Letter to Emily (1 Viewer)

[snakybus]

http://thetrichordist.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/letter-to-emily-white-at-npr-all-songs-considered/

the gist:
Some nerds on NPR talking down to some intern, which will DEFINITELY stop all illegal downloading forever
Mark Linkous and Vic Chestnutt topped themselves because of illegal downloading

 

[rettucs]

Mark Linkous and Vic Chestnutt topped themselves because of illegal downloading

a bit of a stretch including that in there I would have said. Not belittling the affect that their financial troubles would have had on them, but both had a long history of mental illness, including prior suicide attempts.

I would agree with other parts of the article though. Poor Emily is quite representative of her generation. They listen to lots of music, but buy almost none. Which probably isn't on.

 

[snakybus]

oh it's Camper van Beethoven!

 

[snakybus]

I have to say, I find his tone sickly and condescending. Okay, so maybe yer one is a spoilt brat, but blaming the kids for the "fall of the music industry" is kind of like cursing the darkness or something.

"Why not donate something to a charity that helps artists. Consider this your penance."

ah come on now

 

[Anthony]

it's not perfect but contains some truths that our generation take for granted. Just like there's anti-smoking campaigns every few years. These things need to be repeated. Wait til we have a 2nd or 3rd generation of people who think music comes from thin air....

Also, it's NPR, of course it's condescending. It's not like anyone under 30 is going to see it.

 

[dudley]

Albini responds:

"The two examples Lowery uses, Chestnutt and Sparklehorse, are prime examples of bands induced into living above their means and ending up in sharecropper status. Sure they had a money tit for a while, but when it becomes obvious to the money people your band's sales can't pay for quarter-million dollar recording budgets, then those budgets go away along with the other slush money those bands get to take advantage of.

It's not the fault of the audience that they were in a game rigged to induce wild, unsustainable expectations."

 

[dudley]

Blaming the suicides of two mentally ill people on file sharing is remarkably ill judged.

His quoting of figures neglects to mention the fact that of the 70000 records released in that year, maybe 98% of them were awful and didn't deserve to be bought.

Can't find the quote but even Mick Jagger thinks it's absurd to make money selling records, and he admits he was a part of ridiculous historical blip.

 

[Psycho Punk]

I feel like parodying that letter.

Or maybe just rewrite some lyrics.

"See Emily Pay". Yeah.

 

[Goodbye]

This idea of Metallica or some rock n’ roll singer being rich, that’s not necessarily going to happen anymore. Because, as we enter into a new age, maybe art will be free. Maybe the students are right. They should be able to download music and movies. I’m going to be shot for saying this. But who said art has to cost money? And therefore, who says artists have to make money?

http://the99percent.com/articles/6973/Francis-Ford-Coppola-On-Risk-Money-Craft-Collaboration

 

[snakybus]

I think it's more or less a destructive thing, for all its being presented as some kind of constructive thing. Attack the very people who have enthusiasm for what you love to do and all you're doing is alienating your last possible allies. If indeed there's a "war" going on. Which there isn't. Like, there are actual wars going on in the world.

But aside from that, the bigger issue, in my view, is that it's a complete waste of time. Tut tutting and telling people "you shouldn't download illegally" is wasting your sweetness on the desert air. Especially when you're saying it on the internet! It's not inconceivable that there were people (over 30) reading that article while simultaneously illegally downloading the latest torrent of their favourite tv series on another tab.

I think Albini's quote is fair enough. You can't blame the audience. But what I'd say is, you can, but they won't care.

And being a condescending, holier-than-thou old git about it all is gonna make them laugh at you while they continue downloading, and you're standing with your guitar in the rain shouting "I deserve a middle class income!"

 

[Space]

I think it was put best when one of the lads from Wilco, Jeff Tweedy I believe, said something along the lines of how inconceivable it was to punish your fans for listening to/enjoying your music. I can't find the exact quote.

