Download for the future
Download this column. Download this periodical. Download me! Most importantly, download as much music as you can. Do not believe the notion that you are hurting artists by not paying for their music, this is a myth and simply not true. The way the music industry is set up, the labels make all the money off record sales, and the artists see little recompense from units sold.
Depending on the contract signed with the label, a band can make anywhere from 10 cents to $2 per album sold. Technically, this money goes right back to the label for recording/producing fees. Musicians make their bread on signing contracts and playing shows, not from album sales. Don’t feel guilty when you download a song for free. Does Metallica’s Lars Ulrich really need more money?
Downloading is a great way to find new music and expose yourself to new artists. If an independent band has its music downloaded, it is exposure to an audience that will potentially pay to see it play and buy its merchandise.
The record industry is dying and on is its way to a slow extinction. Everything is going the way of the digital download. Music is evolving to the way of the mp3 and the iPod. Vinyl and compact discs still make great collectors’ items, but you cannot deny the emergence of this new music medium.
Try before you buy
Roshan Bhatt
Downloading is obviously a huge problem facing today’s music industry, and is responsible for the supposed death of the record sale. Not to out myself, but I am an avid downloader. I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t.
I own around 300 CDs, which I purchased at various Best Buys, eBay auctions and used CD stores. Despite that, I still download pretty much every album beforehand, unless I am 100 percent sure the album is worth buying, which happens about three to four times a year.
There are literally hundreds of albums being released every week, and record labels must be crazy if they think people would want to spend $10 to $15 on an album just to "check it out." I am a strong believer in the preview, in the sense that a consumer should get a good taste of the album before having to shell out money for it.
When it comes down to it, most artists and bands need that support. They need to sell records to be able to get budgets for merchandising, tours and other ventures they may want to take part in. If anything, try your best to support the artists and groups who aren’t backed by extensive major label support, those who are stuck on those independent labels playing shows to 30 people a night.
