Enjoy Hip-Hop Responsibly

Music sales are in a sharp decline. Labels and artists are fading away. Quickly. It’s a shame because there are some very good people being hurt by music piracy.

Reasoning with the folks that do it is usually a dead end. Most know that it’s not lawful but don’t care because they just want to “preview” the music that they full well won’t spend a dime on. That’s the rationalization of it all for many. Of course there is a small minority that just take for the sake of taking without caring one bit about the impact.

You wouldn’t jack a CD off of a stores shelf but you will download an album from a “protected” website? Doesn’t the “protected” and “under ground” nature of most of it give you an idea as to whether the practice is right to be doing?

I love the art. The delivery of it is somewhat flawed but to absolutely devalue it because you can’t physically touch it is ludicrous. The practice of illegal downloading hurts REAL people. Most sensible people wouldn’t want to see their favorite artists quit doing music (most in pure disgust because of the rampant theft of their music) would they? What about that hard working guy or gal who is helping that artist be able to concentrate on music? Put yourself in their shoes.

My suggestions…

Record labels - be forward thinking and creative in how you present your music/product to consumers. I know the current climate is tough and it makes you nervous but engage people. Most people when given the choice to do right will choose right and purchase your music. Position yourselves with EASY ways for people to have access to information and previews. Have good products. Good music will sell itself and will flourish if you promote it well enough to media/radio etc.

Artists -ditto.

Fans - Support the music. Yeah, $17.98 was a lot for a CD wasn’t it? Well, buy the record before it drops and you’ll usually get some free bonus stuff AND save a few bucks. Plus you can’t beat what it does for the release… more sales usually mean more media / radio attention. Your few bucks of support can have far reaching effects. Consider it the exact opposite of music theft (which does hurt in tangible ways) where you can give a favorite artist a boost.

—

Sound off in the comments and read Part 1