Stealing Music?
Since the entire office staff converted to Apple supporters at the Christmas dinner that no one was to call a Christmas dinner (I choose to rebel in petty ways), my equals have asked for assistance in the day to day operation of the device known as iPod Touch. Each time I’m assured that the media to be transfered is legit, and each time I wonder why anyone would think I care.
As my financial records would prove beyond doubt, I support more artists of many a type than I can reasonably afford to. Most of what I take, I pay for in one form or another: late fees on library book returns, concert tickets purchased and not attended, and yes, even hard cover books and shiny dics with music.
Here’s the nugget at the centre of the music case: I’ve paid for and own well in excess of a hundred compact dics - a lot more than most folks I know. It’s safe to say that most music artists would prefer people like me over those that legally paid for everything they listen to, and own a handful of CDs. If you’re trying to argue my ethics or make an accusation that I lack some, think how many artists you’ve supported in your lifetime - in this regard, chances are I’ve put more loaves of bread on the table than you have.
Anyway, it’s not a binary world as so many insist, and many studies have shown that unlawful downloading ends up helping many artists. Sure, you probably didn’t hear of these in the tabloids or the daily news, but you owe it to yourself reading up about it, and stepping into the often misunderstood and loathed world of gray. Black and white are simple ideas seldom available in reality, but fondly imagined and insisted upon by many.