Zad wrote:
Eternal Idol wrote:
It doesn't matter what kind of music you're referring to. Labels are greedy and want to exploit the attist. Only one band gets the majority of royalties that they are owed for album sales. That's Metallica who fought Elektra tooth and nail in court for years to get that. Same with the famiies of Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Presley. Elvis made his label way more money than he got paid. Why do you think fossils like the Rolling Stones still tour to this day? That's where they make their money. Plus, if labels didn't charge ridiculous prices for albums, more people would buy. I have a decent paying job, and still buy used more often than not. I can't afford new albums. The average price for albums where I live is $16.99. That's way too much, especially if the album is less than 40 minutes. If labels would pull their heads out of their asses and lower prices, I guarantee you more people would buy. Life is expensive, and sometimes you have more important things to spend money on than a CD.
Jesus Christ, just because you can't afford caviar doesn't give you a right to steal it. Music is not a right, it's a hobby, as I said above. You have to pay for it. Can't afford it? Tough shit. I get more out of my small collection of real CDs knowing I paid money for them than someone with thousands of MP3s does.
First off, I don't even download music. How ironic is that? Someone who doesn't download defends it. I have a massive real CD collection, so in a way you are preaching to the choir.
But, I'm not going to sit here and delude myself into thinking that the labels aren't stealing the artists work in the first place and rigging up the contracts to where they are the only ones cashing in on it. If anyone is stealing from the artist it's the label, not the downloader. The artist does all of the work and the fat cats reap the reward. There is no such thing as a record contract that is beneficial to the actual artist. The labels spin it as a privilege for the label to distribute a certain album. A privilege the artist has to pay for. The artist is something for the label to make a few bucks off of, and when that artist is no longer profitable, they spit them out. Art never factors into that equation.
So, yoiu can blame capitalism if you want, for that is the real culprit here. My point is it's an issue that has several layers to it, and the onus can't be placed on one certain thing.