9 ms·
OK. I watched the whole interview and, I have to say, Sherman seems to understand technology better than I had figured. He even appears tolerable, approachable
by tomkin 15y ago
OK. I watched the whole interview and, I have to say, Sherman seems to understand technology better than I had figured. He even appears tolerable, approachable and maybe even someone who would listen to reason. Is it a front? We have every reason to think it is.
Personally, I never would have thought I'd hear the RIAA talk about millions of songs for $10/month. Question of course is, did the RIAA kill the subscription model and then announce it's failure? Still, $10/month is pocket change in exchange for never having to hunt for music.
There is an invisible sheath of social truth. The elephant in the room. We've all pirated music, software or movies at some point. None of us openly admit it, and if asked we all say "Ya, the artist should be compensated". Then we pirate more music and movies, proclaiming, "They're the thieves! They give artists X% of the profits!". True. But I still don't see an argument for pirating music - or at least, pirating music but pretending you think it is wrong.
I don't think anyone wants to pirate music. What people want is convenience. If the incentive for route X is greater than route Y, route X is destined to be the popular route by default. $10/month vs. searching the pirate bay every time I hear a new song I like? $10/month wins.
The RIAA is generally evil, don't get me wrong. But I imagined a complete jack ass at the helm, and I am surprised to see something different.
- marknutter 15y agoI openly admit it. When I hear a song I like I immediately download the artist's entire discography. And then when they come to town, I go to their shows.
- res0nat0r 15y agoYou should add: and then I also go to itunes or Amazon and buy their entire catalog legally.
- Radix 15y agoThe point's been made that artists make so little from downloads and streaming that it literally isn't worth it for you to purchase from iTunes or Amazon downloads compared to, say, buying one out of five albums on CD or vinyl. And maybe also purchasing merchandise directly from the artists website.
- res0nat0r 15y agoEither way, you should at least purchase the music via legal means.
- zotz 15y agoSpeaking as a musician with a small body of work, I want people to download my songs, pirated or otherwise. If you want to give me money, send me some or come to one of my shows. I was involved with a label/mngt. company in the 90's and they just ripped me off. Don't give them any money by buying "official" records. Kill Hollywood: Pirate...download and direct your dollars directly to the musicians. Ignore the agents and the middlemen. They're parasites.
- res0nat0r 15y agoHow about letting each artist decide his/her own policy on if they want you to download their music for free or not? I see artists signed to major labels tweeting that they want you to buy their music. It isn't black or white.
- zotz 15y agoI can bet the majority of musicians would opt for my method.
- marknutter 15y agoBut you're not understanding - the artist can't decide because piracy is unpreventable. It's over, just stop with them moral battle. The floodgates are open, and it will never close unless we all agree to compromise the internet. So it's either adapt or get a real job.
- res0nat0r 15y agoI'm not saying at all that the industry shouldn't make it easier to acquire works digitally at a decent price, but it still doesn't make it any moral issue, or inherently an 'art wants to be free' issue just because in the last 20 years you've been able to easily copy entertainment without fear of repercussion. People still deserve to be paid for their time and hard work, plain and simple. Note the followup post will be: 'Just go to their concerts! All is well!'. Since Ticketmaster screws me out of about 30 bucks for each pair of tickets I buy, should we be trying to sneak into concerts for free because 'the man' is doing things we don't like even though the artist is receiving some of the profits from a legal sale?
- toomuchtodo 15y agoNot if I want the artist to get the music; thats what shows are for. Most of the money from online purchases go to the label.
- bad_user 15y agoI imagined a complete jack ass at the helm, and I am surprised to see something different. Don't let the show put by him distract you. Of course he's competent. These things are never pulled off by incompetents. I still don't see an argument for pirating music I still don't see an argument for punishing people for pirating music. Sharing is in our genes, just as sex. Preferring free stuff is also in our genes. Wanting convenience is also in our genes. The model of selling tapes or CDs was based on scarcity. Now that scarcity is gone, because with a few clicks and key-presses you can find anything. And really, punishing users for pirating content is just like punishing them for having sex.