My thing with downloads is that if it is something I like I will probably eventually buy it. However, prices go up instead of down, which causes me to buy much less than I would like to. As stated, so little of that money goes to the artists themselves. Now, if by buying the product you were directly supporting the bands you love, it would be different. This band I mentioned for example: they don't tour so by buying the music it directly supports them to continue making more great music their fans will like.
If the products offered were reasonably priced, and the packaging and whatever else offered with it were of good quality and worthwhile, I could see it selling much mroe than it currently does.
For example, a digipack version of the latest Judas Priest CD going for 34 bucks, but the only thing that comes with it is a digipack with some extra pictures in a booklike format. Nothing is offered by the item aside from something you will not touch again after the first time or so. At least, I couldn't see a lot of people reading and rereading song lyrics and looking at the insert pictures. Now, if this was offered at a much lower price, and it included something more for the buyer, it may do much better in a physical standpoint.
The same with ITunes in fact. I mean, you are paying basically a dollar per song. Depending on the albums you want, this would end up costing the same or more than the physical product. Not to mention the fact that ITunes songs come compressed from its original quality.
Free downloads give you the same quality as ITunes or even better, and depending on the rips you can have FLAC or WAV formats that are exact copies of CD quality audio. Plus, finding that rare out of print CD or old demo you had a casette of back in the day doesn't hurt either.
The same can be said about DVDs and to some extent even Blu-ray. The only difference being that not all computers or laptops have the ability of Blu-ray playback yet, at least not in full Blu-ray quality. However, this will change shortly for sure. In fact, I have found many exact Blu-ray images at places like ISOHunt, BTJunkie, etc. The fact that more and more computers come with expendable harddrives also helps the matter, and so does the fact you can find 1TB externals for about a hundred dollars or less. Now, Blu-ray recordable media is expensive with dual layer discs going for prices lowest of 8 bucks and up from there. This price, per media. However, CD recordables and DVD recordables are cheap and easily found. Just recently I got a 25 pack of dual layer DVD-Rs for only 15 bucks. sounds expensive, but considering I have used all of them already by burning full quality ISO images from torrented movies (included but not limited to Seven Samurai criterion collection (21.99), Overkill live at wacken (19.99), Scorpions live at wacken (24.99), Metallica nimes (19.99), etc etc)). So, calculating, my 15 dollars and 4 or 5 days of waiting for all downloads saved me at least some 150 bucks when it was all said and done.
The fact of the matter is that physical media is too expensive and does not have enough to show for it. I continue to collect, but given prices currently, I have bought 4 CDs in the last year (latest Metallica, latest Laura Pausini, latest Metal Church and latest 3 Inches of Blood) when if prices had been much lower I would have bought much more. Same deal with DVDs and Blu-ray. Plus, digital media, if well stored, will not be eatten away like physical media. CDs and DVDs so easily scratched, and Blu-ray discs though scratch pproof continuously fragil when it comes to cracks and breaks. My plan is to get a few external harddrives and eventually backup all my physical media. I think this is the best to do.
I think I ran off track, but all this was to say that physical media is too expensive, people are tired of paying so much to receive so little in return, and the financial situation is not exactly great for everyone. Therefore, so long as physical media continues to have such crazy high prices, digital downloads will continue to spread: and I am talking about the free kind.
--Previous Message--
: As I sit here typing, a phenomenon you may or may not be aware of
: is occurring in electronic media. Contrary to what you may have
: heard, or what some people have said, this phenomenon is not
: going to go away, and in fact, will be the defining
: characteristic of the new era in the technological world. I am
: talking about illegal downloading.
:
: In the past 10 or so years, the spread of file sharing programs
: has rendered the conventional business model for selling music
: and software programs obsolete. Some of these programs you may
: have heard of - programs and websites like Bearshare, Ares,
: Frostwire, Limewire, Bittorrent, Pirate Bay, Isohunt, and others
: are now the dominant way for the acquisition of both music and
: software.
:
: At this point, 95% of music is downloaded online without paying.
: The cd is dead. Online music stores like iTunes and Rhapsody are
: hardly hanging on to a sliver of the music market, and everyday
: others leave for aforementioned programs. The music industry
: doesn't want you to know this. They have spent a fortune trying
: to sway public opinion that this trend is only temporary, and
: that with the proper government regulation and a healthy public
: awareness campaign, they can end this problem.
:
: OoohHH, how wrong they are. Hardly anyone below 25 pays for
: music anymore. There is actually a huge negative stigma on those
: that purchase music. You're seen as "paying the man"
: for something you can and should get for free. The public ad
: campaign launched by the RIAA is absolutely laughable. They are
: never going to be able to stop it.
:
: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUCyvw4w_yk&feature=related
:
: The arguments that the RIAA makes against downloading are
: laughed down by anyone even mildly familiar with downloading.
:
:
: 1. Downloading music will give you viruses.
:
: Response: A decent firewall or anti virus program will keep you
: clean, and you should only download music that is "at the
: top of the list". Many viruses, trojans, and malware are
: planted by RIAA agents to discredit download sources, and this
: only stirs up anger towards them.
:
:
: 2. Downloading hurts artists.
:
: Response: Large artists with high volume songs are hurt the
: most, but music downloading helps smaller bands by increasing
: their exposure. It's hard for people to feel guilty about this
: when they know only a few cents on every download goes to the
: artist.
:
:
: 3. It's stealing and uncool to download.
:
: Response: With a product that can by duplicated for no cost,
: it's no wonder that people will take it for free. Coolness is
: and always will be fighting against the man, and thumbing your
: nose at big companies is something every kid loves to do.
:
:
: The music industry is petrified about the future, with good
: reason to be. The future of music is going to be bands
: realeasing their music for free, and making their money on
: merchandise and touring. In other words, the middle man is cut
: out and the large music companies are left cold.
:
: The newest trend is downloading software from the internet. This
: is an emerging problem that has the potential to hurt companies
: like EA and Blizzard.
:
: For anyone with holdings in companies that rely on conventional
: methods to produce and distribute software, music, and movies,
: please be aware that the future is going to be very perilous for
: your investment. Regardless of whether it is right or wrong, a
: whole generation is growing up used to not paying for electronic
: media. The older customers are dieing out, and they will take
: the old music industry with them.
:
:
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