I can definitely understand why this peer-to-peer sharing of music is the devil for record labels, producers and artists. The article by Fox called "Technological and Social Drivers of Change in the Online Music Industry" was very insightful about the topic. The industry loses a lot of money through illegal downloading. I swear, it is so hard to think of downloading music as stealing. People compare it to walking into a music store and physically stealing CDs. But when the software and websites are readily available, and it’s right there at your fingertips, not to mention being so convenient, it is very hard to resist.
On the other hand, I also see how it can be beneficial to artists in some ways. On-line, I listen to music that I otherwise wouldn’t listen to. It gives me exposure to a lot of different artists and different types of music. A lot of the time, if I hear a few songs that I like from an artist, I will go out and buy their CD. If I had never heard of sample of the music on-line, those artists would lose sales from me. I know a few people who are the same way, and I’m sure there are many, many others who do the same. I’m sure the music artists are very pleased that soooo many people are listening to their music, more than ever before…all due to the Internet. There’s just a big downfall because they don’t get paid for it. I think they are rewarded in other ways though…the more people that hear them, the more that will go out and pay to see them perform. So, there’s an upside and downside.
I think many people see downloading as someone giving something to them as opposed to them taking something from someone else. If someone is offering you a free meal and you don’t have to go out and get it, why would you choose to make extra effort and go out and pay money for the same thing? I think that is how most people feel. To try to make myself feel better and rationalize my actions, I like to put blame on the peer-to-peer service itself rather than blame myself. It’s like, I’m not providing the service, I’m just using it…bad excuse I know. Shame on me. Oh well....
An article about how music downloading among kids has declined in the last three years: http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070524/BIZ/705240374/-1/BIZ
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I subscribe to Rolling Stone, and in a recent issue Nine Inch Nails admitted to leaving computer drives of their music in restrooms at their shows. If a big music group like them thinks that giving away their music would ultimately help them, maybe the industry should follow suit? I don't download music illegally, but it really is tempting.
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