Can I agree and disagree? I am the same age as John, and, like a lot of people my age, I did a lot of downloading during the sport’s heyday. I haven’t downloaded a single song since graduating college two and a half years ago, and I have noticed a big change in my music-buying habits. When I downloaded, I bought an average of one cd a week. Since I quit out of fear of being found out and damned by The Man, I’ve been buying one or two cds a month. One-quarter to one-half my previous music consumption, despite the fact that I now have more disposable income. I, too, recognize the incredible amount of work that goes into making the music, but I always viewed downloading as a way to discover more songs and more bands that would make up the soundtrack of my life. And, out of gratitude, I would then go out and financially support those bands by buying actual, physical copies of their albums. However, I realize that not many people used downloading the same way I did.

So. . .There’s one vote of complete ambivalence for your survey.

I’m 22, and I also buy all of the music I own. I know record companies get a big chunk of an artist’s profits, but if I enjoy an artist’s music, then I feel like I should support him or her. If too many people download an artist’s music instead of buying it, it’s going to make the artist seem less viable to their label, possibly limiting their creative freedom or even getting them dropped from the label all together. Who wants that to happen to someone they like? I realize that’s probably an exaggeration, but I’m just trying to say that downloading doesn’t just hurt the record companies.

I hate it when I hear things like, “I don’t want to pay for a full album because only one or two songs are good.” First of all, a whole song on iTunes is, what, 99 cents? And if an artist can only come up with one or two good songs, chances are they suck, aren’t worth listening to, and will probably fade away in a year’s time anyway.

If we want record labels to stop pumping out crap, it seems to me like we should support the artists who are actually making good music!

IF I BOUGHT ACHTUNG BABY ON CASSETTE, THEN CD, THEN CD AGAIN ‘CAUSE I WOURE THEM ALL OUT, I THINK I SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO DOWNLOAD IT IF I WANT TO.

The thing is, there are all kinds of different reasons why people download music. Take the new Shins album, for example. I COULD wait until January to buy it… or I could download it now for free. Huh, I wonder what most people would choose? In addition, lots of people can’t afford to essentially waste their money on overpriced media… We’ve got bills to pay too, ya know.

I’m a proud downloader, only a few years older than John. The reasons why I “steal” music are quite simple: There simply is no industry-sanctioned way to find good, new music.

Radio- sucks. 50% of what gets played is 10+ years old (I don’t wanna go back to high school and don’t wanna hear the music I didn’t like in high school again, thanks.) At least 25% of what’s left is just terrible, cookie-cutter crap. That leaves a slim chance of finding decent music this way, but payola and computer-programmed playlists block indie & underground bands from having any shot.

Music TV– What Music TV? MTV2 is all emo, all the time. And you need a big label behind you to afford a video to get played, anyway.

Mags–Rolling Stone and the rest seem to have a one unheard band per mag rule. They don’t wanna disappoint you guys looking fot the hot tip on what John Mayer ate for lunch last week. pitchforkmedia’s a good source, but they’ll reccommend someone jackhammering a single note for an hour before recommending a decent band.

Sufjan, Devandra Banhardt, the Hold Steady (& on) I would’ve never heard through any method except for downloading.

Fact is, John prolly doesn’t mind downloading cos he likes major label rock, which I don’t. Joke’s on him, cos he’s lucky if the bands he likes see more than 5% of the money he spent.

In addition, the album art-work for a CD is barely bigger than a pack of cigarettes. Its the size of a postcard, for chrissakes. That’s not art–that’s a fancy doodle on an expensive napkin.

I buy, almost exclusively, vinyl. Great sound (no plastic, mashed overly compressed nonsense for me, thanks) and artwork that you can admire without a microscope.

Before I buy any new record, I DL it first. If the record isn’t available, I’ll buy the 5.1 CD or CD/DVD combo. If that isn’t available, I’ll go see the band (which I’d prolly do anyways…)and maybe buy some merch, which is the surest way to contribute to yr fave troubador’s finances.

Every album I’ve bought in the last 3 years, I’ve stolen first. And guess what? Not one disappointing purchase.

