Tattoo'd Lady
Scentless Apprentice
Illegal downloading has impacted the music industry in a huge way. Some music lovers believe its a great trend while others absolutely despise it. What are your thoughts and practices on illegal downloading?
Of course the illegal downloading of MP3's takes money out of the artists pockets, but I'd guess that (based on the language of a typical recording contract) illegal downloading takes MORE money out of the pockets of record executives. I think that's why record companies fight this issue so vehemently, and that's why part of me has no sympathy for the situation. Rightfully so or not, they seemingly spend a dollar trying to recover every nickel lost to illegal downloading. But what about the artist? In the olden days groups would get a percentage of album sales, but what about today's secondary market? Who is going after all these sellers on Ebay or Amazon for any royalties due an artist for selling their used cds? And who is policing the local libraries making sure you don't take one of their cds home and burn a copy for yourself? And how do you keep track of people using the "friends and family" network of music sharing?Illegal downloading is stealing and it's hurting the artists.