Free Music Isn’t Worth It: A Toasty Rebuttal of Illegal Downloading
By Rohan Ramakrishnan
Despite America being “the land of the free” there are a few things that we aren’t free obtain, which is the right to obtain whatever music by whatever means necessary. Now, keep in mind I have nothing against illegal downloading per se; I only have a problem with the hypocrites who try to justify themselves. So, as a companion piece to one of our previous articles, I’m going to take on a few of the most common pro-downloading arguments. Aiding my efforts will be the humble toaster.
What, you thought that title was a metaphor or something?
So let’s get started.
“Buying Music Costs Too Much!”
Apparently, they're all that we needed.
Or to put it another way, “I can’t afford to buy something, so it’s perfectly OK to steal it.” Look, you don’t have a right to free music any more than I have a right to delicious toast. When you’re poor, sometimes you have to make do with plain white bread. Or listening to the Plain White Ts on the radio.
Not to mention that, by the very fact that you’re even considering downloading, you obviously have a half-decent computer with an internet connection that doesn’t totally suck; in the age of Pandora and last.fm, that’s like complaining about lacking a toaster when you have a perfectly good stove and frying pan. Sure, it might take longer and require a bit more effort, but you still wind up with the same end product, without breaking any laws.
“If I Like Them, I’ll Buy the Album!”
First off, no you won’t. Second off, remember what I just said about Pandora and last.fm? That goes double for this. Not to mention that pretty much every band puts up a few of their songs up on YouTube or MySpace, which is coincidentally the only reason you would ever need to go to MySpace. This is like stealing a toaster because you want to know what it looks like, even though there display models at every appliance store in the entire country.
They look like this. There, now you don't need to rob Sears.
And no, downloading isn’t word-of-mouth advertising either. What you’re telling people is, “I like this band, but not enough to actually pay for their music.” This is not a good endorsement.
“The Record Company Can Afford It!”
The people who subscribe to this argument usually have plenty of articles and statistics to show why illegal downloads have a minimal impact on the record industry. Well, here’s another couple of statistics: Walmart’s yearly revenue is $160 billion; even if literally every shoplifter in America stole from them, it would only cost one-half of one percent of their profits. So it’s safe to say that if you waltzed out of Walmart with a toaster under your jacket, their stock prices wouldn’t plummet. And yet I’m guessing that very few “pirates” will be persuaded to become shoplifters, for one simple reason: shoplifting requires effort. You have to avoid security guards, cameras, and scanners without getting caught, and some products even have their own built-in anti-theft devices.
Some toasters take this to an extreme.
It’s much easier to rationalize away pressing a few buttons than coming up with a detailed plan. That doesn’t make it any more right.
“All Music Should Be Free!”
Sure, and I want a billion dollars, a never-ending supply of bacon, and a unicorn. But since that isn’t going to happen I’ll just have to make that money the hard way, buy the bacon myself, and continue gluing ice cream cones onto sleeping horses. Similarly, you should suck it up and support the artists you love.
Bet you thought I couldn't work a toaster into this.
“Piracy Isn’t Theft!”
This one is in large part due to a picture that’s been floating around the Internet:
Allow me to counter with a picture of my own:
If you mess around enough with definitions, you can say that a toaster is a type of jet engine. If we’re done arguing over semantics, let’s move on.
“…What About DRM?”
What about it? Neither Amazon, iTunes, nor any of the four major record labels (Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi, and Sony) use DRM anymore. I don’t even have a toaster analogy here. This is just a dumb, outdated argument.
Insert your own witty picture/caption combo here.
“I Don’t Care! I Want Free Music!”
And now we get to the one thing I have no comeback for; but like I said earlier, I’m actually fine with that. As long as you realize that the preceding arguments are full of horseshit, my job is done. Because let’s face it: illegally downloading music isn’t about making a statement against corporate fat cats and their out-of-control capitalist ways, it’s about wanting something for nothing. So if you feel like downloading some music then hey, be my guest. But for God’s sake don’t brag about it.
