Has music suffered as a result of rampant piracy? If so, is our generation to blame? As some of the most frequent travelers of the Internet, we know that gaining access to our favorite artists’ new albums or singles is relatively simple. We love how easy it is for us to amass huge libraries of music. Better yet, all of this can be done without a hint of a receipt or a leavening of our wallets. In recent years, the illegal downloading of music has risen to epic proportions. It is not rare to stumble across a person who “owns” every Lil Wayne album ever produced (including the unreleased works). Nor is it entirely uncommon for someone not to possess an iTunes account. Why bother,? We want music fast and for free! And most of the time, we get what we want.
I can remember back to elementary school, when I was first introduced to downloading music. Napster, with its user-friendly interface and wide selection of MP3 files, was the king of the crop. It revolutionized our way of thought. Most of us likely never felt like we were doing anything wrong. We were simply taking advantage of an available resource. In the aftermath of Napster’s fateful demise, an army of peer-to-peer file-sharing applications were born. Names such as Kazaa, Morpheus and LimeWire should all ring a bell. No longer were we forced to scrounge through a CD rack — the desktop computer assumed the form of our local record store.
Today, music is even more readily available. Torrent-sharing programs enable users to pirate full-length albums. Exclusive websites such as waffles.fm or what.cd provide those who are lucky enough to be invited with a virtual free pass to the history of recorded music. How can it be so easy? Should we feel less of ourselves as a result of our Somali pirate-like assault on the music industry? I would like to suggest that we are not entirely to blame.
To properly assess this issue, both sides of the equation must be considered. Artists and fans are equally blameworthy. Artists have been slow to adjust to an increasingly digitized world of content. Resistant to change and unable to sustain a loyal fan base, many artists are quick to resort to excuses. As a result, some artists, especially those hailing from previous generations (see: Metallica or U2), come off as Luddites. On the flip side, we as fans are doing a disservice to the bands we love and support by failing to support their livelihoods. Fans that truly believe in the value of their favorite artists’ music will pay for their albums, no ifs, ands or buts.
An important question remains: Has our downloading of music, despite the nature of its legality, marginalized the final product? Recently, Jon Bon Jovi, the always animated pop-star, was quoted as saying: “Steve Jobs is personally responsible for killing the music business.” This argument appears unfounded. Mr. Jobs has done the industry a favor by providing a service where people can safely download the music they love. The iTunes Store is one of the few alternatives we have to illegally downloading music. Bon Jovi wouldn’t have to worry about his iTunes sales if he produced good music. And the same goes for the rest.
Steven Spinello is a junior economics major. He can be reached at spinello at umdbk dot com.