The major label record industry is dying precisely because they’re sooo slow to adjust to the new market rules. Even TV networks, with its streaming shows on-line and iTunes purchasing, is quicker on the up-take. If they ever get their dookie together, I might not be forced to go behind their back like I do. But I’m a better consumer because of my “theft” and unrepentant about it.

As for Chinese Democracy…I’m sure it’ll be crap, not worth the time it’ll take me to DL, and it will most likely sound as good as Axl’s dreads look. That being said, I’ll keep my $20 by “stealing” it, listening to it exactly 1.23 times and then trashing it. Which might be more trouble than its worth.

You should try torrentspy, it gives you the artwork… jackass.

I am a proud downloader of all mainstream artists with record contracts. I actually go buy the albums of my favorite underground hiphop and indie rock artists because those sales are actually supporting them. A record company that squeezes every dime out of a musical act does not deserve my money. and any band that charges 50 bucks a concert and then bitches because I downloaded their music are a bunch of whiners. Try working a boring ass 9 to 5 like me. I really feel sorry for the fact you only made 5 million dollars last year instead of 10. You don’t even own your music, or your name. If becoming a greedy penny pinching business man instead of an artist is what a successful ‘music career’ is supposed to be i’ll keep producing tracks in my bedroom and selling them on the street thank you very much.

If I wanted crap, i’d go to the bathroom. MP3 compression sucks.

I agree, I love buying albums and getting all the liner notes and cover art. But sometimes, as a student, you just need the music. (to the Tragically Hip: I’ll buy ‘World Container’ when I have the money, promise.) btw – ‘World Container’ rocks!

To those of you who justify illegal downloading by saying that paying for music doesn’t support the artist: It does support the artist, it also supports the artist’s publishing and record companies, which support the artist. If you don’t pay for a band’s record, their chances of recouping on their advance are smaller, which means their chance of getting another advance to make another record are smaller. The bottom line is this: the infrastructure of the recording industry is necessary for most major artists and indie bands. That infrastructure takes money. People at publishing and record companies, recording studios, mastering houses, and cd pressing plants have mouths to feed too.

by the way, i’m 21 years old, and i have no problem with legally downloading music

Personally I do both – I download music as well as buy CD’s. I think I bought 4-5 CD’s last month alone but also downloaded plenty of music too (mostly new artists). First, paying almost $20 for a CD is robbery and the majority of that $20 is not going to the artist anyway – new artists at least. Most artists earn the big dollars off touring and merchandise anyway plus I’m more likely to go see a new artist live if I downloaded their music first. Who knows, that live show might lead to me buying their next CD and seeing another live show in the future. If I was a new artist I would want as many people as possible downloading my music. That leads to much greater exposure and the opportunity to reach out to a larger fan base. Local radio is now a corporate product playing the same crap every day – MTV and VH1 are no longer reliable mediums for music and satellite radio is too expensive right now. The next logical source to access music is a computer and who doesn’t have access to a computer these days? Second, you can’t stop technology. Downloading music into MP3’s or WMA’s is not going away and is just going to get easier and more convenient for everybody, and eventually CD’s will become exinct just like vinyl and casettes tapes have. So what’s the answer?

B’s argument is very sensical, which I admire. It is also a bit flawed, though. Like any other industry in the country, the record industry is skewed very much to the highest on the food chain. So the heads of the music companies make most of the money.

As far as publishing goes, the whole industry’s a monopolistic cluster screw. Artists are forced to go with one of two major companies who, in turn, take most of the profits for doing little, excpet shutting down bars and clubs that play music.

I, for one, would’ve never heard most of the bands (major or indie) that I listen to and support without illegally downloading…so I know for a fact that the cessation of my DL’ing would damage bottom lines for the artist, their corpo-mafia backing, and everybody else in the industry.

I choose to support musicians in other ways besides buying shiny plastic discs from big box stores…Downloading does not mean I (or anyone else who does it, for that matter) doesn’t put serious money into the music economy…British studies have shown that there, illegal downloading has not effected the amount of music sold or the purchasing habits of downloaders–who are still the most ravenous consummers of music around.

Rrowr- About the shutting down bars and clubs, I believe you are referring to ASCAP, one of THREE PRO’s in this country. PRO’s are different from publishing companies.

