No matter who you are, each person in our digital cultures class is a pirate. We ourselves have all contributed to “every important sector of big media today-film, records, radio, and cable TV”, each being born by so-called piracy (Lessig-Free Culture). So what exactly is piracy and how does it make individuals a pirate? Well friends, piracy occurs when an individual, without permission, uses another’s creative property. Now can we all honestly say that we have not done this? (No hands go up…) Exactly! When a song is heard on the Internet that catches the interest of one person, they in turn inform others, who then inform others. This, yet a case of piracy, is an example of how online sharing can benefit an artist. The Internet is a main catalyst for allowing the public to hear new independent artists. The exposure that the artists receive from online sharing of music is definitely beneficial towards them spreading their name and gaining them fame. Though in the eyes of the recording company, the online sharing may seem detrimental, in actually it is an advantage for the recording artists themselves.
The truth is that the free downloading of music by no means “destroys sales” or “ruins the music industry” as recording labels may claim. In fact, it helps sales, maybe not immediately, but in the future. It can be thought about though personal experience. An individual may hear a song from an artist through a friend, causing them to get a free download. Gradually they inform others, while also listening to other songs from the artist. Soon they find the artist is touring and they go see a concert, paying for a ticket and also possibly purchasing memorabilia at the concert. This doesn’t even include the iTunes purchases, or CD purchases from gained popularity after individuals continue to spread artist’s notoriety. In fact, Janis Ian, the recording musician who authored the reading from class stated that she found “every time we make a few songs available on my website, sales of all CD’s go up. A lot,” further detailing that free downloading is a clear benefit to the artist.
Ian added that the main way an artist can become successful is through one thing, exposure. As she details, “without exposure, no one comes to shows, no one buys CDs”. In her experience she said she has had several encounters with fans who said, “they came to a show because they’d downloaded a song and gotten curious”, yet another testament to the benefit of free downloading (Ian-Internet Piracy).
Ian’s articles, as well as similar artists accounts, clearly reveals that they artists themselves are not the ones negatively affected by free online sharing. They in turn are positively affected allowing their name to gain recognition, and their music to catch on with fans for years to come.
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