Should We as Musicians Tolerate File-sharing?
by Sebastian Herforth
Music is a musician’s artistic expression of personal feelings, and is made to share with the public. It is heard daily, on iPods, on the radio or when attending a concert. However, the way we as consumers listen and share music has changed drastically throughout the last 20 years. The transition from analogue to digital media proved a huge change and allowed music to be shared very easily from person to person. Music sharing, as we know it today, started with the introduction of Napster, the original file-sharing program, which was started by 19-year-old college dropout Shawn Fanning[1]. With Napster, many listeners stopped buying music, as they could simply download the songs from someone else’s hard drive. Certain organizations, such as the Recording Industry Association of America, the organization that represents the recording industry in the United States, have tried going after the downloaders, but the amount of pirated music as been on a constant rise. At the current point in the music industry “95% of all digital music [is being] downloaded illegally.”[2] Many musicians have expressed their views regarding the issue, and while some are saying it is good, others are saying that illegal downloading is costing them too much money. As a musician, I am for file-sharing and think that to survive an unstoppable change, we as musicians and managers of our career need to adapt, embrace file-sharing and find other sources of income.
Certainly,WeUs musicians have definitely not ignored the emergence and development of illegal file-sharing, and there is a lively discussion about it among artists, , especially expressed in blogs, about its merits and consequences. Established musicians such as Nick Mason, the drummer of the band Pink Floyd, have spoken up about the matter. Mason embraces file-sharing, and states, that it “means a new generation of fans for us.” He does not see the point of fighting the movement and “going to war with [his] fan base.”[3] He adds that it gives people a way to discover new music, giving artists exposure that otherwise would not be there. Likewise, Ed O’Brien, guitarist of the band Radiohead, agrees that file-sharing is creating increased exposure and can be seen “like a sampler.”[4] It could encourage fans to go see the band live or support them by actually purchasing the album.
Because they are exceptionally wealthy and famous musicians, it is easy for Mason and O`Brien to forget the perspective of those just starting out. For ifIf we want to make a living as professional musicians, we need to be making money to fund our studio time, tours, photo-shoots and instruments. Only through exposure, that costs us time and money in the first place, can we then grow our fan base and start generating more money. Does file-sharing contribute enough to this exposure for aspiring musicians that it helps us to kick off a sustainable career? This is where another famous artist, Lily Allen, voices her doubts.
In 2009, Lily Allen posted a blog post onto her personal MySpace page. Allen is an English pop star who has won several awards such as the Brit and NME awards, and has been nominated for many more. The post was an explicit response to Mason and O’Brien just one week after their opinions were published in the Times. She brought up the fact that these two specific musicians are very well known, “sell-out arena tours and have the biggest Ferrari collections in the world.”[5] She highlights the fact that it is easy for these musicians to say that file-sharing should be acceptable. They don’t need the revenue created from album sales anymore to live their current lifestyle. “For new talent though, file-sharing is a disaster as it’s making it harder and harder for new acts to emerge.”[6] So, according to Allen, these musicians are forced to find part time jobs just to pay the bills, while playing the odd concert and releasing poorly recorded songs, as they are not able to afford high quality recording studios.
Allen`s point is valid, but in this discussion we must not forget that even before the emergence of illegal file-sharing it was never easy to become a full-time professional artist. To sustain a career in such a fast-living industry like ours, not only do you have to be you have to be not only good at what you do, but exceptionally good, and you need exposure. If we find ways to harness the opportunities file-sharing offers to us, so that we can enhance our exposure, there is a higher chance that people will attend shows, and support the artist through merchandise or buying their album[7]. The experience of a live show is something that cannot be downloaded from the Internet and will therefore always be a reliable source of income for the artist. The fans should have the highest priority, as they are the ones who will pay for what the artist has to offer. After all, they are the addressees of the feelings we want to share. With regards to the file-sharing, it essentially boils down to these questions: Do I punish my fans for not buying my music? Or do I embrace them for even finding out about and listening to my music? Building a positive relationship with them means letting them download the music.
This notion that we should embrace new opportunities of sharing with our fans is supported by the findings of a study that was done to examine the monetary effects of file-sharing on record labels. Robert C. Speck wrote his Master’s thesis on “The Effect of Peer-to-Peer File-sharing on Independent Record Labels.”[8] He directly contacted owners and managers of independent record labels and asked them to respond with how file-sharing had affected their revenues. The results of the survey indicate that about “two-thirds of the respondents favored file-sharing and reported that it either benefited or at least did not harm their businesses.”[9] The data in his study also highlights the importance of live performances[10]. It is essential for musicians to be touring and perfecting their live performances, as this is what the industry is moving towards.
So, what is my stance in this discussion? I consider myself a musician, as I regularly practice music and played in a band until recently. I was never close to the point of making a living with music; however, I did regularly make small amounts of money for playing concerts at local festivals and shows. I think at the point I was with my band, exposure and getting my music heard was the biggest priority. Without people hearing my music, there would not be potential buyers for anything. Therefore, I believe file-sharing should be tolerated and I am convinced that in the end it does not only contribute to the artist making money, but it will also make the artist put more effort into performances, hence making him or her a better musician.
As a consumer of music myself, I will admit I am someone who regularly downloads music, and by doing this, have been able to discover and listen to so much more music than I otherwise could have. Also, there is no monetary risk of spending money, only to find that I don`t like the music.downloading something and ending up not liking it. If I like an artist, I will, however, try to support him or her in any way possible. I regularly go to concerts and festivals, and will almost always buy merchandise. I am also more likely to purchase the album to support the artist if I know that what I am purchasing will be enjoyable for me. One thing I often do is buy the album in a package with, for example, a T-shirt and a signed poster. So, once I have discovered a band I like, through file-sharing, I am likely to spend money on that band. I also use Spotify regularly, which could be one answer to where the industry should be heading as it legalizes the behavior of millions of young people, our fan base.
To sum it up, the music industry is in an irreversible change. Far more people are downloading music instead of purchasing the records legitimately. On one side, some musicians think that file-sharing should be seen as stealing, as it is taking away money that could be used to invest in larger productions, better studios and simply their lifestyle. However, my view is that I think we have to accept the fact that file-sharing cannot be stopped and therefore each stakeholder should try not only to make the best of it, but should try to fully embrace its opportunities. We will have to rely on touring and selling merchandise to make a living. The emergence of file-sharing gives us an unprecedented boost in exposure, and if a loyal fan base is established, there will always be sources of income. These will simply be different than what they were 20 to 30 years ago.
Works Cited
Cochrane, Greg. “A Brief History: Music Industry versus File-sharing.” BBC Newsbeat. BBC Radio 1, 7 July 2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Lloyd, Albertina. “Lily Allen: ‘File-sharing Is Not Fair’” The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 15 Sept. 2009. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Phili, Stelios. “The Ultimate File-sharing Battle: Lily Allen, Patrick Wolf, and Others Speak Out Against Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and Crew.” Web log post. Flavorwire. N.p., 18 Sept. 2009. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Speck, Robert C. “The Effect of Peer-to-Peer File-sharing On Independent Record Labels.” Diss. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2004. The Effect of Peer-to-Peer File-sharing On Independent Record Labels. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
