By Brendan Harte Gilsenan
I am the enemy of my generation. I am one in a responsible minority during an irresponsible time. Many of my peers do not comprehend my views, nor care to understand. I am one of the select few, among millions of teenagers, who still loyally purchase music.
Growing up, my brother was a much more casual music fan than I, although he still appreciated it very much. Owning an actual CD, jewel case and all, was much more important to me than it was to him. When I bought new albums I often let him upload the tracks to his computer. However, I eventually realized how much I was spending on the music that my brother was receiving for free. Having to save my hard earned money for each album, I saw how my brother was profiting from my many hours of shoveling driveways or mowing lawns.
The story has been told many times. Beginning with the Napster boom in the late 1990’s teens have been faced with a difficult question: Why pay for what we can get for free? Many feel there is no need to. Although this view has been labeled to my generation as a whole, I remain among a seemingly minority that understands the ethics and economics behind stealing music.
Ethically, there are no excuses for taking what is not yours. In a recent video posted to Youtube, singer and rapper Kid Rock asks today’s youth to “level the playing field”; to act on these ill conceived morals in other aspects of life. Mocking the stance teens often take with music, Rock encourages kids to steal iPods from Apple and computers from Microsoft, because, after all, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are billionaires already; they won’t miss a computer or two. Rock’s statement satirically reinforces the ethics behind taking what is not paid for, and reminds this internet-savvy generation that illegally downloading and copying music is theft.
However, Rock’s sentiments do not hit home with many teenagers. They do not see the similarities. To them, stealing is taking something and leaving someone else without it. Because they are not physically pocketing a CD, they have committed no crime. When confronted about stealing the potential profits from singers and songwriters, teens will often accuse the artists as being selfish.
To many my views represent the ‘millionaire artists’ and ‘greedy record companies’ they love to despise. Yet these ignorant attitudes manifest through a lack of understanding about the economics of the industry. Taking this stance fails to acknowledge artists who create the 90% of all albums that fail to make a profit each year. Illegal downloading often affects smaller artists’ economic stability to continue their trade, and the ability to support their families. Yes these musicians are often given advances from the record company, but their profits are put on hold until they can pay back their advance. They see no income from the record until it has already generated enough money to make up for the amount the record company lent in the first place. And if the artist does reach this point many people do not realize how little the artist truly makes per purchase.
The truth is, artists are forced to rely on touring for the majority of their income. The digital age is tearing apart the recording industry, and artists can no longer rely on record sales to make a living. Many songwriters are hit hard because they are not touring acts. Others must extend their leave of absence from family and friends in order to make up the difference in loss. In an article posted to CopyrightAlliance.org, Patrick Ross is quick to point out that, “It often seems that those most critical of artists' rights have rarely spent any time trying to earn a living as an artist.” He doubts the appreciation any of these downloaders would have having grown up with a parent always away from home, just to support the family.
A good friend, who we will call John Smith, admits to having stolen more than 90% of the nearly 5,000 songs in his iTunes library. He refers to his actions as ‘taking’ music from the Internet, rather than ‘stealing’ it. John says he is motivated to ‘take’ music illegally by the vast amounts of artists and genre’s available. Getting a taste of all that the recording industry has to offer would simply cost too much to legally obtain. Saving on music allows teens such as John to spend their money on seemingly more important things such as schoolbooks. While spending money on music financially drains teenagers, they often fail to realize their illegal actions have reverse effects on the artists themselves. John believes he is still getting sufficient money to these acts through purchasing concert tickets. And after all, “they’ve already got millions.” His claims reflect those held by a majority of today’s youth. Although many may understand, yet ignore, the legal aspects behind stealing music, they are extremely jaded to its expansive affects.
I asked John to express how he would feel if someone refused to let him copy a CD. His opinions were very similar to those of my brother’s. “Since you bought it, why not? Somebody already paid for it.” I personally have a large collection of music, which I have faithfully built up over the years. It is not a rare occurrence for someone to want a copy of one of my albums. Yet these situations usually leave the other person frustrated and annoyed with me. They do not understand, nor do they care to.
I have not been frightened into submission like others who have given into the industry’s necessary threats. I observe these laws because I still believe in the traditions of music. I understand that stealing music is not only unfair to the artists, but also unfair to those of us who choose to obey the law. Teenagers nowadays may question why they should have to pay for what they can get for free, yet I ask: Why should you get for free, what I have to pay for?
