With murmurs of Stop Online Piracy Act still audible on the web, especially among artistic professionals, it is Neil Young’s statement that “piracy is the new radio” which continues to fascinate me. I will try to write this article without comment on the merits of Internet piracy, not because I think it’s an uninteresting debate, but because Young’s idea leads me to some perplexing conclusions that have nothing to do with right and wrong.

There isn’t much doubt that piracy is bringing music to the masses like never before. Nor that readily available technology makes the process of creating and disseminating music almost too easy. Record companies, traditional radio stations and artists have a harder time pushing a single because basically any song can be listened to, stolen or bought individually. Homemade cuts from garages and basements are just as free as songs recorded in the world’s finest studios. There’s a vast amount of music to choose from, but aided by an army of voracious reviewers desperate to get to that next great song first, it would make sense that the music of the highest quality, regardless of genre, could rise above the cacophony of amateurs. It shouldn’t be too difficult to know when it’s time to say “I don’t like this,” “this is terrible” or “I got that boom boom — stop this nonsense right now.” Even allowing for widely varying tastes, I still think there is music out there that is legitimately, objectively bad. But now, we the listeners have the power, and no one can force unwanted music on us.

So one must ask: How, as a culture, did we allow something like Tyga’s “Rack City” to become a top-10 song?

At the gym, where I do not have access to the means of changing stations, I have been forced to listen to this entire track far too many times. Fearing I was missing something, I consulted the uber-useful cornucopia of pop-culture knowledge: rapgenius.com. The genius confirmed my initial suspicions about “Rack City”: It’s repetitive, sexist and entirely uninspired. It’s also the eighth most popular song on iTunes. Rather disconcerting, at least at first glance.

Many are paying more than $1 for this song, so my theory that everyone just forgot to tell FM radio they don’t like it is out the window. Perhaps I’m letting my relentless idealism get in the way, but I think we human beings can do a lot better.

Not that radio’s all bad; artists like Rihanna and Adele prove there is plenty of good that’s being overplayed. Still, I don’t know anyone who truly enjoys listening to pop radio. Most of the time it seems like the same 10 songs on repeat, and if any of them are as poor as “Rack City,” that’s a bad day for music.

While Internet radio (meaning sites like Pandora or Spotify) is able to expand horizons, FM radio almost seems like it isn’t even trying.

That’s what gives me hope. Even while people are buying novelty schlock like Tyga and LMFAO, creative artists like The Weeknd give their music out for free and get huge downloads.

So while brave musicians use technology to rush outward in every direction, listeners join the adventure on the web. Meanwhile, back at the radio station, the situation is bleak. I really can’t explain why so many are buying terrible songs, but with the best of what’s around readily available everywhere else, I hope it’s a matter of time before songs like Tyga’s slowly slip back into the unheard pile, right where they belong.

Jake DeVirgiliis is a junior government and politics major. He can be reached at devirgiliis@umdbk.com.