Piracy – Not a Problem, It’s an Excuse
Is piracy the reason artist’s don’t have money and are considered
broke? Let’s keep it real as a music
listener. In 2012 there are many ways music can be downloaded whether it is
free or paid. The World Wide Web is owed a big thank you. Back in the day, you had to go to a record
store and purchase the music that you wanted. Today, all you have to do is go
online, go to a variation of music sites and download the music for free or go
on iTunes for instance, and pay for the song or album. Either way it is evident
that the artists are not making as much money as they used to. We also have to
be honest and admit that the managers and promoters are not working as hard
either. Back in the day, the promoter and manager used to go from place to
place trying to promote the artist’s music. Now, if you hear the song on the radio,
look it up, download it, and you have it all within 5 minutes or less. The
manager and promoter haven’t left their office.
There are some honest people that pay for their music but
there are many that get it free. People sometimes don’t understand or don’t
care that when you download for free, the artist loses money. With the
recession being in full effect, free seems to be better.
The music industry cannot get a handle on music sharing and
they have spent a lot of money trying to get a handle. There used to be a time
when you couldn’t copy CDs. If you attempted to copy the CD, the music played
backwards or scrambled. That worked for a short time, but with technology
advancing so rapidly, it didn’t last long.
The company that is selling the artist’s music is
responsible for the artist getting paid. There is no way around that. The
artist has to create something so good where people will not mind paying for
it. Even though that may be easier said than done, that is what will work and guarantee
royalties.
Piracy is not a problem but an excuse. If you sell your
music on reputable sites, you will make money. I must add that some artists are
broke because they are living beyond their means. When an artist gets their
first big check they tend to spend too much rather than waiting until their
career really takes off and balances out.