I am the enemy of my generation. I am one in a responsible minority during an irresponsible time. Many of my peers do not comprehend my views, nor care to understand. I am one of the select few, among millions of teenagers, who still loyally purchase music.
Growing up, my brother was a much more casual music fan than I, although he still appreciated it very much. Owning an actual CD, jewel case and all, was much more important to me than it was to him. When I bought new albums I often let him upload the tracks to his computer. However, I eventually realized how much I was spending on the music that my brother was receiving for free. Having to save my hard earned money for each album, I saw how my brother was profiting from my many hours of shoveling driveways or mowing lawns.
The story has been told many times. Beginning with the Napster boom in the late 1990’s teens have been faced with a difficult question: Why pay for what we can get for free? Many feel there is no need to. Although this view has been labeled to my generation as a whole, I remain among a seemingly minority that understands the ethics and economics behind stealing music.
Ethically, there are no excuses for taking what is not yours. In a recent video posted to Youtube, singer and rapper Kid Rock asks today’s youth to “level the playing field”; to act on these ill conceived morals in other aspects of life. Mocking the stance teens often take with music, Rock encourages kids to steal iPods from Apple and computers from Microsoft, because, after all, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are billionaires already; they won’t miss a computer or two. Rock’s statement satirically reinforces the ethics behind taking what is not paid for, and reminds this internet-savvy generation that illegally downloading and copying music is theft.
However, Rock’s sentiments do not hit home with many teenagers. They do not see the similarities. To them, stealing is taking something and leaving someone else without it. Because they are not physically pocketing a CD, they have committed no crime. When confronted about stealing the potential profits from singers and songwriters, teens will often accuse the artists as being selfish.
To many my views represent the ‘millionaire artists’ and ‘greedy record companies’ they love to despise. Yet these ignorant attitudes manifest through a lack of understanding about the economics of the industry. Taking this stance fails to acknowledge artists who create the 90% of all albums that fail to make a profit each year. Illegal downloading often affects smaller artists’ economic stability to continue their trade, and the ability to support their families. Yes these musicians are often given advances from the record company, but their profits are put on hold until they can pay back their advance. They see no income from the record until it has already generated enough money to make up for the amount the record company lent in the first place. And if the artist does reach this point many people do not realize how little the artist truly makes per purchase.
The truth is, artists are forced to rely on touring for the majority of their income. The digital age is tearing apart the recording industry, and artists can no longer rely on record sales to make a living. Many songwriters are hit hard because they are not touring acts. Others must extend their leave of absence from family and friends in order to make up the difference in loss. In an article posted to CopyrightAlliance.org, Patrick Ross is quick to point out that, “It often seems that those most critical of artists' rights have rarely spent any time trying to earn a living as an artist.” He doubts the appreciation any of these downloaders would have having grown up with a parent always away from home, just to support the family.
A good friend, who we will call John Smith, admits to having stolen more than 90% of the nearly 5,000 songs in his iTunes library. He refers to his actions as ‘taking’ music from the Internet, rather than ‘stealing’ it. John says he is motivated to ‘take’ music illegally by the vast amounts of artists and genre’s available. Getting a taste of all that the recording industry has to offer would simply cost too much to legally obtain. Saving on music allows teens such as John to spend their money on seemingly more important things such as schoolbooks. While spending money on music financially drains teenagers, they often fail to realize their illegal actions have reverse effects on the artists themselves. John believes he is still getting sufficient money to these acts through purchasing concert tickets. And after all, “they’ve already got millions.” His claims reflect those held by a majority of today’s youth. Although many may understand, yet ignore, the legal aspects behind stealing music, they are extremely jaded to its expansive affects.
I asked John to express how he would feel if someone refused to let him copy a CD. His opinions were very similar to those of my brother’s. “Since you bought it, why not? Somebody already paid for it.” I personally have a large collection of music, which I have faithfully built up over the years. It is not a rare occurrence for someone to want a copy of one of my albums. Yet these situations usually leave the other person frustrated and annoyed with me. They do not understand, nor do they care to.
I have not been frightened into submission like others who have given into the industry’s necessary threats. I observe these laws because I still believe in the traditions of music. I understand that stealing music is not only unfair to the artists, but also unfair to those of us who choose to obey the law. Teenagers nowadays may question why they should have to pay for what they can get for free, yet I ask: Why should you get for free, what I have to pay for?
