9 Reasons Why Piracy Helps the Music Industry
The entertainment industry, as of late, has been more than vocal about the butthurt they have endured at the hands of dirty pirates who steal their music. What they don’t realize is that these people actually help them.
A wild statement, you say? Oh wait, what’s this? Holy Bittorrent, Batman, it is an awesome list!
1. It stops fans from buying crap
Thereby performing a sick kind of quality control. Instead of just consuming whatever crap the artists decide to put out that week, pirates make them work to create good stuff. If a movie sucks, it’s not going to get the same kind of press these days as it would before the Internet. People will tell you it sucks. When someone gets something for free and says it sucks, you can often trust them more than a paid critic who probably got comped a weekend at Disneyland to tell people that “Paranormal Activity” was scary.
2. It helps artists who are actually good
Back in the days, we would only hear a musician if he had a record contract. Today, anyone with a computer and some talent can get their work out there. While it is true that wading through piles of junk can be somewhat daunting at times, finding the gem that becomes your favorite song makes it all worthwhile. The bonus is these guys don’t mind if we pirate their stuff. They are just happy to be heard.
3. It resurrects good songs
Every now and then, a song that would have never become popular again gets linked by thousands of /b/tards involved in some sort of sick joke and gets airplay. Without being free to find and listen to such a song, Rick Astley would still be that young white guy from the 80′s who sounded like an old black man. Pirates made him famous again. You’re welcome, Rick.
4. It is a great marketing tool
Most musicians don’t make their money off the actual sales of the album they release. They make it off concerts and merchandising. The more people pirate a song, the more are likely to pay for a live performance or t-shirt. If I found out the Numa Numa kid was doing his thing at the local theater, I would be all over it. Don’t act like you wouldn’t be first in line too…
5. If given the chance, we will pay for good work
Ask Radiohead. They released their last album to the net for free and ended up making more money in donations than they would have had they sold the frickin thing. What’s this you say? Cite my sources?
Ok. But first, a pirated pic of Megan Fox in a bikini…
6. If it wasn’t free, most of us wouldn’t listen or watch it
Now that you have forgotten all about asking me for sources, I ask you this: how many of the movies you have seen in the last year would you have actually paid for? 1 or 2? Maybe 3? These people are lucky ‘we’ wasted our time on some of their crap. Without piracy, some movies just wouldn’t get seen at all. Take that, British movie industry…
7. It stops physical piracy
I know I’m not alone when I say I will never buy a pirated copy of anything on the street. Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? If not given the digital opportunity to get things, the real pirates who make money off the stuff would be getting more and more business. Thanks to file-sharing, they get it all from anyone with a hard drive and just a little bit of motivation. File-sharers can shut them down whereas the MPAA, RIAA, or any other organization has problems even making a dent.
8. It stops violence
The aforementioned industry, selling pirated movies on the streets, can lead to people getting hurt. Just like the war on drugs, when something is made illegal and has to move to back rooms and alleyways, bad shit starts to happen. No one has ever gotten stabbed over the internet for copying a movie or song. Because you don’t have to deal with shady people. Those who advocate piracy are generally decent folks who would never hurt anyone. Unlike what the business would be without them…
9. It helps you to meet chicks
Honestly, I met the most wonderful woman in the world by helping her to get some free Nintendo games on her PC. For all you pirates out there, helping others always has its good points (even though it doesn’t necessarily help the music industry). Remember, the chick you help get some stuff for her computer today may be the one you have been looking for your entire life. It at least opens up the door to conversation whereas before you may not have had one. On that note, cue the comments….
This is the first contribution from xxoozero, FreakBits reader and cranky pirate
Sums up pretty much what all the articles on TF have to say
good job.
so true. fantastic article. look forward to more from this author.
Love it
Totally agreeing on 9th issue!
I think this is kind of a naive list. The industry doesn’t want people to stop listening to crap, listen to good songs, to good music, violence to stop. The industry just want to sell records.
Some items are pretty nice, though.
Awesome article, Dude. Now, if I could only find that friggen new Stephen Kellogg release…
It also helps the environment by not having to print out physical cd’s and covers etc etc
“Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?” Seems backwords, I would think the free version is the cow and the paid is the milk. All come from the cow, but you pay for the milk.
Anyway, I agree with all points.
I think you could have built a more convincing case. A lot of these points are very cheap and don’t point towards piracy being generally positive for the industry. (The industry being the publishers and the artists, not the consumers)
Very cheap, very sloppy.
I guess it’s filed under humor :[
good article ;)
Howso jp? If you have counterpoints to make then make them!
Myself – not bad points although there is a major point with what hector said, the music industry will only promote what will sell, whether its the most retarded thing out there or not, their only business model is quantity, not quality
I really should watch “Paranormal Activity”. I read an article in the newspaper that this film is very scary… In the internets i read the contrary^^
9th issue is depressing…
I wonder when you will forget these stereotypes and learn that women are just as capable as men to use a computer…
ha ha kiplanti.. goot one, but it never hurts to let the guy think he’s ur knight in shining armor (if he’s worth meeting that is) 2 can play @ that game LOL
Thanks for this great article.
very generic overused and flimsy arguments. If we are to be taken seriously as a movement, we need to stop pretending piracy helps the music industry. It doesnt. And thats a good thing. The music industry exploits artists.
