brasco wrote:AllNightDayDream wrote:Because you value it. Why is that such a difficult concept?
very few people who download a decent version of a track would ever then delete and go buy it.
And you base that assumption on what?
fractal wrote:i'll give you that for the sake of argument, but tell me this. How do we allow "responsible" illegal downloading while stopping the "irresponsible" downloading? Truth of the matter is, we can't. luckily, in dance music, you have tons of opportunities to hear the music before you buy it without having to resort to theft. Radio shows, clubs, youtube, etc... so the "i need to hear it before i buy it" argument is moot. also, how could i have a conversation with an artist i admire and respect when I'm stealing their music online? that's not me. maybe i'm still living in the haze that this place is still a community that respects its members... i'm trying to give more than i take

There is no significant difference between hearing a track on youtube for free as opposed to your ipod for free. Many artists, as well as myself, don't see it as stealing for a multitude of reasons. Most artists that I've gone out and seen, and talked to, love the idea. Not to say they don't want loyal fans to support them, but the ultimate far reaching effect of piracy has been outlined again and again by me on these threads, and the data backs me up. Plenty artists see that when you quit acting like music is a commodity in itself, that the act of performing art for someone is a gratuity service, that the value of music can't be confined in such a way that the industry has tried to before this whole shift, they are rewarded.
At the risk of getting my head bitten off, I think in many ways these artists and businessmen who hate the idea of someone listening to their music for free feel entitled themselves. It's so easy to blame pirates, who have a negligible effect on the market, on a lackluster music business. I feel like many people couldn't cope with the idea that their music simply doesn't appeal widely enough to make them sustainable. Contrary to what plenty people on here believe, classic spacy dubstep is just as homogenous as brostep. Simply entering yourself into the business as a small artist or label or whatever is not going to guarantee your survival unless you offer a truly spectacular product that stands out, to which there is no objective measure to other than sales, hype, etc. The cruel irony in my mind is that there are a couple studies and testimony by even large labels that leaking releases, especially when timed right, can give you a substantial boost in sales. When you look at the data for the whole market, as much as the lower 75% of artists see boosts when their releases are pirated. I've posted this in another thread but I figure I might as well do it again:
via
fractal wrote:illegal downloads (and the little cds they go on) help to kill the vinyl industry
If you've been paying attention at all in this thread you'd know that's utter bull. Vinyl has been doing FAR better than it has in decades.