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Fine. I'll play. I actually don't have a firm stance on the issue, just a few questions and random thoughts. But you asked.
-Aren't record companies notorious for ripping off their bands? I mean, mechanichal rights are a few cents for each copy (so sorry--"unit") sold. I can see why the company has taken a hit, but does it make much difference to the artist?
-How many companies have gone under? I don't know. I'm asking.
-Bands have always had a rough time on the road, haven't they? I just heard an amusing story about Elvis Costello and the Attractions going flat broke in the middle of a US tour in the early days. The drummer made the mistake of mentioning he had a credit card. He's probably still paying it off.
-I always assumed there was a sort of "If I download something and dig it, I'll make an effort to make sure the artist will eventually get some of my cash" mentality among music lovers. Maybe not. Tightwads. I was hoping some sort of "pay what you feel" system would work, but maybe that's putting too much faith in humanity.
- I too feel music has been devalued, but only because of the sheer glut of it floating around. I'm guilty, you're probably guilty, lots of people you know are guilty. Simple economics: too much stuff, value goes down. But then, how does the indie artist get their material out there? I know! Tough situation.
-Barely related: I took my external hard drive to a pal's place to share some stuff I stole. His fucking cat knocked it to the floor and it hasn't worked since. There are quite a few lessons in this short story, I think.
-This is just childish: I think back to my younger days when I'd pay over ten bucks for a new tape. I did this all the time. Hundreds of times. So now the industry's hurting? Fuck them!
-Maybe I'm a different beast nowadays, but I can't think of too many instances when I'd buy some music without having a fairly good idea of what I'm getting beforehand. Seems streaming is very important to getting cash out of folks like me.
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