Musicians Cry Poverty
11/3/2002
It is difficult to evaluate who is right when it comes to the issues of file sharing. The now defunct Napster has spawned countless other programs that enable files to be copied over peer-to-peer networks.
The popular show MTV Cribs features celebrities from the music, sports, and entertainment industries as they give guided tours through their million dollar houses. Am I supposed to feel sorry that I downloaded a few mp3 files when their entertainment center costs more then my entire house? They have more cars than days of the weeks yet they cry that these programs are destroying their income. Cry me rivers!
As with most Americans I do my best to work to pay my bills and support my family with a comfortable lifestyle. Should I feel bad about taking one of the luxuries in an artists life away so I can afford to listen to the music I enjoy? The average American works just as hard as these musicians, why should they become exorbitantly rich while I am living month to month?
I largely blame the record labels, which take a large percentage of the cost of a CD as profit for themselves. I have no issues with paying an artist for the work they have done, but why should I pay a record label executive a percentage? I realize there are additional costs involved such as marketing, but the record label’s percentage is ridiculous!
Many thought that the use of blank cassette tapes would destroy the music industry because they enabled unauthorized duplication of music from compact discs. This obviously did not happen and the very medium that was thought capable of doing this is itself almost extinct. Who uses cassettes anymore?
Why are file sharing programs always targeted? Why not blame the labels, which are largely responsible for the exorbitant costs of music CDs? Why not blame the producers of CD burners that allow for the duplication of these products? Why not blame the companies that develop music rippers that allow music from a CD to be converted into a mp3 file?
I will continue to purchase CDs as I desire, but I will most certainly continue using file-sharing programs as long as they are provided for my use.
Why? Just Because!