Recently I have been having a hunt around on the web looking at all the sites that not only talk about great albums but offer links to downloads for free.
Its made me look at my own blog with some concern; is talking about them enough ? What are the morals of posting actual albums ? What if these albums are ripped from vinyl and those records are no longer available ?
What do you think ?
Posts
4 comments:
Great question.
I'm certainly against uploading any new material or readily available material. The artists work hard for that and should be paid, and people shouldn't expect to find their new music for free.
But for out-of-print, obscure titles that aren't available it's another story. Copyright has to be renewed to be maintained. Sharing these obscure records can introduce the music to new fans and create new interest in a lost band, maybe leading to a CD reissue that would benefit them.
So for the out-of-print stuff, I think it's ok. It's a dubious moral line. I just try to think what would have the best benefit for the artist.
I agree. Some stuff may not ever find ears again if not for the internet. The question is: is being a fan and wanting to be, in a sense, the PR person for a particular band or album, give that fan the right to share the music freely? I would think that paying an artist through new-found appreciation is better than nothing at all, and if posting an album to download for free is the way for it to be done, so be it. I've never done so myself, but that's how it is. Think of all those unsigned bands on mySpace or the millions of bands who pass out free CDs in NYC as I pass by who need to market, not sell.
i think i may have found a way of doing it that fits for me, using imeem, i have read and double checked that they have a deal with itunes, amazon and record companys that allows people to share music playlists (not copy them) so i have started using this on my site
if they dont have a deal they only allow 30 secs
any ideas about the legality of this/thoughts on the ethics ? should i be worrying ?
Paul,
I like your imeem use. It's always better to have the music available for listen. I don't think there's any legal issues if you're not making it available for download. I think most obscure bands would be happy for the attention.
Racer
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