This week I have really had to consider my stance on the
illegal downloading of music. This has actually been really troubling for me
because of the argument against my current stance made by Dr. Johnson:
shouldn’t art be available for everyone to enjoy regardless of economic status?
And my response simply is yes when asked this question directly, but I have to
reconcile it with my own behavior and economic status. As is painfully clear, I
have a lot of privilege and very high economic status when compared to the rest
of the world. And even just in my area, because of my parents both being
college educated professionals who work for different areas of the government,
we have a nice, steady combined income at my house that’s stable and high. At
the very least though, high enough for me to be able to afford music and not
need to illegally download it just to enjoy myself a little. It’s not fair to
other less fortunate people who can’t afford music, and they see that, so
they’re going to do what the majority of people do and disregard the law. And
while there are artists out there who deserve to be compensated for their hard
work, I really don’t think they’re doing too bad as it is because of the
current infrastructure that encourages those with more privilege thanks to
economic status to purchase their stuff. I feel like there are enough of those
who can afford to pay for access to an artist’s music that those who can’t
afford it should be left alone. Plus, this is a very minor crime with very
little negative consequences besides people who are more than likely already
super privileged and rich being deprived of a minuscule fraction of the
potential money they could make. So altogether, I guess I’ve just reconciled my
own behavior of purchasing music by using my privilege as an excuse, because
others who have less privilege and can’t afford music shouldn’t be deprived of
the wondrous and magical power of music. Art is something I feel all should be
able to see, hear, and just plain experience, regardless of where you come from
or who you are. Music is such a key part of humanity that I can’t help but
think of how those who download illegally because they can’t afford are doing
the right thing.
I brought this up in class and I have included a link to the article but many people escape poverty through music.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thembj.org/2011/05/music-in-mexico/
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/nov/24/classicalmusicandopera
I understand and like your argument, but I'm just not sure where to stop the train of " Fill-in-the-blank, everyone deserves this." So if everyone deserves free music all the time... Do we give everyone free smartphones so they can get the free version of spotify? and if we give everyone free smartphones, we then have to provide everyone with free internet to use the free versions of spotify on their free smartphone. Just food for thought...
ReplyDeleteThere is a very thin line between the sides of this argument. As an striving artist myself either way can really be justified. When I'm "feeling some type of way" there are just some songs that says every word that I feel and can put me in a better mood. I have always said "If music did not exist, I would not want to live." Sometimes you want to have your favorite song at the very moment that you want it without paying for it. It's really hard to determine. Simply because I download music illegally and I pay for Spotify because of its quality. Artists do have to get paid for their work to make a living. But there are truly some people who wont put a price to their music because the thought that someone would only listen to something that you made says enough. Some things you cannot put a price on. But then again sometimes Music is some peoples source of "getting out of here".
ReplyDeleteJust a few thoughts:
ReplyDelete1. I agree with the music being art and everyone should have access to it. However, I think overall the argument in class was a bit romanticized. How much money should a person make in order to be morally obligated to pay for music?
2. I also agree that artists aren't starving. In my opinion, some concert tickets are way over priced, and I guess that is just a business tactic. My point is, these prices that are taking advantage of a person's ability to pay there for filling the gap of the people who illegally download music.
I agree with Brock that it is easy to not realize that people with lower economic status are not able to afford the enjoyment of music, when we are able to easily afford to access it. I understand why downloading music for free is considered illegal. Artists do not get any portion of the income that comes from the download. Although some artists create music simply for others enjoyment, others use it as an income for themselves and their families. I feel that it isn't fair to the artists when people get to enjoy their work and not pay them for it. But I do also believe that people should have free access to art. Music enriches peoples lives and all people should be able to experience it regardless of their economic status.
ReplyDeleteI can see both sides too. For every musician out there making hundreds or thousands of dollars per concert, there are fifteen artists who are making pennies, if that, off their music. I buy music from those types of artists much more often than I buy music from the ones who can afford to not have people pay for their songs. I completely agree that everyone should have access to music, but where I start to get lost is how to realistically deal with the issue. Who has to pay, who doesn't, who deserves to have their music paid for, who doesn't, etc.
ReplyDelete