After exploring the issue of illegal
downloading of music in some depth, I have found that my opinions stated in my
previous blog post are for the most part what I stand by. The slight altering
of my opinion has come after further researching the topic through the eyes of
the party that the issue affects the most: the artists themselves. After
completing my research, this is my altered (somewhat) opinion of the issue of
the illegal downloading of music: Although I am still against the idea of
downloading music illegally in principle, I have come to accept that this is a
common occurrence, an occurrence that hardly hinders an artist, as many artists
have come to accept that there is simply no money in strictly selling their
music anymore. Rather, musicians aim to make their money in the modern music
market by touring, as this a sure way to make money if you are an artist, and a
great way to support an artist if you are a consumer of music.
As
mentioned in my last blog post, the music business, or the selling of music
through legal retailers such as iTunes or the local record store, is failing.
This is because the illegal downloading of music has become so prominent, that
the music industry is having a harder and harder time bringing consumers to
their stores and spend money to obtain music that can be obtained for free, and
with less effort. I am not the only person who knows this to be true, but
musicians as well are beginning to realize that the illegal downloading of
their material is inevitable, and resistance is futile. According to Sara Jean Kelley, a recording artist and my second cousin, she is aware that consumers
download her music illegally, but has begun to accept the harsh reality. Other,
more prominent artists have also spoken out in response to the rampant illegal
download of their music. Country superstar Keith Urban said, “I don’t care if you download it (my music) illegally. Give it to your friends, I really don’t care.”, when
accepting an award at the People’s Choice Awards in 2010. If artists are
beginning to accept that consumers will more likely obtain their music
illegally than legally, how can artists still make money?
The
answer to this question is one word: touring. Musicians have turned to
appearing in numerous tours to make money. This is an obvious way to make
money, because unless you are some kind of escape artist that can miraculously
evade security, you are going to have to pay the price for a ticket to the
artist of choice’s show. This method of basing their financial earnings on concert
tours is seemingly effective for many musicians. In a list of the ten richest musicians in the world, the top three were Bono, Paul McCartney, and Madonna,
in that order. Those three musicians have been a part of seven tours since 2010
combined. Bono and U2, a man and a band that are characteristically ahead of
the times, recently signed a twelve year deal with Live Nation worth a reported
100 million dollars, showing the lucrative nature both parties believe to be in
live performances. As well, U2 had the commercially successful 360 tour lasting for two consecutive summers. Paul McCartney has been the busiest of the top three
musicians, as he has had three tours since 2010, and as a result is one of the
most successful musicians on the planet. Madonna has had two tours in that time
period, and is also a major international success. According to Lady Gaga, “The big money is in touring”.
I
personally don’t attend many live shows, but knowing that this is the best way
to support my favorite artists, I will know consider attending more concerts in
the future. These days, the actual music an artist releases has become merely a
business card, and has no monetary value. Thus many artists have changed their
tune (pardon the pun), and started to focus more energy on tours, which will
forever change the music industry one way or another.
2 comments:
It's interesting that many artists have now come to accept the illegal downloading of music as something that can't really change and moved on from selling CDs to concerts and tours as a main source of income. I agree that now a days nit seems that the best way to support an artist is to go to concerts.
Touring is the answer! I agree with this and i think that touring does justifies illegal downloading because it gives musicians a place to make good money and something to do while fans get to see their favorite bands and get the music free! everyone wins. So i think you should change your previous stance.
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