I'm divided. On one hand, I, like the majority of others, believes an artist should retain the right to distribute and protect his/her "intellectual" property in whatever manner s/he chooses.
But on the other, I hold the art form of music on a quintessential pedestal. It's one of the few mediums capable of transferring raw emotion simply by lending an ear. It's "magical," or at least the closest thing to magic I think we have. I think it's a gift _meant_ to be cherished and shared.
I mean, seriously. When the first neanderthal crudely pierced a few holes in a bone, extracted the marrow and pressed his/her lips to the end and began to play the first notes of music, was it done to accumulate profit? No. It was done with the realization that it is an emotional outlet, something with great beauty and unbridled power over the human "soul."
... Except, greed also has power, and it seems to be more dominating than our previous afforementioned gift. Sad, if you share my views.
I shed a tear. Prostitution of the body, a superficial husk, is illegal. Prostitution of emotion and thought is highly encouraged.
I'm not whistling a new tune, but for the love of all that's unholy, I'm tired of everyone speculating on my (and other Napster/music lovers) moral decency just because I happen to highly respect and admire the beauty of music for the above reasons.
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But on the other, I hold the art form of music on a quintessential pedestal. It's one of the few mediums capable of transferring raw emotion simply by lending an ear. It's "magical," or at least the closest thing to magic I think we have. I think it's a gift _meant_ to be cherished and shared.
I mean, seriously. When the first neanderthal crudely pierced a few holes in a bone, extracted the marrow and pressed his/her lips to the end and began to play the first notes of music, was it done to accumulate profit? No. It was done with the realization that it is an emotional outlet, something with great beauty and unbridled power over the human "soul."
I shed a tear. Prostitution of the body, a superficial husk, is illegal. Prostitution of emotion and thought is highly encouraged.
I'm not whistling a new tune, but for the love of all that's unholy, I'm tired of everyone speculating on my (and other Napster/music lovers) moral decency just because I happen to highly respect and admire the beauty of music for the above reasons.