I have never wanted to become “a big star” but I do want to make a living from playing and composing. So far, in this life, I have managed to do this-but what many seem to missing is that whenever a song (or any composition) is ripped off the artist/composer gets shorted even though the person who steals it thinks that it is just “the label” that is being “taught a lesson”. I cannot count the times that I have heard people say to me, “Well the artist only gets a penny or two so they won’t miss it.” Well, they do, and please spare me the argument that copyright infringement is not theft-it is. If you were to try to steal a patent that is intellectual (as well as other) property, that is still theft. The same principle applies to copyright, and the courts may even hold that the mere copyrightable idea can be protected if proof is submitted that the (your) idea existed before somebody else came up with it. I agree that perhaps copyright needs to be revisited but even then this does not excuse or make legal the idea that someone thinks that they are above whatever laws exist at this time.

Remember: the artist or label that is being hurt by copyright infringement is not always a major label or “big star”. Many an aspiring artist or startup record company (as well as print music publishers) will be affected as well.

This isn’t true; you could download the album for free, but if you chose to pay for it, there was a minimum administration fee. (The reason being that if you wanted to pay 20p for the album, it would have cost more than 20p to process the credit card payment.)

According to comScore, between 60-65% downloaded it for free (via the official site; there were plenty of people downloading it for free via Limewire etc. as well)
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1883

(But as the limited timeframe of availability and subsequent CD release showed, it was more of an exercise in promotion than distribution anyway…)

A lot has been said about “private property” and “intellectual property” and pointing fingers at others who “steal” these things. But it reminds me of a comment I came across by a Native American in the 1700’s who had been “civilized” and dressed up and sent back east to live with the “civilized people”. Fairly quickly he came back to his tribe and one of his comments about his experience can be paraphrased as “I don’t understand how one man could have so much while others have nothing”.

In other words if we all could shift our paradigm to a kind of energy being shared, so in exchange for enjoying a recording, I would pay a certain value for that particular song in direct recognition and appreciation of the effort, craft, skill and focus required to create it. And if we can reduce the “business layers” with the use of technology, that sum might be more reasonable.

For example, I just bought a book cd for $20. I loaded on my computer and after listening to it I thought “I would love to share this with my husband, family members and friends. Will I do it if I have to pay $20 for each copy? No. Would I do it if the additional cost was $2? yes.

Could I just copy it and share it anyway without paying a cent? I don’t know, perhaps, but that would be “stealing” and would depend on whether I could sleep at night with that choice. I would guess that we all have a sliding scale in our minds about that. I imagine it is the source of the wide range of feelings among musicians about the PRO’s and their methods.

As for literacy, perhaps that is term that we could shift from since every single person will enjoy art to the extent they can – perhaps resonance might be a good substitute.

If you “could care less”, that means there are numerous other things you distain more, thus you nullify your own point everytime you use the phrase.

For example, Richard Todd Kearsley writes above: “Most people are musically illiterate and could care less about all of the things that we quibble about here.” Sounds like they are actually pretty interested.

Maybe I’ll make a t-shirt.

As a musician, I (or my label) should have the right to set my own price. I should not have to be forced into branding or using ancillary means to make up for what I am not making from my stolen IP. Yes, there are other models being identified. That is fine. In a free market one is “free” to choose and set their own method for doing business. As an independent artist, the reality is that my band will NOT make money from being on a Nike ad; those spots are usually reserved for the big guys. Therefore, that model is not a realistic one for me and my band. We need to get paid for our music. It is our right.

As a musician, I (or my label) should have the right to set my own price. I should not have to be forced into branding or using ancillary means to make up for what I am not making from my stolen IP. Yes, there are other models being identified. That is fine. In a free market one is “free” to chose and set their own method for doing business. As an independent artist, the reality is that my band will NOT make money from being on a Nike ad; those spots are usually reserved for the big guys. Therefore, that model is not a realistic one for me and my band. We need to get paid for our music. It is our right.