Many music bloggers are participating in a group blogging event today by answering a mother’s question about her musician son who thinks it’s O.K. to download music from the internet and not pay for it. I thought I would join in and post my thoughts about this sensitive issue. First off, I would like to post the mother’s question for you to read.
“I have a teenage son who tells me his pirating music is no big deal. Since he is a musician himself, I point out to him that someday that’s going to be his money people are stealing. But he remains unphased. He tells me the record sales make money for the record label, not the artist. He says that the artists make all their money from touring and live concerts. He thinks the pirated music promotes the concerts and therefore helps the artist make more money. I still don’t allow pirating in my house. But tell me what you think – as artists out there having your work “shared,” are you just glad to have it being enjoyed, or does it bother you? Admittedly, he is stealing music that is recorded by major record labels, so maybe its different than the independent musician working for his living. But I’d still like to hear what you think.” Thanks, Valerie
Here is my response:
Valerie,
The question of whether a musician wants to have their music shared depends on who you are talking to. An up and coming band who is trying to get signed or an indie artist who is trying to make a name for themselves should definitely be happy that kids are listening to and sharing their music. If you ask U2, their manager or their label how they feel about it, I don’t think you would have to guess their response. I support your decision not allow pirating in your house because it not only brings up both legal and moral questions, but the question of security for your computers and the information that you store on them. Downloading music from these file sharing sites can expose your computers systems and network to all kinds of problems.
The fact that your son is a musician proves that music is a very important part of his live and possibly will be responsible for putting food on the table. So I would ask him what he is doing to support the bands that he cares about and make sure that music stays alive as an important part of the culture at large. Does he ever buy CDs from his favorite bands? Does he go to the concerts every time they come to town? Does he buy merchandise directly from the bands? Is he involved in music at school and does he help teach others how to play an instrument? Does he encourage others to go the shows and support the bands? I feel that it is the responsibility of musicians and people who love music to make sure that musicians have the means to make a decent living and that music stays alive as a creative force in the society that we live in.
I also feel that the record labels have the same responsibilities. What are they doing to make sure that music programs exist in our schools? What are they doing to develop truly gifted musicians and not just try to discover the next pop idol that will have a shelf life of only a few years? Record labels also have to recognize that file sharing will never go away. Remember the days when we used to make mix tapes and give them to our friends? That’s file sharing. What about the people who only buy used CDs, record them and trade them back in and buy some more. The internet is not the only way that people can share music, but it is the one that scares them the most. Record labels must develop a legal and easy way for people to share music and make some money doing it. This is what people want and if the labels don’t give it to them then people will find other ways to do it. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails proved that if you give your music away and then offer them some worth buying that some people will pay for it. iTunes proved that there are millions of people willing to pay for music, if you make it easy.
Truth is, while he is in your house, he should abide by your rules. Yet ultimately he should understand that he should set an example as a musician about what is the proper behavior that is good for both the fans and the musicians. Without fans who are willing to pay for his art, how would he survive? Without musicians creating music, what would he listen to?
~John
