The MP3: iLove or iHate Music “Sharing?”

By now, all of us should know what an iPod is. If any of you don’t know what it is, it is a device used to store music in the form of an mp3 file, with mp3 standing for MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group Audio Layer III). The iPod device was created by Apple and was first released on November 10, 2001. Today, you have iPhones, iPads, and Mac laptops made by Apple. Virtually all of these products have the capability of downloading and obtaining mp3 files. With iTunes, which is a program on the internet designed for Apple customers to purchase and download mp3 files onto their computer or storage device, people can easily download songs for the price of a dollar a song (or 1.29) and transport them to their portable music device. People can purchase whole albums and thousands of songs with the click of a button and have it stored for all eternity on a small, portable music device. One can store music, videos, pictures, and other things on these small and convenient devices. However, because the internet is so huge, it is so easy for anyone to find the music or video they want, download it onto this type of device, and not pay for it at all.

One of the original iPod versions.

From the perspective of a regular person, it is obviously a lot more convenient to download a song, video, or any other form of media onto a storage device and not have to pay it. Sites like LimeWire and Napster that were very popular when they came out were extremely convenient for the general public. One could search their database for songs, click download, and receive it on their mp3 device without ever having to worry about payment. From the perspective of a musician or maybe even a producer, this “sharing” of music on these sites is extremely unfair. These musicians and producers put out this music in the hopes of making money, but they cannot make money when they got little Jimmy buying their songs once and then distributing it over the internet for free. These musicians and producers are truly only seeing probably half of or at most, one quarter of their profits made from mp3 file sales. After these sites came out, people started picking up on these internet thefts, and it became a huge outrage. As most of you know, LimeWire was actually shut down because of copyright infringement and for allowing its users to “share” their files illegally with other users. Napster had also done this, but Metallica (one of my favorite heavy metal bands) had filed a lawsuit against them, along with other artists and some major record companies. This eventually led to its inevitable downfall.

The Legal Battle between Metallica and Napster.

As a musician and an American, I am against file sharing in general. If a file initially has a price, one must pay for it. If anything has a price, one must pay for it. If you don’t, it is theft, and it is illegal. Those that do it are stealing something that belongs to another person. The sad part is that people can still do this from other sites, whether they be well known or obscure. The internet in general is an easily accessible realm in which everyone has access to everything, which makes it extremely easy for anyone to steal anything. To even comprehend how many thefts are done on the internet would probably blow one’s mind away. But to those who do steal on the internet through file sharing sites, you should think about what you are doing. You are robbing these artists. The money that is made in the music industry today is through music production, not the actual selling of music, and these file sharing sites could be part of the reason why musicians make small amounts of money when compared to producers. These musicians put out their best work in which they have bled, sweat, and possibly even cried over. They work their asses off to try to make a living out of what they love to do, and you are robbing them of well-deserved credit and money. Fame means shit if you do not have the money to back it up in today’s world, and a lot of unknown musicians who have really great stuff still need to pay the bills. You are part of the problem, but only you can fix this. Can I reach out to everyone? Can I convince everyone to stop file sharing? I don’t know. (probably not…actually, not at all). But, I digress.

Music and file sharing is really not helpful at all to the music industry. Artists, producers, and all parties involved with the making of a song, album, video, or any other media are robbed of the credit they deserve. Sure, it does help spread the ideas around the world via the internet, but even a well-known artist needs to make money somehow. Even at a simpler level, file sharing is illegal. It is stealing. Like I said, fame really has no value. These up and coming musicians are looking to make a career out of what they do. They are looking to make a living out of what they love to do.

To lighten up the mood, here is a satiric video about Lars Ulrich and his overzealous and rather absurd rant about Napster and file sharing. WARNING: This video is explicit…but hilarious.

Music and Technology: A Musician’s Strife…or Epiphany?

As a musician, I love music. I play guitar virtually everyday, listen to music constantly, record my own ideas, and play in a band with my friends. As a technology user, I am amazed at how many technologies there are, and how these technologies are heavily involved in the world of music. Everything from mp3s, iPods, EQs, compressors, cables, microphones, instruments, and digital effects are all involved in this musical realm. But, with this vast amount of technology available at our fingertips, it makes me wonder if technology is helping or hindering musicians. It seems to me that because there are so many technologies out there, there must be certain technologies that are non-beneficial or injurious to the common musician. So, I ended up having a chat with a musician I know (we’ll call their band The Rats). This band is looking to dive into the music business at a global level.

The Rats have been involved with their musical project for a few years now and have a professionally mastered CD. They are now looking for their opportune moment to make a name for themselves. When they told me about how far they had gotten, I was ecstatic. I was excited to see that they had made it this far. After our moment of joy, we started brainstorming ways in which they would be able to gain notoriety. I am not going to go into great detail, but I’ll just say that it was productive.

While we were talking, the topic about new technologies in the music world came up. We got into digital downloads, CDs, and sales. They then talked about how musicians today need to be careful about who and where they send their music to. They explained that once your songs are out there, there is no way of knowing how many people actually paid for it. They said that because the internet and various forms of media are available to virtually everyone around the world, everyone has the potential to take what they want. There are loopholes and programs out there that allow for its users to take different forms of media like a song or a video, and basically steal it. This realization made me weary about the music business, and it makes a musician a bit uneasy or paranoid hearing the news that virtually anyone can take their songs or ideas without them knowing it. This person also went on to say that producers are the ones that make the money, not the musicians, unless the musician or songwriter protects their work with producer or publishing agreements that make sure they get paid when the songs are published in media or played on the air. The sad part is that there are too many young musicians who do not educate themselves on the importance of understanding the business of music, which is completely different and independent from making music.

What they said was completely crazy. I could not believe that the musician – the one who comes up with ideas for songs, plays all the instruments, and works their ass off at performances – ends up with only a few dollars in their pocket compared to the millions that producers might make. It scared me to think that if I really wanted to do this (which I really do), I will probably get stiffed by customers and employers. This conversation was an awakening for me. Not only are the producers pocketing more than the musician, but the customers (A.K.A. the fans who love what the musician does) are stealing the musician’s music through certain technologies that were meant to help the world of music and its musicians.

What really hit me was that this person that I know had paid for everything they had done on this project, and is still paying for it in the form of money. However, this person was in high spirits, and is still optimistic about the future of their success. This chat with this person revealed to me how technology has a huge impact on the music industry. In this case, it was extremely negative. Here, you have a struggling musician who wants to do what they love for the rest of their life, and at the same time be able to make money doing it. But in the back of their mind, they know that they might not make any money. It is a sad reality, but it is one that I believe all musicians and fans should hear and know well. Technology can help you with what you want to produce, but it can really bite you in the ass when you want to make a name for yourself.

A musician must question whether or not they are doing the right thing in the right way when they utilize technology. A musician must ask, how will technology help me? How can I use it so that it will be beneficial? How can I be careful? A musician must take a hard look at technology and determine how it will benefit them, and how it can become a danger to them. A musician must expect to get bitten in the ass at some point or another, learn how to take it, and then learn how to make use of it.