Ownership of Music: The Little Things that Make a Difference:

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We all have different opinions of music's inherent value and on music sharing. There are also laws and licenses which help govern the world of music sharing. Although some artists are less outspoken on the set rules of copyrighting, copyrighting  infringement and licensing, others have stronger opinions. I interviewed Jessica Prouty, who had some interesting thoughts on the matter. Though Prouty makes money off of her performances and work, she also does not think it is a big deal if her fans illegally download her music, reasoning that if the fans are interested enough in her works to download her music, a tangible financial investment will be sure to come later. When asked about her opinion on these issues, Prouty said "...when a fan illegally downloads our music, it is usually because they enjoy it. That illegally downloaded music will lead them to buy a ticket to a show, purchase a t-shirt, and commit themselves to our brand as a whole. It might even sway them to purchase our next CD in the future, as well as many shows to come." 

Prouty also believes that government involvement in illegal downloading of music is unnecessary. "If the government attacks those who illegally download artistic content, they are hindering the population’s knowledge, creativity, and culture... most people who illegally download an artist’s music commit to the artist’s brand. They will spend money down the line, regardless if they spend the initial $9.99 for the artist’s CD or not." Jessica not only believes that fans who illegally download will spend later spend money down the line, but also that this is almost like an investment .  "The piece of creativity that makes an artist who they are is being practically given away. At the same time, they are paying it forward – they will make more money in giving their creativity away. It’s almost like investing in your fans. They will give back!"

Not everybody feels the same way. Famed musician Prince is prepared to go to lengths as drastic as filing lawsuits in order to protect his rights as a musician. In 2007, Prince had a strong case against sites like YouTube and The Pirate Bay, even hiring British company Web Sheriff to begin a legal process against companies who profit illegally from an artists work or without a license. 

Musician Peter Gabriel has also spoken out on the issue of copyright and piracy laws, though in the opposite direction of Prince. Shutting down his website for 24 hours to petition the SOPA bill (the Stop Online Piracy Act), Gabriel clearly would agree more with Prouty. 

One must consider how artists value their own work as well. Prince values his own work at a high level and has strict ideas about with whom he would like to share the rights to his work. Prouty and Gabriel also have pride in their work, though it may manifest itself differently in each case.  When asked: "How do you define the value of each song you write (from your personal point of view). Do you define it by terms of difficulty and time spent writing it?", Prouty responded: 

"I wouldn't place a dollar value on my music. Music isn’t like fixing a car or building a house. Writing a song is like having a child. I don’t think any mom/dad could place a dollar value on their child, because their children would mean more than any dollar amount they could think of. It’s the same in my situation, regardless if it was immensely difficult to write the song, or if it took five minutes. Songs have an emotional value to me more than anything else. Some original songs just bring emotions out in me that make the song very special." Gabriel also expressed his appreciation for his own music and his willingness to share it in his protestation of the SOPA bill.

Each artist has their own way of expressing their feelings about their music, and each artists puts an individual value on their music. Each issue is complicated. Where do you draw the line? This is a question which will no doubt plague artists for decades to come as the world becomes more technologically advanced and sharing becomes easier than ever. 

 www.jessicaprouty.com
http://petergabriel.com/
http://prince.org/