First of all, I’d like to say that the people who make the most money from the CD sales are not the musicians. The producing company usually takes most of the money from these sales. This is an important fact that everyone in this conversation has left out. Mainstream musicians get most of their money from touring and advertising. The CD sales just help them gain notoriety, and what better way to gain notoriety than letting anyone listen to your music for free? This is not a war of the musicians vs. the evil pirates who steal their work but a war between the large producing companies and the mbumes who can’t afford to buy all the music they’d like because of the ridiculously high prices the record companies have set for the discs and/or mp3s.

Anyone remember the Greatful Dead and their American tour? This tour was followed by the so-called Dead-Heads all through the continent and, even though these people were all bootleggers, they helped the band get a major following by distributing their music for free. This way, more people came to the venues, which were the primary source of income for the band. I know I would never go to a concert of a band I’ve never heard play and it’s impossible for us, the average music listeners (who are mostly in their 20s or teenagers – let’s face it, these people don’t have that much money to spend, be it due to the fact that they get money on their parents discretions or because they’ve just started working and get payed just enough to pay the rent and buy food) to check out new music at the prices they’re charging for the CDs these days. As for the money it costs to make the cds, be it royalties or actual production costs, Shii makes the bumumption that this cash is lost because people pirate. Let’s make one thing clear: if I download a song, the artist doesn’t pay $.91 because of that. Not to mention that this is not the fans fault. It’s the fault, once more, of the giant record companies (the same people who stifle creativity and make everyone sound the same – seriously, listen to three random artists in the mainstream and tell me if you think they’re all that different).

In conclusion, I urge you all to bootleg and support the bands you like by going to their gigs.