Rather, we're seeing dozens of people come in and make the same argument over and over, refusing to counter or even acknowledge anything offered to the contrary to their posts, and they seem to have given up on making a point and gone to circular logic before any "debate" even started.
File sharing hurts musicians *if they let it*, the same way you can go skydiving and choose not to open your parachute. Pull the cord, people.
Really? I've seen plenty of examples of how musicians are financially hurt by people giving away their products without consent and without charging for it and sending part of the profit back to the musician. That IS the model of how to do business, after all, and it's a model that you seem to feel is flawed. How exactly is it wrong to sell your product for money or expect others to sell it for money and reimburse you for your owed amount?
Ps I've acknowledged and embraced the contemporary distribution methods, I am happy about successes in the current industry, and posted as much. It doesn't change how naive your view is... so I'll try to explain in details here how a real working guy does things, and then you tell me what this mythical rip cord is.....
Have you ever heard of the American federation of musicians? Ever been paid for your contribution through music to film and audio recording? I have... It's part of my income. It continues years after the product is released as customers continue to use the product according to the rules and regulations under which it was released.
If there is free unapproved sharing of the movie or album, I don't get my royalty cheques.
How do you suggest I get paid in that case? I can't tour to support my work.... I was a hired hand who gets paid according to industry standard royalties because I'm credited on the album or film.
How can I open my parachute when the chute was already provided by the afm and I pulled it by paying my membership dues and working my ass off on the gig for which I was hired?
Your concepts show a complete lack of knowledge about how most musicians and actors and dancers actually make money outside of teaching and bar gigs.
It's a career for many of us... we support our children with our hard work and lifetime commitment to being highly trained and skilled specialists at our instrument or other form of fine art.
Personally I took private music lessons from age 1 (thanks mum) to age 25, mostly with people charging close to a hundred bucks a lesson. I put more years of hard work into being a musician than doctors do into being GPs. My family and I spent six digits on my lifetime of musical education, experience, auditions across north America, membership dues, and instruments.
How again have I not pulled my rip cord?
What an ignorant statement you made to a forum full of REAL professional musicians.
I have a dedicated website, work as a session player, write my own stuff for my own albums. I still need a day job because it's too hard to make real money in this business.
I've toured, gigged like crazy, joined bands that were supposedly going somewhere. I've taught, done movie soundtrack work, even acted a bit. I've networked online, composed music for mobile games, and the list goes on and on of the virtual rip cords I keep pulling.
Tell me how that makes up for money I didn't earn from work that was freely distributed without permission by people like you....