Whether or not illegal downloading affects the bottom line of the music industry as a whole is really irrelevant. Illegal downloading is STEALING. If you need a way to be exposed to something before you buy it, listen to the 30 second samples on iTunes or the songs on a band’s myspace page. There are plenty of legal ways to get an idea of whether or not you like something.

I would think John’s opinion is the exception for his age group. I am 31, and I’m shocked and astonished how little value a generation just 5-10 years younger than me places in the act of owning a CD. They laugh at me. All they can cite is “well, the artists don’t make money from CD’s, only the labels do”. While there may be some merit to that argument, certianly artists DO make some money from album sales. But they could care less about ‘artwork’ or having anything tangible. They feel as if they’re being robbed by buying music, and would rather have gigabytes worth of digital music that they can carry with them anywhere…..and not have to pay for it.

It’s really bizarre how they think artists will be able to continue to provide the music for them to rip off when noone is buying it anymore…..this is not a difficult concept, especially for today’s smart kids. So what’s going to be the future alternative for artists to survive? Will we have to pay $500 to see the Raconteurs play live just so they can make a little money?

If the labels stopped charging so damn much for CD’s, there wouldn’t be a need to download them.

Plus, they’ve pissed off many a fan by issuing “special editions” of an album less than a year after it’s been released. Why did I buy KT Tunstall’s “Eye To The Telescope” or David Gilmour’s “On An Island” when within months there were superior “special editions” in the stores, forcing me to spend ANOTHER $20 just for what is really about $5 worth of bonus stuff.

I like owning music, I like buying CD’s, and I think the 128 kbs iTunes downloads sound like complete shit. But why should something like Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” cost $15 or more? It’s 30 years old, EVERYONE’s made lots of money off of it. Put it out there for $6, and let a whole new generation discover it…same with Zep, the Doors, Sabbath, the Beatles…really any music who’s costs have been paid for hundreds of times over.

The industry just needs some input from actual fans, and not the suits who haven’t had to buy a record or pay for a concert ticket in 20 years. Things need to change…but I don’t see the geezers who run the industry having a clue about how to evolve.

I am 27 and am not of fan of downloading music (ILLEGAL downloading = STEALING).
To me, a CD is about the whole package- the artist proudly (ideally)displaying/presenting his/her/their creative efforts musically and artistically (i.e. cover art). It is also about having something tangible- like opening a present and getting a wiff of that new CD smell and anxious to immediately put it in the stereo to listen to first note/chord. Okay that may be a little melodramic, but that is something that can’t be experienced by having a library of digital music. It is a shame that most of the younger generation miss out on this.

I am in my thirties and use torrents
to find new music along with rolling stone and meta critic. If I find a band that I like alot I will usually buy there new album as the very newest are not always available online and I would like to contribute to the act’s financial well being. I dont like the idea of stealing from anyone but it is not like I would be out spending lots of money exploring new music.

I’m not exactly in the age bracket yet – only 23 – but this is how I operate.

1) I have a very short list of bands (12, to be precise) whose albums I will buy on release date without fail.

2) I have a list I maintain, cultivated by my downloading. I buy things on this list in a first-in-first-out manner. What goes on the list? Bands whose albums are at least half-full of songs I enjoy, like, or want to study.

3) When I go to Best Buy to pick up CD’s from category 1 or 2, I’ll pick out an album which is new and cheap – generally, something indie. I’ve luckily never been burned with these purchases, but I considerate a way to encourage new acts, more than anything else – the new acts which I didn’t already discover and place on list 2.

What do I do with the albums that don’t make it onto list 2? I delete them entirely from my collection. If there are one or two songs I really like, I’ll get them from Itunes or Napster.

The main reason that I’m hesitant and have this three-step process in the first place is because of my experience with Trapt’s debut album. I rocked out every morning to Headstrong on the radio and couldn’t wait to unload the righteous, furiously hard rock the day I bought it. What to my disappointed ears should appear? All of the other songs on the album were far softer, bordering on pop-rock and emo.

The other reason I’ll download an album: I’ve ordered it on Amazon and it will take them more than a month to find it and get it to me – Trivium’s Ascendancy and Ember To Inferno, in the most recent example.