Downloading music illegally ain’t so bad

The concept of “pirating music” lies in somewhat of a moral gray area.

On one hand, the downloader gets something for free that he otherwise would have had to pay for. But on the other hand, the seller isn’t necessarily losing inventory. Classic stealing implies one party taking something so that the other party no longer has it.

With music pirating, the first party gains access to the music for free, while the second party doesn’t lose anything.

Either way, internet users came to a pretty clear consensus around the time of Napster.

Nobody was losing too much sleep from the guilt of having downloaded free music.

Why? Because people were too busy jammin’ out to the new bands they discovered.

Artists definitely should get paid for what they do — no one is likely to deny that.
Opponents argue that illegally downloading music robs artists, and that otherwise people would have bought their CDs. Well, that’s not necessarily true.

Probably a small percentage of people illegally downloading a band’s music would have even considered purchasing the CD in the first place. Let’s be real.

I believe having the complete freedom while I was young to explore an unlimited collection of free music has shaped my understanding and appreciation for music today. Not having that access, my exposure to great classic music would be very limited. Maybe I would have spent time just listening to whatever the hot pop song was that week, and that would have been the extent of my musical depth.

Free music downloading has completely opened my eyes to the world of music, as it has also done for many others. And while music industry groups lobby to end free music downloading, they fail to understand the benefits this phenomenon has brought.

Young people are so much more exposed to different types of music and different artists today than they were 20 years ago.

I see the internet-music relationship working as a free-market of sorts. The internet has greatly reduced the barriers for an artist to gain recognition. This means that there are more artists available for internet users to experience and select from. Since there is such a large number of internet users and artists whose music is on the internet, the music selection has become much more efficient. Everyone can explore and gain access to whatever it is they want to listen to. New music and ideas are spread much more easily.

The fact of the matter is, the industry has changed. Gone are the days of people flooding to the nearest store to buy the newest CD. Significant revenues can no longer be generated this way. Instead, since the internet has exposed more people to more artists, listeners will be inclined to buy merchandise and attend concerts.

Revenues can still be generated this way, and revenues will flow to a greater number of bands since people are exposed to more music.

Regardless of your moral stance on downloading music, we must acknowledge that the industry has permanently changed, and there’s no use in trying to bring it back to 1990.

Having unlimited access to free music has allowed listeners to expand their horizons by discovering new genres and new bands.

The ability to download free music at a young age has greatly effected my understanding and love for music, and I hope the internet can continue to facilitate people’s exploration of ideas, music and culture in years to come.

— lliskey@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Luke Liskey on Twitter @compliant_rogue.