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There are more convenient and ethical ways to consume music than theft. Don't lie to yourself about what you're doing by pretending you're on some moral high gr

There are more convenient and ethical ways to consume music than theft. Don't lie to yourself about what you're doing by pretending you're on some moral high ground for stealing music. Funds going to Universal filter through to musicians and artists as royalties and fund artist advances, recording and mastering costs, thousands of employee and contractor salaries, and so much more than just lobbyists.

cwkoss 7y ago
Music piracy is not theft. It deprives the owner of nothing. Please don't parrot music lobbyist propaganda here. I would download a car. Supply has exploded exponentially. Music is never going to be as profitable as it was previously (and it wasn't very profitable previously). Their lack of a modern business model is not a valid reason to rent-seek the poor if they want to participate in culture.
- volkl48 7y ago
  Music looks poised to be as profitable as it was previously, possibly more so for the labels. Whether or not artists see that money is a different question. The music industry is doing pretty decently. Streaming revenues are significant and industry revenue has been growing for years. https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-record-industry-expects-a-windfall-where-will-the-money-go/ https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-record-industry-e... For the artists themselves, live touring looks to be their most reliable way to make money.
  - cwkoss 7y ago
    Interesting link, thanks for sharing. I'm more inclined to think that streaming revenue will plateau around ~$10-13B. It makes sense that demand for streaming is a bit more than demand for CDs, because it allows cheaper monetization of the long tail and recurring revenue. However, I'd be surprised if the industry ever pushes over that $21.5B inflation-adjusted peak again though. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/music-industry-sales/ https://www.visualcapitalist.com/music-industry-sales/ Rent-seeking music labels have done a good job determining the maximum amount that consumers are willing to pay for music. Now we as consumers should make an effort to ensure the maximum percentage of revenue reaches artist. UMG siphoning 85% of revenue is abhorrent.
- MaupitiBlue 7y ago
  > Music piracy is not theft. It deprives the owner of nothing. The right to determine the terms by which their product is distributed. When you want something, and you don’t want to pay for it. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jrwjiO1MCVs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jrwjiO1MCVs
  - DanTheManPR 7y ago
    So you agree that it's not theft. Unless you're trying to move the goalposts.
- tomdell 7y ago
  Music piracy is theft, period. Don't lie to yourself. Bloviate over it however you want, but in the end, you're stealing from musicians. It's one thing to steal and acknowledge it, but it's a completely different thing to steal and pretend as if you're doing the world a favor and standing up for disadvantaged people. You stealing music helps you and only you at the expense of others. You're cheapening legitimate anti-capitalist rhetoric by abusing it for such a self-important and intellectually void purpose.
  - cwkoss 7y ago
    Bob Dylan got started playing covers of songs written by other people. Back then most artists did. "If only he had a shark in a suit preventing people from listening to his music, imagine how great he could have been if he only had more capital" \s. The equivalence between cultural content sharing and theft was manufactured by the intellectual property lobby in recent history. None of moral reasons for prohibiting theft apply to intellectual property. The marginal cost of production is zero. Society is poorer for enabling the greedy to charge admission for access to culture and information. You're free to make your own calculus, but it seems that your opinion is in the minority here.
    - tomdell 7y ago
      I'm criticizing you, not the idea of sharing music or playing cover songs.
      - cwkoss 7y ago
        Huh? I thought we were talking about sharing music this whole time...? What is your definition of 'music theft' that is distinct from sharing music?
4ntonius8lock 7y ago
You can always donate directly to the artists. I believe in situational ethics. If someone steals, and you can avoid paying them, why pay someone who would steal from you? Let's not pretend that using lobbyists to buy politicians to curtail freedom is less than stealing. It's actively participating in the undermining of democracy. Rent seeking institutions should be taken down via any peaceful means available.

cwkoss 7y ago

Music piracy is not theft. It deprives the owner of nothing. Please don't parrot music lobbyist propaganda here. I would download a car. Supply has exploded exponentially. Music is never going to be as profitable as it was previously (and it wasn't very profitable previously). Their lack of a modern business model is not a valid reason to rent-seek the poor if they want to participate in culture.

volkl48 7y ago
Music looks poised to be as profitable as it was previously, possibly more so for the labels. Whether or not artists see that money is a different question. The music industry is doing pretty decently. Streaming revenues are significant and industry revenue has been growing for years. https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-record-industry-expects-a-windfall-where-will-the-money-go/ https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-record-industry-e... For the artists themselves, live touring looks to be their most reliable way to make money.
- cwkoss 7y ago
  Interesting link, thanks for sharing. I'm more inclined to think that streaming revenue will plateau around ~$10-13B. It makes sense that demand for streaming is a bit more than demand for CDs, because it allows cheaper monetization of the long tail and recurring revenue. However, I'd be surprised if the industry ever pushes over that $21.5B inflation-adjusted peak again though. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/music-industry-sales/ https://www.visualcapitalist.com/music-industry-sales/ Rent-seeking music labels have done a good job determining the maximum amount that consumers are willing to pay for music. Now we as consumers should make an effort to ensure the maximum percentage of revenue reaches artist. UMG siphoning 85% of revenue is abhorrent.
MaupitiBlue 7y ago
> Music piracy is not theft. It deprives the owner of nothing. The right to determine the terms by which their product is distributed. When you want something, and you don’t want to pay for it. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jrwjiO1MCVs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jrwjiO1MCVs
- DanTheManPR 7y ago
  So you agree that it's not theft. Unless you're trying to move the goalposts.
tomdell 7y ago
Music piracy is theft, period. Don't lie to yourself. Bloviate over it however you want, but in the end, you're stealing from musicians. It's one thing to steal and acknowledge it, but it's a completely different thing to steal and pretend as if you're doing the world a favor and standing up for disadvantaged people. You stealing music helps you and only you at the expense of others. You're cheapening legitimate anti-capitalist rhetoric by abusing it for such a self-important and intellectually void purpose.
- cwkoss 7y ago
  Bob Dylan got started playing covers of songs written by other people. Back then most artists did. "If only he had a shark in a suit preventing people from listening to his music, imagine how great he could have been if he only had more capital" \s. The equivalence between cultural content sharing and theft was manufactured by the intellectual property lobby in recent history. None of moral reasons for prohibiting theft apply to intellectual property. The marginal cost of production is zero. Society is poorer for enabling the greedy to charge admission for access to culture and information. You're free to make your own calculus, but it seems that your opinion is in the minority here.
  - tomdell 7y ago
    I'm criticizing you, not the idea of sharing music or playing cover songs.
    - cwkoss 7y ago
      Huh? I thought we were talking about sharing music this whole time...? What is your definition of 'music theft' that is distinct from sharing music?

4ntonius8lock 7y ago

You can always donate directly to the artists. I believe in situational ethics. If someone steals, and you can avoid paying them, why pay someone who would steal from you? Let's not pretend that using lobbyists to buy politicians to curtail freedom is less than stealing. It's actively participating in the undermining of democracy. Rent seeking institutions should be taken down via any peaceful means available.