Free Music

[Tiktok <tiktok@sprintmail.com>]

1) Everyone's for free music until it's their music they're not being
*fairly* rewarded for.  One's definition of "fair" varies according to the
perception of how much money is being personally lost.

2) The "music industry" is not a synonymous term for "musicians".
So, statements such as "Napster is a boon to the music industry, just as
home taping was" are probably not cause for musicians to rejoice.
Musicians benefit when they feel transported by playing music.
People who are also musicians can benefit when they get paid for their
music, since the last time I checked there was no Napster equivalent for
gassing up your tour van or buying recording gear.
Making music at anything above the dilettante/hobbyist level requires a lot
of money.

3) The "rise of alternative music" was due to the Music Industry deciding 
to
promote some Alternative bands, not to home taping.


TH

-- 
"For over half a century rock 'n' roll music has acted as a kind of 
umbrella
under which the noblest elements of society have gathered. Today, the very
word "rock" is a synonym for everything that's most decent, honorable and
moderate in Western society. The model behavior of both its stars and fans
is eclipsed only by the probity and rectitude of the men and women at the
business end -- that corps of managers, accountants and recording companies
whose transparent honesty and compassion have made the industry such a
pleasant environment for musicians to work in."

--John Perry, from a discussion of the Napster situation