file sharing music: Help or harm the industry?

[Str8Ba11a]

Again...artists make like 1% on royalties (sales of cds) Thats not where they make their money. As far as i know (and i will admit its not like im formally educated in this subject) the people who profit of sales is the record labels and the execs. Of course one could also argue that with lower record sales more artists would get dropped from the labels. I guess the bottom line is stealing is stealing, but the internet is the internet. Its not like people are gonna stop downloading music.

[yuzuharu99]

Recording associations just plan on taking our money.

I've seen artists who hate RIAA and post their own MP3 on their own site and sell a lot of CDs.

[scripter]

i think it only help us because we download music artist make a killing already

[Skinner8]

i think it only help us because we download music artist make a killing already

Not all artists make a killing, no...

[johndoe]

most the stuff i listen to the artists dont even have an ep out so there is no way other than free sharing the sponsor me tapes they made in the garage.

I have tons of stuff that came from file sharing. Tell me how am i supposed to get SNL Celeberty Jeopordy

Im kinda a music junkie i will get it anyway i can so maybe my opinion doesnt matter.

I actually bought a local bands sponser-me cd out of the drummers trunk for 5 bucks. i gurantee u u cant go to sam goody and get that cd

[Golgotha]

It probably hurts the industry slightly, but doesn't affect the artists much. The loss of some sales, I would guess, is mostly balanced out by people who are introduced to new music via P2P and then purchase that music. I know that happens to me quite frequently.

As I've read, artists make most of their money from touring and from various products like tshirts and etc.

[TheStuntman]

Yup the RIAA is a lobyist group that's funded by Big record companies like JIVE and such, I like listening to music and i download and i hear it all the time. cd in my opinon are way too expensive they should be around 7 dollars honestly because a blank cd is what like a quarter or something? and besides MOST CD's have only 1 or 2 good songs and the rest just plain suck. I think that music downloads have helped artist's music go farther even international because cd's from other countries are hard to find.

[cidsa]

My own opinion on this is that it helps the artists within the industry.

While the big companies used to be able to gauge us no problem ($20 for a CD that costs 10 cents to make is pretty bad. I understand paying a little more for the cases and booklet, but not $20) now they can't.
Artists who have contracts with these big companies are constantly getting screwed. While the company's executives are making the big bucks, a ton of bands/artists are getting next to nothing.
While the big bands like say, The Rolling Stones, are making big bucks, smaller bands are not.

According to research people have done, artists make quite a bit more from concert ticket sales than record sales.
If artists are getting a big percentage of the money made from concerts and next to nothing from their records..wouldn't filesharing then make sense?

If you download a song/album from an artist and you decide, hey, this is really awesome!..The next time that band/artist is in town (or near) you might just want to go out to their concert.
Then you go to their concert and the artist makes money from that and everyone's happy..Well, except the record companies of course.

While the companies will whine and say the industry is declining and everyone is losing vast sums of money and they get help from the RIAA...it's all just BS for the most part.
They are still selling tons and tons of Cds and music DVDs, they are still making money.

I don't know about the music industry, but last year the movie industry made more money than any other year..yet the MPAA still went around trying to get rid of all the piracy.
Honestly I don't get it, they made tons of cash yet they have to attack this sort of thing..
Only reason I can see from this would be they aren't making millions MORE than they already are..and we know how greedy people can be.

I could be wrong in some instances here, but honestly, I want to support the artists I like, not the big executives in the record company. I want to pay for my artist's Benz, not the head honcho of a company who just wants to gauge people any way they can to make a profit.

Also I wanted to mention, that even when I download an album, half of the time I'll go and BUY the CD.
Sure a lot of people don't do that, but lots of people do. It's not like all pirates never buy anything ever. :/

PS: Sorry if this was confusing in any way. I ranted a little and I don't feel like re-reading it XD

[Renegade]

Recording associations just plan on taking our money.

I've seen artists who hate RIAA and post their own MP3 on their own site and sell a lot of CDs.

You are so right, anyway they can always be on a commercial or something if they need extra money. :eyeball:

[typical]

Offspring once tried to give away their new album for free on their website, but their record company wouldn't hear of it.

[vjah]

It's bad for the industry but it's really good for the musicians. Bah, who cares about the industry?

[Heratis]

I support downloading music simply because it really doesn't seem to hurt the artist too much, You think they make there money back on the concert earnings.