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Why should I care?
Do you wonder why on earth you should you care about ripping music off the internet or illegally burning CDs or DVDs?
Well, perhaps you should consider some of the reasons set out below.
Artists deserve to be fed
A lot of people who copy and distribute music illegally try to rationalise their behavior by arguing that the people who make music are all rich anyway, and that music should be free for everyone. But asserting that music should be free is the same as saying it has no value—that music is worthless. It’s not.
Music doesn't just happen. It's written, bar by bar, line by line, by people who work hard to get it right.
For the artist, the hard work requires not only a major emotional and intellectual commitment, but also long hours, intense concentration, and real financial risk. There’s a lot of imagination, soul, and courage involved in creative work. But making music is also a career for artists and getting an income is as important as it is for anyone working in an office, driving a bus or running a company. It’s about putting food on the table and covering the rent. It’s about making enough money to pay for all that equipment and rehearsal time, about keeping yourself afloat as you strive to succeed in a highly competitive industry.
What gives the music value is not only that you like it, but also that you buy it. If you steal it, you’re not just stealing from a record company. You’re stealing from the very artists you respect and admire who put all that hard work and energy into giving you their music.
"People should realise that having the recordings of music that other people have made is a privilege and not a right. People use the excuse that it’s okay to steal music because making music isn't real work because artists have fun doing it. Well, there's good gigs and bad gigs just like there's good and bad days at work. If you apply that principle, when I have a run of packing some particularly good boxes (alas, that's what I do for money to support myself) and feel particularly satisfied one day then I should be paid less for that time! Absurd! Intrinsic rewards don't pay the bills."
KIM SALMON
New artists need a gig
Music piracy hurts established artists and does even more damage to up and coming artists because it deprives the Australian music industry of the revenue needed to finance the huge costs of finding and developing new Australian talent.
People often say that illegal copying is a victimless crime that really doesn’t hurt anyone. Try telling that to the struggling young musicians in a garage band who can’t get signed because record sales are down. Or tell it to the young singer-songwriter whose career dead-ends because people would rather download her music for free.
There’s no question that internet exposure can be a great thing for new artists. For many up-and-coming bands, there’s no better way of getting noticed and establishing a following than creating a website and putting your stuff out there for the online world to hear. But there’s a difference between checking out a band that chooses to let people download its music for free and deciding for yourself that somebody’s music should be spread all over the internet.
Making records is an expensive undertaking. So is building a career. If people aren’t willing to pay for the music they love, record companies both big and small will find it increasingly difficult to commit the kind of resources it takes to discover and develop new talent.
"Even buskers get paid for playing music. Sitting on their arse on the street. But it’s better to have a choice as to how you experience music. You can hear music on your radio or on your iPod or see and hear an artist in a club. It takes some money to get off the footpath and to get to all those other places. Nothing is free. Everything is plugged in. The money gets around and for the artists, nothing gets wasted, believe me."
DAVE GRANEY
It’s unfair
It’s unfair to the entire artistic community that creates music. It’s unfair to the singer/songwriters who get their copyrights plundered. It’s unfair to the musicians who are deprived of their dream of making a living from their art. It’s unfair for the owners of small record stores which will close because of the substantial revenue losses.
Songwriters and artists, whether established or up-and-coming, aren’t the only people hurt by illegal copying. In Australia alone there are thousands of people employed in the music industry — and very few of them are rich rock stars. Stealing music also threatens the livelihoods of the thousands of technicians, CD-plant workers, warehousemen, graphic designers, printers and other non-musicians who are employed in the music business helping to create and deliver the music you listen to.
"Isn't it more exciting to own the real artwork and CD and hold it in your hands?"
KAV TEMPERLEY, ESKIMO JO
It’s wrong
You wouldn’t steal a mobile phone or t-shirt. Our sense of right and wrong keeps most of us from doing such a thing. Sure, we know there are criminal penalties, but the main reason we don’t steal is because we know it’s wrong.
Yet when it comes to stealing music, people somehow seem to think the same rules don’t apply. Well they do.
"Downloading can be a great way to share music, but downloading music illegally threatens the future of everyone that depends on you for their livelihood. Get music the right way! If you download, do it legally!"
KEITH URBAN
Why are we telling you this?
We want to encourage you to do the right thing—to let you know what’s okay and what isn’t; to educate fans about who really gets hurt when they steal music; and to show computer users who want to download music from the Internet how to do it legally.
Our message is simple. Stealing music is the same as stealing anything else. It is illegal and the consequences are real, for artists, songwriters, you, and for the future of music.
So enjoy the music artists bring you, but please respect copyright. Stop burning multiple copies for friends! Stop offering to upload music files to millions of users on the Internet! Stop downloading from unauthorised sites!
For PDF version click here.
REAL FANS GIVE ARTISTS, SONGWRITERS AND OTHERS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
A FAIR GO
!
MIPI acknowledges material from http://www.musicunited.org.
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