Piracy...your take?

[Tiberius]

The problem with that analogy is that it doesn't apply to the digital age. The lawnmower is an object, it only exists as 1 thing. You own that one object, and you can sell it (or give it away), but once you've done it, you can't do it again (on account of you not having another).

With the digital age, you can store things as bits and these bits can be copied endlessly. You may have the right to send the files to someone and then delete them on your hard drive (and break the disc), btu you don't have the right to copy them repeatedly.

[Tiberius]

Spotify, unfortunately, is not available in the US. =/

Actually, it is. You just need to download it under a proxy.

[Edwardo Piet]

I heard there was a way for them to get through, but it's tricky. I think Adrian said something on the matter months back.[...]

See, I knew Adrian had a magic answer - it was no dream!

EvF

[Eilonnwy]

No offense to your friend, but this is actually something I'd like to see.

The current model is not in the best interest of art. The current model encourages and fosters stagnant garbage. I could do without more people making music as a means of getting rich and famous.

If you dislike the music industry, you are perfectly within your rights to not purchase for their product and support whatever local/non-commercialized music you want. I don't have a problem with that in the least, but just because you don't like the music industry does not mean that what you're doing is not stealing and not illegal.

BTW, my friend is in it for the music, which also means she wants to make it her career. If you want to live your music, in order to do so you at least have to be well known and develop followers. So honestly, it's not so easy to separate loving the music from becoming at least famous/well known, if not rich.

[Edwardo Piet]

I adore music, and I'd love to be part of the music industry. On the whole I just enjoy making music for my own amusment, but if there was the slightest chance that as a by-product I could make money from my music, I'd love that.

Meatball, you might not care about the music industry, but some people do. I simply buy my music out of a matter of principle - and respect to the artist basically.

EvF

[Meatball]

I have nothing but respect for artists and their art. I love music, listening to it, creating it, discussing it.

What does a company built from the ground up to sell plastic discs have to do with that?

The sooner people stop seeing music as a commodity and a cashcow, the better. If there wasn't a Virgin Records or a Warner Music, who would make music?

I'll tell you; People who are inspired and want to make music, not because it gives them a paycheque, or because they are contractually obligated to pump out an album every other year, but because they feel they have something to share through music.

That's what I care about, not profit margins and distribution contracts.

[Eilonnwy]

I have nothing but respect for artists and their art. I love music, listening to it, creating it, discussing it.

What does a company built from the ground up to sell plastic discs have to do with that?

The sooner people stop seeing music as a commodity and a cashcow, the better. If there wasn't a Virgin Records or a Warner Music, who would make music?

I'll tell you; People who are inspired and want to make music, not because it gives them a paycheque, or because they are contractually obligated to pump out an album every other year, but because they feel they have something to share through music.

That's what I care about, not profit margins and distribution contracts.

I completely understand your sentiment, Meatball, but it's not unreasonable for artists to want to make a living off their music and become successful. The desire to make a career out of sharing their talent does not = greed. People make money off of doing what they love all the time, it's how they able to do more of it in the first place. An artist who sings on the street is awesome, but if no one gives him a dime, why should he continue doing so? He needs to eat. Making music takes time and money, time that he could be spending at a dead end job instead of sharing his talent.

[Meatball]

An artist who sings on the street is awesome, but if no one gives him a dime, why should he continue doing so?

Because he enjoys it? Because he feels he has something to share?

If music isn't profitable, we would see a lot more honest artwork in that medium. We don't need business executives putting their hands in and twisting things into better products to sell to the demographic of the month. We don't need record contracts to obligate musicians to create music for the sake of having a new product to sell next year.

In this day and age, if someone has a passion for music, it's not unreasonable for them to set up a modest home studio and get their work online where they can offer it for a price or otherwise. I'll go as far as to say if something wants their work to be heard it should be expected that they would do this.

[Edwardo Piet]

Just accepting donations would be cool.

I don't commit piracy not only because I don't want to get caught, but because if I really want to listen to some music, it's worth paying for because I admire the artists.

So it's kind of like donating for me, I know that a lot goes to record companies, but the artists do get a proportions, I love owning albums physically and love, at least feeling that I am showing respect to the artist by buying the album(s).

I make music and I do it because I love it. I will spend my whole life doing it even if I never made a profit, but any money would be welcome lol.

I would want success to be a by-product of enjoying making the music.

So I agree with Meatballs sentiment and feel the same way, but I still always pay anyway, not just because I don't want to get caught: But because if it's good enough to listen to it's good enough to pay for with me. I only buy music that I adore, by artists that I adore, and the rest I hear on radio or through spotiy, for listening through links on youtube, etc, that friends send me. And that's just how I find out about artists that I want to buy the albums of.

EvF

[Meatball]

You're missing out on a lot of music if you insist on paying for it to experience it.