Popular, not overused arguments. And yes, piracy doesn’t always help the industry get more money, but it raises the overall quality and supports artists.
@Kiplannt:
Generally not. At least that’s my opinion. My mom is a lost cause, my girlfriend goes to me with any issue she has and my aunts know less then their husbands.
I know three tech-savvy girls but they all get passed in knowledge and skill by the guys.
I like the article, good humor :) And talking about #9 I did scor extra points fixing her parents PC :D
@hector
The music industry is not just made of of Sony, Warner, etc. Everyone who makes music is part of the music industry :). The RIAA/IFPI on the other hand will try to have you believe that they are the embodiment of all music, and that without them there will be no more music.
One reason why you’re wrong. For all 9 reasons: you are disingeneous.. You want every thing for free except your own “work”. Period. Ever work for free. For years? Next time you go to the grocery store, ask for you food for free. And while you’re at it, stop paying your rent. And then tell your boss you now plan on working for “free”, because you—-now get this—have already been paid by him yesterday. No need to pay you further.
Nobody disputes your real motives: Free. As long as you didn’t have to do it yourself.
Tell you what:
Pay directly to the musician. Cut the middleman. Pay for someone else’s work. You expect to be paid for yours. Right? I mean right?
It just turns out your refutations are not so artless either. I believe the correct analogies would be:
- Going to a stranger and asking for identical copies of the food in the grocery store for free.
- Telling your boss you now plan on being paid only once for each day you work. Oh, wait… that’s already like that.
I think the writer’s real motives would actually be: Free. As long as it didn’t cost anything to replicate and hand it to me.
–~~—–~~~~—~—-~~——
PS: As far as paying directly to the musicians, that’s your only meaningful idea. But don’t forget the artists are the ones who sign up with labels, not consumers.
That’s right. Expect to be paid for your work, not your infinite copies of it. (even 30 years from now)
I would have to expand on the meeting the chicks to actually meeting new people or either sex (or both maybe). I have met new people that are fans of the same music as me, male and female. It’s a great conversation starter.
@clark tierney
your point is invalid, they (‘pro’ musicians) make plenty of money even though people download their trakcs for free, why? FREE MARKETING.
hearing/attaching yourself to an idea is substantial and controlling, and can influence the way you spend your money.
please wake up and read believer’s comment – they will receive royalties for their music until the day they die.
i guess you think its a good thing people wipe their asses with $100 bills
@ the author : good article! fun read, please actually cite your sources though!
I can see free music if that’s what the musician wants to do, otherwise, it’s a bad idea.
Hey xxoozero, next time you go into work, assuming you have a job, why not work 3 hours for free…..every day from now on. How will that work out for you dumbass.
If the artist hasn’t put out his/her music for free then you are nothing but a thief when you steal their music. End of story.
You’re not stealing it, you’re copying it. He’s not losing anything, he’s just “not winning”.
You’re not stealing because this is a digital format. But the principal is the same. You are using a product or service without paying for it. Physical or Digital, it’s still a bad thing to do. I think it’s up to the creator/copyright holder to Chose whether to release something for free or not. And no one else should decide whether to share it with millions of others for free but the artist/creator/copyright holder. That’s just wrong for obvious reasons. Not everyone whose material you find on pirate bay wanted to share their material for free. Where are their rights? It’s becoming more like a one way street.
Actually piracy has gotten one guy stabbed when he posted In Sorte Diaboli by Dimmu Borgir before the release, his frinds carved him up pretty bad, but i see your point
[...] Link original: FreakBits [...]
Beleza!
Gostamos do texto e postamos ele na íntegra em nosso blog de nome Feijoada Nacional. Abraço!!
Segue link:
http://blogfeijoadanacional.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/9-porques-de-como-a-pirataria-ajuda-a-industria-da-musica/
Hey zero’s top 9 lists from shoutwire are back, it seems. It’s funny because shoutwire used to be joined with torrentspy and now shoutwire’s best editor is on the best torrent news site.
I haven’t read a more uninformed, ignorant opinion defending theft in a long time.
Read up kid. You’re so wrong on so many counts.
Here’s a sample:
#5 Radiohead.
Radiohead INITALLY gave away their album for donations, as a promotional tool. However, it appeared for sale later with added tracks that fans who’d donated $20 for felt ripped off by.
Additionally it worked for Radiohead because they’d had many albums before, an established fan base, world tours and loads of airplay.
If radiostations picked up the radiohead album, they were guaranteed ASCAP/BMI payments also.
I’ve seen it trotted out to new acts “oh it worked for radiohead” SO many times. Here’s a question.
—> How many new acts did it work for? Has it worked for these artists? http://bandcamp.com/artists Look how many of them are giving away stuff for free.
—> Does citing one band out of the millions of musical artists in the world make a compelling case?
No.
Sorry but, you have clearly very little knowledge about what you are saying.. Many of those points where utterly inaccurate and seemed like wishful thinking. You didn’t point out the major downside of this whole thing. Some of the major companies where forced to shut down projects, movies etc Because of lacking money to finish it. And that was because of people downloaded a bunch of movies, shared it and even if they liked it, they never bought it.. Very few who does that. Because people forget after a while what they really are doing.. Not all good news.
This statement is good for losers!!!