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I’ve tried to stop downloading music, films, and TV episodes because having that sort of easy access to content made music less exciting to me. I no longer had to wait until the release date to hear a new record. I didn’t have to have the physical record in hand to enjoy it.

The past year has been exciting to me again because I make myself wait until the proper release date. I’m getting back into pre-ordering records from bands I love. And my record collection is getting healthy again.

So, morality aside, I don’t download much so I can enjoy music like I used to growing up.

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What I feel strongly about isn’t so much where the direction of media distribution is going (like I said, you and I are on the same page regarding how we feel about potential new models) or whether a person should never/always “pirate” media, but more about whether people are willing to at least acknowledge that they’re bucking the system to get something for nothing.

By the way, I forgot to say this before but I am absolutely amazed by the “more dated than” line you used earlier. For that, you technically win any argument this week.

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Also, from your responses, I think you feel stronger about this than you are claiming.

I want to roll back to something that Heypal said on a different thread: http://veryserious.org/2010/01/27/question-815-filesharingsausage#comment-24608

This is the case I find myself in all the time:

There is an album I want by a band I like. I could, very easily get it from my friends on the internet, but I want to reward the artist for doing something good. What can I do?

I can buy it legitamitely on itunes, but I know that the artist only gets like $1.50 of my $10 once the label and apple get their cuts. I am willing to go out of my way to give the money to the artist, and if they are selling it directly I will get it from them, but this not often the case.

I think what labels like illegal art are doing is pretty interesting, where you pay a minimum for certain versions of what they are selling but can get the mp3s for free or you can pay more if you want. Check it out: http://illegal-art.net/shop
granted they were driven to this model probably because they primarilly deal in sample-driven music/remixes/mashups with Girl Talk and the like…

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I wasn’t trying to make a direct link between those two situations, (actually,) Phil, I was pointing out that they used the same faulty “I payed for something = I can do anything with it” logic.

Metaphors & analogies don’t require literal similarities. Saying “Trying to reason with you is like playing tug-of-war on the moon” isn’t meant to imply that we have to wear space-suits to debate a topic. Keep working at it, and some day you’ll “get” these literary tools.

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