Now, who’s hungry? I’m thinking… waffles.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010 12:59PM
I illegally download music, but I still support the music industry. Probably more than a person who goes out and buys CD's. I would prefer to spen my money on a live show and a T-shirt rather than on a CD, and here is why. A band makes on average less than $1 per album sold. That same band will probably make the same if not more from a ticket sold for a concert. They can make even more money from that T-shirt I bought.
With companies like LiveNation, bands are able to give their music away for free (Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails), and make their money from tours. And to be perfectly honest, in my optinion, true musicians are not with major record companies, they are with independant lables, or self produced. And with todays technology, anyone with the motivation can create and release an album without a major record lable.
I feel that major record lables are ruining music. They have turned it into a business rather than an art. If record companies did not exist, music would not die! It would just be of higher standards, because only people who truely love what they do would be involved. You would not have these bands created by record companies to generate revenue.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010 2:56PM
To Neil:
Yet again, a completely nonsensical, web 2.0 post-hoc justification for infringement. You don't get to choose how you support the industry. Sorry. The Constitution and federal laws require you to pay for intellectual property no matter how much the artist makes (PS – you forgot about the $150k advance artists get from labels allowing them to focus on their art). Second, what about songwriters? They don't make a dime when you buy t-shirts or concert tickets. Thousands of professional songwriters no longer exist because of illegal downloading and perverse arguments like yours.
If you don't like record labels, that's cool, don't buy their music … they will still go under. But don't be a hypocrite and steal it.
And of course, music (in some form) will undoubtedly exist without labels. So what? Clothes would exist without Nordstroms… does that give you the right to take their overpriced clothes?
It's illegal, you do it because you don't get caught, and that's it. Be a man and cut the crap.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010 4:15PM
You're an idiot.
Sunday, July 25, 2010 1:14PM
My personal beef is with the fact that they engaged in illegal payola for decades (cash, drugs, and prostitutes) in order to create demand for a central type of music. That greatly damaged regional music forms and hurt local cultures throughout America and the world. Music is a central component to a culture and regional cultures were greatly damaged by the suppression of regional music forms. The purpose of copyright is to create better quality products not to protect an artist’s property rights, the music industry combined a misuse of copyright with a payola system to devastate local and regional cultures.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010 1:25AM
Everyone seems to ALWAYS mention Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails. Most people seem to forget that these two bands slaved away for years, selling CDs, touring endlessly, selling merchandise, before they finally got to the point where, for one reason or another, they felt that they could afford to release their music for free. Also, even larger bands these days are finding it harder and harder to break even or recover from massive touring.
Your argument is basically a fetid pile of assumptions and presumptions. For example, you claim that 'true musicians are not with major record companies', yet you do not even bother to define what you consider to be a 'true musician'. Are they musicians/bands that are highly successful on major labels? Or merely people/groups who do not appeal to your aesthetic sensibilities? Or is the mere act of being widely known, successful, and popular somehow 'wrong', in your estimation, when it comes to music?
Sure, anyone can create an album and release it. Thanks to the miracle of freeware, Archive.org and other hosting sites, it can also cost absolutely nothing as well. However, how many people can you expect to reach if you self-promote or utilize a smaller indie label? The bottom line is, if you are ambitious and want to reach as many listeners as possible, you will want to be with a major indie label.
Your closing remarks of music reaching 'higher standards' is also so vague as to be meaningless. What quantifies lower standards? Record labels have historically been involved in 'maintaining high artistic standards', so your so-called 'higher standards' would only be for 'true musicians', and not everyone else struggling because of the collapse of all the major labels.
Can you name even ONE band 'created by record companies to generate revenue'? Or musicians/bands who record and/or perform 'only for the money'? Perhaps you are confusing this with bands and musicians who willingly go along with the major label in order to get ahead financially. Many bands will struggle with the major labels because, in the end, it's worth it.
