Conventional wisdom says that as you make online music easier to buy rather than steal1, then buy-rather-than-steal becomes more preferred.
Turns out this is bullshit. As the number of legal downloading, streaming and listening opportunities continues to expand, the number of US uni students (the stealingest bunch there is) who steal rather than buy is increasing, not decreasing.
The percentage of college students in our survey that DO NOT buy digital music has risen from 26.5% in 2014 to 36.7% in 2015. This corresponds to reports of drops in sales of digital music elsewhere.
So that’s (let me just calculate here, hold on…) a whole shitload more musicians this year not getting paid for their work than last year.
Nice.
What was the last piece of music you bought legally?
1. Yes, I know there are arguments that downloading someone else’s music without paying for it and without their permission not to pay for it is not stealing. It’s just that those arguments are ludicrously self-serving, and wrong.
13 comments:
they could be using a "free" ad supported service like a non-premium Spotify account
"1. Yes, I know there are arguments that downloading someone else’s music without paying for it and without their permission not to pay for it is not stealing. It’s just that those arguments are ludicrously self-serving, and wrong."
Its not stealing because the Law says its not stealing, therefore not a crime. its copyright infringement- Nothing more, nothing less. This is Law 101- if you do not understand this simple fact I suggest your read "Introduction to the New Zealand Legal System by RB Mulholland. 14.3 specifically.
As a Libertarian, it amazes me you want to turn something that is not a crime, into a crime.
IvanK
@Dan: Or not.
@IvanK: Plunder is plunder.
I look forward to Mr DotCom attempting your defence in a courtroom soon.
What was the last piece of music you bought legally?
Heart and soul. Joy Division. A 4 disc boxed-set compilation. Moments of absolute genius.
Animal Serenade. Lou Reed (Can also recommend the updated Victor Brockis bigraphy, 'Transformer')
... and the new 4k restoration DVD of A Hard Days Night.
The lovers and collectors are still out here Peter.:-) Ian J
I don't buy music either. I rent it on Spotify. Wasn't a choice on the survey.
Agree with Eric... Probably the most important legal source of music (i.e. music streaming services such as Spotify) would have fit into the supposed 'steal' category. And the people most likely to be on this service would be American College students.
I would expect these services to be 80+% of the market in a few years.
And yes, as previously discussed, there is not enough Lou Reed on Spotify to satisfy you Peter.
I notice that every mechanic who downloads music for free never offers to fix your car for free...(fancy that!)
@Mr Lineberry
That was the exact argument the Metallica guys used against Napster. But it's a very weak analogy that would be relevant to people going to their gigs for free (tangible labour for no pay) but not for downloading songs they recorded years or decades ago.
Barry - I have no idea what Metillica is, but you have that back to front.
With live performances - gigs - the attendees should pay for tickets, but if you happen to live across the street from Western Springs you effectively get to listen to the concert for free (which is hardly your fault).
This is much like what happens when you listen to lots of ghastly pop music on the radio - for free - but the radio station pays a royalty for playing it.
Somewhere along the line somebody has to pay - but what these people are doing is stealing because they know they should pay but are not doing so.
FFS.
Look at the wealth aka debt burden of the average US uni student. Pretty easy to see why if you can get something for free you will do so!
Ahem. For those of you blithely mentioning Spotify as a mitigating factor, may I point out again the link above you overlooked.
@V: Yes, like their increasing (voluntarily assumed) debt clearly justifies everything they might do, from shoplifting right up to any other form of plunder they can imagine. Sheesh.
@ngapaki: Good for you! (But how many repackaged Lou Reed bios can Mr Bockris do!)
For my part, I've been enjoying all the old King Crimson and League of Gentlemen concerts and out-takes now archived and legally for sale at DGMLive.Com. Good old Mr Fripp.
@Michael: Agree with you on the Lou Reed. But the data disagrees with you on Spotify (see above).
@PC
Ahh did I say it justifies it?
Voluntarily Assumed debt ???. Get out of your Randian worship mode for heavens sake.
Try and fund a quality US education that will actually get you a job if you come from a poor/middle income family.
Then there is all that voluntary debt the US govt is taking on, on behalf of its citizens that will need to be paid back at some point.
How blind can you be to the state of the current monetary and economic system.
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