BoMac
Self-righteous bullshitter
Recent "discussion", for lack of a better word, in the Arcade Fire thread has me thinking: I honestly can't remember the last time I illegally downloaded music.
I joined Interference in the summer of 2000, right around the time that the first beach clip of Beautiful Day surfaced. It was my first exposure to an online music community and this site remains the only message board I frequent. I posted briefly on UKK and Atease, but not with any regularity.
At the time my music tastes weren't very diverse - it was basically U2 and not much else. But after about 3-4 years on the site my interest and knowledge in music expanded greatly thanks to Bang & Clatter and I began seeking out many of the artists recommended here. So I signed up to music blogs and began downloading tons of new music, to the point where my library had more albums than I ever thought possible.
It wasn't that I couldn't afford it, but I guess I felt entitled to the music. They'll get my money when I buy concert tickets and merchandise, I often told myself. But my thoughts on illegal downloads slowly changed over time, thanks to discussion here, particularly from Mofo. My journalism career also helped in this regard, because I constantly felt the pressure from blogs and "free" sources of news, and we can now see the state that the industry is in.
Anyway, I think the last time I illegally downloaded a song or album was in 2010, or perhaps earlier.
So my question is: do people here still do it? And, if so, how can you justify it?
Also, I haven't signed up to any of the streaming services because I'm not convinced that artists are getting their fair share from that. So I just buy.
I joined Interference in the summer of 2000, right around the time that the first beach clip of Beautiful Day surfaced. It was my first exposure to an online music community and this site remains the only message board I frequent. I posted briefly on UKK and Atease, but not with any regularity.
At the time my music tastes weren't very diverse - it was basically U2 and not much else. But after about 3-4 years on the site my interest and knowledge in music expanded greatly thanks to Bang & Clatter and I began seeking out many of the artists recommended here. So I signed up to music blogs and began downloading tons of new music, to the point where my library had more albums than I ever thought possible.
It wasn't that I couldn't afford it, but I guess I felt entitled to the music. They'll get my money when I buy concert tickets and merchandise, I often told myself. But my thoughts on illegal downloads slowly changed over time, thanks to discussion here, particularly from Mofo. My journalism career also helped in this regard, because I constantly felt the pressure from blogs and "free" sources of news, and we can now see the state that the industry is in.
Anyway, I think the last time I illegally downloaded a song or album was in 2010, or perhaps earlier.
So my question is: do people here still do it? And, if so, how can you justify it?
Also, I haven't signed up to any of the streaming services because I'm not convinced that artists are getting their fair share from that. So I just buy.