‘How Music Got Free’ features interviews with Eminem, 50 Cent, Timbaland and more.

May be of interest to fellow pirates… youtube trailer | invidious trailer

Ah, the good old days of Kazaa, Bear Share, LimeWire, and Morpheus. What do you guys think - did piracy permanently devalue the music industry as claimed? Or were the record companies just massively overcharging for music in the first place? Given that record companies have been stiffing artists since forever, what is the best way to support your favorite musicians today?

In the streaming age, the concept of music piracy seems eons behind us. Back in the early 2000s, however, pirates shook up the industry by stealing and illegally distributing MP3s, which listeners would otherwise have to pay for.

How Music Got Free takes viewers back to the ‘90s and early aughts, when the FBI launched a sprawling investigation into music piracy to identify – and convict – those stealing music. Even once the thieves were discovered, mass music piracy was blamed for permanently devaluing music.

Directed by Alexandria Stapleton, the two-part documentary premiered at SXSW earlier this year.

  • catloaf@lemm.eeEnglish
    60·
    1 month ago

    Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem. If a pirate offers a product anywhere in the world, 24/7, purchasable from the convenience of your personal computer, and the legal provider says the product is region-locked, will come to your country 3 months after the US release, and can only be purchased at a brick and mortar store, then the pirate’s service is more valuable.

    https://www.escapistmagazine.com/valves-gabe-newell-says-piracy-is-a-service-problem/

    It was true then and it’s still true today. Services like Steam, Spotify, and Netflix are far more valuable to the consumer than physical distribution.

    If you want to support your favorite artists, come out and see them on tour (at non-ticketmaster venues, preferably) and/or buy merch.

    • LazerDickMcCheese@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      11·
      1 month ago

      To add on this, most musicians make little money off physical releases. If they’re an indie group/artist, they’re probably losing money in the hopes that they gain an audience. Shows usually pay artists (but trust me, not always), and merch always gives artists something to keep them going (unless they’re a victim of a 360 deal).

    • Unruffled@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPMEnglish
      71·
      1 month ago

      So true. Record labels seem to just want the ability to sell overpriced, shitty DRM locked licenses without any competition from piracy, because it shows just how exploitative their practices really are.