for me piracy is:

miraclefucknut:

download something

put it on a DvD

sell it

make profit

not what most of us do:

download something

like it

go out and buy it

give money to rich people

You fucking idiot. “Rich people?” The reason the bands you claim to love “fall off” is because you downloaded their music illegally with no intention of buying their record or supporting them. If you aren’t in the business, then you have no opinion on this topic, because your argument is invalid. Bottom line.

I think that piracy is a very touchy subject. In the not-mainstream world of music, and really all other media, piracy has taken a serious toll on sales numbers and profits. But, at the same time, at least from my own experience, has influenced a lot more “pirates” to be more real-life involved in the media they are pirating.

What I mean by that is that piracy has given people the opportunity to become familiar with many times more bands than they would have in the first place. Maybe these people do not put a monetary value on the music anymore, but they are spending twice if not more than that on merchandise, tickets to shows, etc…something they most likely could not afford to do if they were purchasing every record they listened to (even if they only listened once.)

That being said: if you consider yourself a part of the music community, or even a fan of music in general, I think that it is really important to think long and hard about how you can support the artists you care about. Wether that means paying for a monthly music subscription service (Spotify is $5 a month, or $10 to be mobile-enabled, E-Music is similarly priced, as are Rhapsody and a slew of others), or going and paying for music that you support most and can afford to. Also, if you are a fan of music, it is up to you to go out to shows and support the bands you care about.

It is also in part up to artists at this point to combat piracy with music and other forms of revenue in ways that are simply irreplaceable, and cannot be copied with piracy. This can take shape in terms of vinyl, box sets, special preorders and really anything else that is physically tangible, or that makes purchasing your music and/or merchandise an experience within itself.

It is unfortunate that piracy has become such an every day part of most people’s lives, but that does not mean it is a bad thing. It just comes with a responsibility, and to assume that everybody you pirate from is “rich” is simply ignorant.

</end rant>

(Source: fulltaildiva-loki)