to the next show, but should I really feel guilty if P. Diddy can’t afford another layer of Gucci wallpaper for one of his 19 bedrooms? Are music downloading ethics really a black and white issue, or is there a gray area? For the time being, it seems that the answer remains in the eye of the beholder.
Brooks, L. (2003, September 13). Parents, children raise questions about legality of music downloading. Saint Paul Pioneer Press (MN). Retrieved October 17, 2008 from Newspaper Source database.
Punknews. (2008, September 5). Metallica forgives, accepts album leaks. Retrieved October 17, 2008 from http://www.punknews.org/article/30335
Punknews. (2008, September 5). Metallica forgives, accepts album leaks. Retrieved October 17, 2008 from http://www.punknews.org/article/30335
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1 comment:
Hi Brandi,
I really like all the ideas you present about music downloading. I can't believe you have been to so many concerts, that's awesome! Anyway, I'm guilty of downloading music from time to time but like you, it is mainly for sampling. I actually think I have purchased more CDs thanks to downloading - it has enabled me to know more about the product before I buy.
-Katie
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