 

[Psycho Punk]

See Emily Pay

Emily tries but misunderstands, ah ooh
She often inclined to borrow somebody's music till tomorrow
That provides no payday
Let's try it another way
Artists will lose their minds unless you pay
Free games no way
See Emily pay
Soon after dark Emily cries, ah ooh
Downloading in sorrow hardly a sound till tomorrow
There is no other way but to pay
Let's try it another way
You'll lose your liberty unless you pay
Free games no way
See Emily pay
Put on a down that enhances the sound, ah ooh
Please be a giver forever and ever, Emily
There is no play without pay
Let's try it another way
Artists lose their minds and slay
No free games you have to pay
See Emily pay and play

 

[Deadmanposting]

Poor Emily is quite representative of her generation. They listen to lots of music, but buy almost none. Which probably isn't on.

I haven't bought a CD in about 5 years. Everything's available for free online if you look hard enough.
And I don't think guilting people into paying will work either.
I don't know what the solution is but I'm not going to start dropping 15 quid again every time I want to hear a record.

 

[Andy_aurel]

http://www.theonion.com/articles/kid-rock-starves-to-death,342/

 

[Space]

I haven't bought a CD in about 5 years. Everything's available for free online if you look hard enough.
And I don't think guilting people into paying will work either.
I don't know what the solution is but I'm not going to start dropping 15 quid again every time I want to hear a record.

But who is going to pay? Instruments and recording gear isn't going to be free any time soon.

 

[Deadmanposting]

But who is going to pay? Instruments and recording gear isn't going to be free any time soon.

I don't have an answer. But people have been so used to getting music for free, they're not going to start paying again.

 

[washingcattle]

I haven't bought a CD in about 5 years. Everything's available for free online if you look hard enough.
And I don't think guilting people into paying will work either.
I don't know what the solution is but I'm not going to start dropping 15 quid again every time I want to hear a record.

Could you not just pay to download music thereby supporting artists?

Sake.

I haven't bought a C.D in years either but mainly because they're horrible looking and get lost every time you move gaf. I'd buy stuff off Itunes or Bandcamp before I'd go illeagally downloading. That said I have illeagally downloaded albums which I preciously bought on C.D but said C.D is too badly damaged to add to my Ipod. Which brings up the issue of whether I paid for
A. The C.D or

B. The music contained on the C.D

I feel I paid solely for the music therefore i don't feel too bad about this.

 

[Deadmanposting]

Could you not just pay to download music thereby supporting artists?

Sake.

I haven't bought a C.D in years either but mainly because they're horrible looking and get lost every time you move gaf. I'd buy stuff off Itunes or Bandcamp before I'd go illeagally downloading. That said I have illeagally downloaded albums which I preciously bought on C.D but said C.D is too badly damaged to add to my Ipod. Which brings up the issue of whether I paid for
A. The C.D or

B. The music contained on the C.D

I feel I paid solely for the music therefore i don't feel too bad about this.

I ran into so many problems with iTunes. Not being able to send music or copy it over. DRM stuff, that I found it's simpler to just to steal rips.
And most new stuff leaks now anyway, so it's right there available to steal but not to buy.

Once you've had it for a month it seems even stupider to pay for it then.

I'm not proud of it, but surely I can't be alone in these practices.

 

[washingcattle]

Come on, write us another song.

I've repaired my split sides from the last one.

What are you getting from this trolling?

See Emily cry

I could, but that would be mean. You are obviously in need of help the way you gratuitously troll here.

Whatever, you twat.

Write a poem about about it.

You truly are pathetic. Do you suffer from penis envy?

Fuck me, this is how you spend your day?
Thumped's very own Weird Al, looking for laughs with his comedy stylings.

Jesus. Hahaha.

Classic thumped.

 

[Deadmanposting]

Could you not just pay to download music thereby supporting artists?

Sake.

I haven't bought a C.D in years either but mainly because they're horrible looking and get lost every time you move gaf. I'd buy stuff off Itunes or Bandcamp before I'd go illeagally downloading. That said I have illeagally downloaded albums which I preciously bought on C.D but said C.D is too badly damaged to add to my Ipod. Which brings up the issue of whether I paid for
A. The C.D or

B. The music contained on the C.D

I feel I paid solely for the music therefore i don't feel too bad about this.

Part of it is that there's so much music out there, that i couldn't pay for everything i download.
Most of what I get on sharing sites is not stuff I would ever pay for. It's just new and I want to hear it.
And if it's back-catalogue stuff, i don't feel any guilt. Like Yoke Ono or John Lydon really need my money?

Again, I'm not saying it's right, just that's where technology has led us.