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Originally Posted by Bam You Have AIDS
I can sort of see that side of the argument as well, and while I'm not interested in dabbling in the painting metaphor, I've got two questions I'd like to pose:
How is illegal filesharing that different from the function of a public library, wherein any number of people may borrow and read the same book free of charge?
How is purchasing used CDs of any benefit to an artist? If this is the basis by which we gauge something as ethical, then does purchasing used CDs fail the test, seeing as the artist/label receive no compensation for that transaction?
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I know you're not interested in the painting thing but just entertain this next bit. You say you wouldn't buy the art without looking at it first, fine, how is that different than sampling the sound of the music on youtube? You don't need to download it. Same as you don't get to take a painting off a wall and make a high-def scan of it so you can hang it up in your hallway first right?
Now these other things are interesting.
On the public library thing, I seem to recall there being some sort of agreement in place between the publishers and whatever governing body handles the funding of the libraries to compensate accordingly. Kind of like how software developers charge differently for an individual vs. commercial license for use of their product. That, or it might be something like a collective union for the authors like SOCAN or ASCAP where the artist gets a royalty each time the book is signed out.
Here's the big thing with the library though, you have to bring the book back. Sure, you
could photocopy it so you'd have a personal copy forever, but I'm pretty sure some people will get upset with that.
As for used discs, it's an indirect benefit to the artist. Sure they don't get direct financial benefit, but their material continues to move through more people. The secondary sale helps keep an ancillary distribution business in operation, a business that normally has a direct effect on supporting and boosting groups and artists that are on the verge of stepping up and out of their local stomping grounds. I've never seen a pawn shop / used cd store that didn't have a section for local DIY indie releases. A place like HMV won't bother with someone who isn't associated with an industry body like SOCAN.
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I think the bigger issue is whether or not modern listeners care to support the arts as opposed to the artists.