Are Digital Downloads Good or Bad for Musicians?
The Beat on the Street Downloading music from the Internet is probably here to stay. Yet it is unclear whether this is going to be good or bad for musicians. There is legal downloading, like when musicians sell their own music through their own Web sites, or when consumers purchase music through the new Apple iTunes Music Store. There is also illegal downloading, also called file sharing, like most of what happens using software such as Kazaa, Morpheus, Grokster and the defunct Napster. This month, Allegro asked members the following question: Do you think downloading music is good or bad for musicians? The problem is the ignorance of real music in the USA in general. Also the “I will get mine and screw the rest of the world” attitude that pervades the “minds” of the consumer junkies in this world. If it were IBM or GE getting ripped off then the problem would be solved in a day or two and there would be a law with teeth. But for musicians it’s no respect and no protection. This is sim
