Courtney Love Does the Math

This seminal editorial is from June 2000. Yeah, eight years ago. Back when Napster was still relevant. The numbers have probably changed a little, but everyone still needs to read this.

Someone reblogged my previous post, incredulous that I didn’t just buy the music I was searching for (and had yet to hear).

The idea is to get a feel for a band before throwing money at their record company. I don’t spend $10-20 on an album without giving the act a thorough listen. When I find bands that I truly like, I go to their shows and buy a shitload of their merchandise, or, if I can’t see them live, I buy their album from their web site (or as close to the source as I can find).

Piracy is the unfortunate name given to the method most of us use to discover music these days. We all still love music and musicians, despite corporate propaganda proclaiming otherwise. (Of course they’re going to demonize that which makes them obsolete!) In the end, artists will still receive support from their fans, but the massive infrastructure that used to publicize and distribute music is no longer needed. In fact, it’s just getting in the way.

blah blah blah </sermon>