So my friend thinks that internet piracy not only doesn't harm the music industry, but helps it

[Inarticulate_Underachiever]

His arguments:

"Piracy will do NOTHING to any company, it will knock off a small amount of money from initial sales of singles and albums which they will make up for by more people knowing about them and buying the merchandise that you cannot pirate

A lot of people use small amounts of piracy as a way to try something out, if they didnt have that less people would be willing to plunge in and buy stuff. Album sales make for a tiny fraction of profits by record companies anyway, merchandise and those sides of things get much more

"People just use piracy in small amounts, such as downloading a few songs to sample music and then if they like it going on to buy it as well as getting merchandise and concert tickets"

 

[Radeonx]

The only way I see piracy as helping people is if you download one song, like it, and buy the albums. That's normally not the case though.

I don't personally care if it affects the companies or not, but it sure doesn't help them.

 

[Darth Pope]

Well all I know is that I never buy albums unless it's a band I REALLY like.

 

[electric_warrior]

thank god for semi-legal (by which i mean illegal) russian mp3 sites. i got around at least 20 albums for £23!
score!!

 

[Seanchaidh]

Piracy makes music more widespread, it is its own industry. It, however, does not help most musicians make money.

 

[Cakes]

If people really wanted it, and had the money, they'd fucking pay for it. Piracy doesn't do anything.

 

[Inarticulate_Underachiever]

I'm probably just a cynic but I just don't trust people to follow the "I'll pirate a few songs and if I like what I hear I'll invest in them" when they could get the whole hog for free.

 

[SmartIdiot]

Your friend needs his head smashed against a wall repeatedely until some common sense and knowledge of what he's talking about seeps in there.

 

[DerpyDerpyDerp]

It is tough. If I had to throw more of my scarce money into buying CD's because I stopped downloading, then I would be giving less to the film industry and video game industry where all my funds currently go.

 

[Inarticulate_Underachiever]

Your friend needs his head smashed against a wall repeatedely until some common sense and knowledge of what he's talking about seeps in there.

Care to elaborate on that?

 

[edinflames]

Depends on how you define what is 'good' for the music industry.

If you think "radical and substantive changes to the entire structure of the industry; ranging from the artists' relationship with the audience to how artists earn their money, via the consumers' diminished need for massive record labels" is a 'good' thing then your friend is correct.

If however you are one of the very wealthy men sitting at the board meetings of a multinational record label then you might think that piracy is the end of your world.

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

Doesn't really work like that most of the time. I donwload an album but if I don't really like it I won't go see them live or but any merchandise. The cure to piracy? Better musicians.

 

[cainstwin]

Id like to point out th yes, maybe they will make sales in concerts and gigs, but the idea of concerts and gigs (for smaller bands anyway) is 2 get there name out there and they make no money from it. The money comes from CD sales.

 

[Baneat]

You're friend is right in financial terms, but probably not morally.

 

[deadlyric]

It's possible that you're friend is right; but it really depends on the music they listen too. Have you ever exerted the effort to find a barely known indie band discography? It's a lot of work; opposed to going into Itunes or whatever and sample/buy music from the band that you enjoyed.

It hurts the artist but then again it also promotes the artist; you're really hurting label companies as artists make their money through touring, not selling CD's (it doesn't hurt but it's not their big source of income).

For example: If you were to download a band today that you really like then you'll probably tell your friends about it, and their friends so on and so forth which maybe it will get to people who don't pirate music for whatever reasons and someone will buy their stuff.

 

[Hollock]

I think if that was how it really was then piracy wouldnt be a problem. I dont know anyone who does that they just download everything onto their ipod

 

[GoldenCondor]

Piracy makes music more widespread, it is its own industry. It, however, does not help most musicians make money.

You realize that musicians get almost nothing (couple of cents) for selling CDs, right? And don't say "well if 1000 people buy it they get some money!"
Wrong. Even if they got a dollar for every sale, they still would only get $1000, which is nothing, depending on how much each member gets, paying for equipment, paying for gas to go from show to show...
they get no money.

It all goes to the rich greedy record companies.

The only time you can say musicians get money is buy selling their own merch at a show.

Piracy is a win in this case.

 

[Venatio]

That is complete BS and everyone knows it. One guy downloading a few songs here and there may seem trivial. But try estimating the loss in potential profits when that number is upped to 1 million. In the end this only hurts the music industry because it doesnt reimburse the hard working artists who go to great lengths to make top of the line albums.