Music Consumer Guerrilla Ethics

August 4th, 2008 Posted in Music Biz

Everyone’s a music expert these days.  I’ve found that musicians and music afficionados have a particular conviction on how and why they consume others’ music.

So in a post less wordy and completely not as self-indulgent as my usual blogginz, I’m going to present a flow-chart on what I think should be the new ethics for music consumption.  And I want your opinion!

Granted, this chart may incite deliberation on what qualifies making a label “major”, but this is a work in progress.  This is, however, based on the fact that musicians signed to a label make no money and that finally, the industry is getting its just rewards for exploiting musicians.

Knowing how real music fans treat music could lead us to a better way for the industry to stop doing the dance with obsolescence - and will hopefully lend some insight as to how to get artists paid, and how then we, as consumers, can get a better product.

So tell me: How do you support music?

  1. 7 Responses to “Music Consumer Guerrilla Ethics”

  2. Sleepyjane was like:

    I have to admit that I still buy my cds. If I like the artist I will go out and spend money to get any and all the albums they have out there.

    Now, this has earned me a LOT of ridicule in this day and age believe it or not. I have heard “Why don’t you just like, download it for free…” a LOT of time.

    *shrugs*

    Aug 4, 2008
  3. Tough Girl101 was like:

    I still buy CD’s for my car, but for the most part, it’s downloaded. But legally… and I do pay for it.

    Aug 4, 2008
  4. Maxie was like:

    I agree– maybe if I had more money I’d be better about paying for all of my music, but as it is if I had to buy music I probably wouldn’t. I’d just listen to the radio.

    Aug 4, 2008
  5. Jenn was like:

    I couldn’t afford to buy music. If I suddenly had to replace everything in iTunes with the CD, I wouldn’t.

    It’s not that I don’t want to support the musicians. I do. If I find something I absolutely love I will pay for it. But if I’m testing something out, I’d rather download then spend $20 on the CD.

    Aug 4, 2008
  6. courtney was like:

    I buy nearly everything. I’ll admit that I have a few things here and there in my itunes library that I acquired by other means, but it’s a very small percentage. I’ve also got my fair share of burned cds, but to be completely honest with you, I NEVER touch them. Other people burn me stuff and maybe I listen to it once, but I forget I have it because I have no system of storing it and knowing what I have, which is just as well. If I fall in love with it I’ll probably go out and buy it anyway.

    For quite awhile, I was still the “must have physical CD IN MY HAND” girl, but I do a lot of (legal) downloading now, and generally won’t buy the physical CD unless A) I’ve already got a full collection of that artists albums or B) it’s in paper packaging instead of plastic. Jewel cases are a waste. It bothers me.

    I pay to go to shows. I don’t buy merchandise unless I’m at a show, but if I’m at show I’ll almost certainly get myself a t-shirt (as long as they have cute girly ones).

    I’m a bit of a hypocrite though, because I pay for nearly all of my music, but I don’t make my friends pay for it. I burn CDs for them. I’m bad. :(

    Aug 4, 2008
  7. deutlich was like:

    that graphic is ON POINT

    and… basically the principle I’ve stuck to for the past several years. Heh.

    Aug 4, 2008
  8. Jamie was like:

    Deutlich is right! So on point.

    Aug 6, 2008

Post a Comment