Unfortunately for artists, most of them share your attitude about purchasing music. I’ve been teaching college students about the economics of the music business at the University of Georgia for the last two years. I’d suggest to you that, as a 21-year old adult who wants to work in the music business, it is especially important for you to come to grips with these very personal ethical issues. We cannot wait for these entities to act in the myriad little transactions that make up an ethical life. I would suggest to you that, like so many other policies in our society, it is up to us individually to put pressure on our governments and private corporations to act ethically and fairly when it comes to artists rights. Rather, fairness for musicians is a problem that requires each of us to individually look at our own actions, values and choices and try to anticipate the consequences of our choices. (Besides–is it really that inconvenient to download a song from iTunes into your iPhone? Is it that hard to type in your password? I think millions would disagree.) It is not up to them to make it “convenient” so you don’t behave unethically. Fairly compensating musicians is not a problem that is up to governments and large corporations to solve. I must disagree with the underlying premise of what you have written. I just think that you have been presented with some false choices by what sounds a lot like what we hear from the “Free Culture” adherents. I applaud your courage in admitting you do not pay for music, and that you do not want to but you are grappling with the moral implications. I believe you are already on the side of musicians and artists and you are just grappling with how to do the right thing. My intention here is not to shame you or embarrass you.
We only ask the opportunity to present a countervailing viewpoint. We also believe–for reasons we’ll get into–that she has been been badly misinformed by the Free Culture movement. We believe young people like Emily White who are fully engaged in the music scene are the artist’s biggest allies. Our intention is not to embarrass or shame her. Recently Emily White, an intern at NPR All Songs Considered and GM of what appears to be her college radio station, wrote a post on the NPR blog in which she acknowledged that while she had 11,000 songs in her music library, she’s only paid for 15 CDs in her life.
0 kommentar(er)
