Sony, I download your music
And the funny thing is you still wonder why. Here’s the lowdown:
- I download your music because you manipulate your prices and people still can’t afford your overpriced CDs and DVDs.
- I download your music because I prefer to pay the artists by going to their concerts (they get far better shares that way).
- I download your music because it’s easier.
- I download your music because I’m not forced into your EULAs.
- I download your music because I don’t respect companies that don’t respect their customers.
- I download your music because even though I run Mac and Linux boxes, I don’t want to give money to a company that installs windows rootkits on other people’s PCs.
- I download your music because your music business model is wrong.
- I download your music because you don’t listen to the buyer.
- I download your music because I don’t want to go through 2 forms and a crap page to uninstall the spyware you install on my PC
- Truth is, I don’t download all your music because it’s not really that good most of the times.
Do you want to know the ironic bits? I produce music, I used to run a small label and I buy everything I really like from an artist – in fact, most my money is spent on things that are related to music (even if for you and the sake of this post I’m “just a computer addict” and “a blogger”). But I won’t buy more of your music because I just don’t like you. You won’t see more “music” money from me, and I will risk saying: ever.
Post-digg Update:
Apparently someone submitted this story to Digg and it’s been on the top of the homepage for a while, which explains the slow response times – let’s hope the host handles it. Now, some people have been commenting and emailing about whether it’s wrong to “steal music” or not. Yes, it is wrong to steal music. This is not about how right or wrong it is to download.
This is about the disrespect that a company like Sony shows for its consumers, by disregarding their privacy, installing spyware on their machines and imposing EULAs that say that, for example, should you go bankrupt, all your rights over your music are lost. This isn’t really the kind of people or policy I want to have releasing albums from my favorite artists.
Luckily, my favorite artists belong to Indie labels.
No matter how many excuses are thrown out to the contrary, stealing is still stealing. It’s easy to be a reactionary. It’s even easier when you’re anonymous on the internet. All the rants about crappy music and guns and the rest means nothing. You don’t have a right to steal. And if the music is all that crappy, you’re an idiot to steal it in the first place. It’s time for some people to grow up.
http://chuckbrown.com/music-file-sharing/index.html
“The thought that you are doing a noble thing for the artists by stealing their music is a joke, they are more than equipped to take care of that themselves in contract negotiations.”
First of all, music downloading makes it easier and faster for you and me to learn and listen to a new artist! You can’t imagine how many times a friend of mine told me “Hey, download that song from that artist”. I did downloaded it, I liked it and then I downloaded his discography. So now, I know who this guy is, I am not going to buy a CD and spend a 20 dollars for something that it really worths a 3-4 dollars, and if I really like him then believe me, I will buy his CDs. So, everyone that believes that piracy doesn’t help artists (especially new artists) is just an idiot!
Something else that I hate is that most times Sony and the other labels, release only 1-2 singles on the radio. Excuse me, but why should I buy a CD with 12 tracks without knowing if I like the rest of the songs?
Furthermore, I agree that it is stealing. The thing is that I cannot obey every law, that a few people pass to the parliament, without seriously questioning it. You’ll tell me that “That’s democracy. You vote your representatives and they will do the rest”, but what happens when companies such as Sony, Virgin “buy” politicians? We all know that most politicians in the U.S are corrupted, in the U.K the same (I am mentioning these two countries because the major music label companies come from on of these two), so how can you trust that some laws that are passed aren’t WRONG? Well, you don’t. You have to question it. To search whether is right or wrong. If you obey every law without questioning you will become a perfect slave, an idiot, a puppet! Few hundred years ago, the Pope said that the “THE WORLD IS FLAT” and they believed it because he was the Pope. That’s what you are all doing!
So, now it’s stealing, but if it is not in a few years, what will you say then?
sea salt
hey
yeah im in a band and hope to make it big one day and if i ever did, i would rather everyone have this point of view about sony and its music because its true.
however stealing is still stealing and if ur gonna id be happy for people to download my music to sample it.
at the end of the day sonys policys need to be changed
cause there bull shit
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Bullsh*t.
I download your music because I’m too lazy and cheap to leave the house and buy it.
I like your points, I run a website called Audiorascal which pays its artists 70% of all the revenue, with no forms to fill in, no user logins, no intrusive software, just good old pay for it-download it. In both instances, the end user and the artist are benefiting. Sony does what it does because the board do not see simplicity and respect for customers – they only see a very slight potential loss of money, so customer satisfaction, and most of all trust goes out the window.
He ‘used’ to run a small label? Yes the majors are corrupt but wouldn’t it be better to represent bands in a different way rather than just advocate piracy.. it’s not the solution just another part of the probem. Plenty of bands and labels with the right imagination are selling their material and making a profit and more bands are heading into this thinking everyday. No point in attacking Sony really. If he is so anti-Sony then he will have to gut his PC, Tv and other products to take all their chips out.
Everything is like Sony. The big man riding our horseasses until we´re left without our own sh!t. From Sony, to Dunlap, every big company is about the same. Even companies that do not pay us, like Facebook. (watch this before your douchiness comes at me with the Facebook thing: go to Guba- the truth about facebook) which is linked with the IAO. So, what is new here? The perpetual cornholing by the few people that control this world? I think we should stop complaining.
And start acting.
To all of your tools that think that stealing music is the answer to corrupt business, you’re only magnifying the problem.
Because then you create a set circumstance where it’s alright to break a rule if it’s conveinient for you. What’s stopping you from stealing food from the local grocer, or a car from your neighbor if you feel it’s justified.
Laws are made to protect ourselves, and to regulate activity that enhances our well-being. If you disregard that because well, you fell like it, you’re just killing off any benevolence the world still contains.
I’m a musician and a music enthusiast, and I download all my music.
The truth is: why buy something when you can get it for free?
Call me a cheap ass, thief, lazy motherfucker if you will, but i choose not to let money get in the way of my musical experiences and influences. Many of my favorite artists I never would have discovered because I wouldn’t have wanted to throw down money for something I’ve never heard before.
I have no respect for large labels. The day of the large record company is over. Make way for the independent.
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