The people who are 'illegally downloading' might not be killing the music industry, but they are most definitely not helping it either. However, it is probably arguments such as the main article raises that annoys people who, believe it or not, actually purchase music 'illegally downloaded'. Promos of a few songs, short musical snippets, and/or small videos of upcoming material can only go so far. If it is not a full-album preview, there is always the chance that the consumer will get burned. Back in the days before the advent of the internet, there was no reliable defense against this. With downloading, people no longer have to trust the endlessly spinning gears of hype (which, by default, are meant for persuasion, regardless of if an album 'truly' deserves to be heard or not) and judge for themselves.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011 6:36AM
It shoud be required to buy music. I download music from itunes legally and buy cds. I buy clothes and other thins to support bands I like. It is stealing…
Thursday, May 26, 2011 6:35AM
i purchase my music via emusic.com and i also use musicdog and musicfrost.i use the two programs for downloading music that i used to have in my collection but have lost over the years (as in vinyl).so i download stuff like gina by johnny mathis and stuff by shelly fabares…why do i feel like they wouldn't give a hang? cause they probably don't.i doubt seriously that shelly or johnny or harder to find artists like kris jensen would have a problem with fans searching out their old hard to find stuff and downloading it.the problem arises with the newer ,more recent artists/.let's seperate fact from friction.not ALL artists are going to care if their stuff is hunted down and downloaded for free.and some might even see it as a compliment.for example,many of the 70's and even 80's stuff is extremely hard to find.to the degree that even the stores like itunes don't carry it.how many albums by trapeze and king crimson are carried? how many by artists like john and robin and the incrowd? alot pf people can't purchase via online or credit card./there is good use for p2p ware and programs like musicdog and musicfrost..in my case it's to replace music i used to have in my collection.btw,if downloading songs via p2p that someone once had in their collection is wrong or immoral ,then isn't it just as wrong to record vinyl records to cdrw,instead of buying them at the store on CD format?the same logic would have to be applied to both imo
another question..if i record a mix cd of music that i own,as a christmas gift to a family member am i breaking the law? here's another question..people still use dvd players to record movies from HBO,SHOWTIME,etc,,,that's been happening as commonplace for years and years.i've NEVER heard of anyone going to prison for having a movie collection via of their dvd recorder.why IS that??.in fact,in the 80's,i believe it was the movie channel or HBO that encouraged dvd recording by their DVD NIGHT or DVD WEEKEND or something like that wherin they encouraged people to get their dvd's ready.in fact,joe bob briggs who used to host the movie channel movies every friday nights used to frequently encourage viewers to dvd record (or not)depending on if the movie was good that night or not /.but later on in years,an issue of recording movies via dvd (stupidly)came into being. i still record movies occasionally using the dvd player.(actually i record from the dvr to dvd ). so can i get busted and go to prison for owning (well)over 600 vhs tapes with 3 movies per tape,all recorded in the last 20 years,from HBO ,showtime,etc??(the whole piracy issue gets kind of ridiculous at times).
software like musicdog and musicfrost..if they're illegal why haven't they been taken down or at least investigated? i don't believe that anyone is even paying attention to them…and there's clickster of course.
Saturday, September 10, 2011 9:33PM
But only download the music of one band.
My reasons being:
They are amazing
They are Japanese
I can't buy any of their CDs ANYWHERE
I can't get their songs from Tunes Japan. (they refuse to license it, for good reasons)
I would rather not spend $40 for a CD wth only one song, that has to be shipped overseas, go through customs, and me having to pay even more from other previously unkown fees… and then have the high probability of it being lost from being shipped overseas.
Their music videos are always taken down from Youtube, and various other video sharing sites, within a month.
Trust me, the second they sell a CD here, I'm buying it. They always have really cool album art and love their music. It's something I would actually love to hold and own, rather than have it on my computer until the day my computer kicks the bucket, and then I'm left with nothing. Besides, burned CDs just don't have as much magic in them as the real deal. They don't give off the same vibe.
Saturday, December 10, 2011 8:36PM
Piracy is NOT Theft, it is Piracy.
As you appear to be a single-cell organism, there is no point in arguing with you.
Enjoy your rage…