Music Blogs and illegal music

Fanny Cradock

I'm in the final push of setting up a music blog - yes, I realise nobody will read it - and I am wrestling with a moral, and to a lesser degree, a legal issue.

As is the custom amongst music bloggers, I was thinking of sweetening my self-involved ramblings with a tune or two.

In light of this, there are two options. These are:

1) Strictly offering legal music only;
2) Offering an indiscriminate mix of legal and illegal music.

Normally I don't go in for pirated material. As already mentioned, this choice isn't necessarily out of fear that the rozzers will be kicking down my door any day soon, rather it's a moral issue. For instance, friends of mine recently released a single and I wouldn't dream of putting it up on the blog without permission. So it doesn't seem right to then go and start putting up songs from a band who gives me pleasure.

However, assuming someone is of a mind to begin justifying offering illegal mp3's, I figure that the only reason one can do this is because of the much discussed change in the music industry and how the public now sources their music. So if someone is to read a review of a band and hear a song of theirs are they then more likely to buy the album? I think so. The Arctic Monkeys would be a good example of how the internet can make a band.

As by way of example, the folks behind you aint no picasso, like most music blogs, will write some nice stuff about a band, have some interesting photos, offer up a song for everybody's aural pleasure, put links to purchase the album from iTunes etc., and place in a disclaimer... just in case.

So, rather oxymoronically, this rambling tangent has come full-circle and arrived back at the question: Do you think it right for blogs to offer illegal songs (no more than one) if they do all the nice things like above?

amacachi

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

I'm in the final push of setting up a music blog - yes, I realise nobody will read it - and I am wrestling with a moral, and to a lesser degree, a legal issue.

As is the custom amongst music bloggers, I was thinking of sweetening my self-involved ramblings with a tune or two.

In light of this, there are two options. These are:

1) Strictly offering legal music only;
2) Offering an indiscriminate mix of legal and illegal music.

Normally I don't go in for pirated material. As already mentioned, this choice isn't necessarily out of fear that the rozzers will be kicking down my door any day soon, rather it's a moral issue. For instance, friends of mine recently released a single and I wouldn't dream of putting it up on the blog without permission. So it doesn't seem right to then go and start putting up songs from a band who gives me pleasure.

However, assuming someone is of a mind to begin justifying offering illegal mp3's, I figure that the only reason one can do this is because of the much discussed change in the music industry and how the public now sources their music. So if someone is to read a review of a band and hear a song of theirs are they then more likely to buy the album? I think so. The Arctic Monkeys would be a good example of how the internet can make a band.

As by way of example, the folks behind you aint no picasso, like most music blogs, will write some nice stuff about a band, have some interesting photos, offer up a song for everybody's aural pleasure, put links to purchase the album from iTunes etc., and place in a disclaimer... just in case.

So, rather oxymoronically, this rambling tangent has come full-circle and arrived back at the question: Do you think it right for blogs to offer illegal songs (no more than one) if they do all the nice things like above?

Since it's not for yourself to listen to I don't see the problem. It's not like it's gonna cost the record company anything either.

noby

I think it's ok, morally, and a good thing too. I read some music blogs, and have come across others, that seem to be little more than an illegal download site with album after album ready to be downloaded.

Much better to have a quick taster after a review of a band or album, like you have suggested.

I also don't normally d/l stuff, but do on these occasions, and it often leads to me either deleting the song after a listen, or buying a cd.

Blisterman

Well, why not have it, so that you can stream the song, from your blog, and not download it.

So, people can try it out before they buy it. They're not going to keep going back to the page every time, they wanna hear it.

Fanny Cradock

noby wrote: »

I also don't normally d/l stuff, but do on these occasions, and it often leads to me either deleting the song after a listen, or buying a cd.

That's my thinking. Generally if I like a song I'll then go on to download another one. If that's good then I buy the album.

Blisterman wrote:

Well, why not have it, so that you can stream the song, from your blog, and not download it.

It's a good suggestion. I guess I could put up legal mp3's and stream the illegal ones.

stovelid

Or if you feel bad about the illegal songs, you could use low bitrate versions so nobody would be interesting in taking them.

Fanny Cradock

Good idea. Rates lower than 128kbit/s certainly don't lend themselves to repeated listening.

grumpytrousers

If it's stuff that's not commercially available...say a track from a bootleg concert, or, i dunno, a trash metal studio outtake version of 'Come on Eileen' that Dexys rejected in favour of what we all know and, er, love, then i'd be okay with it. You're presumably letting others hear it based on your enthusiasm for the artist rather than a desire to shaft the artist.

if it's something new and available to buy, morally the low bit rate/stream only option is a nice half way house. Chuck in the encouragement to buy the thing, with perhaps a link to iTunes or something and the conscience can be salved.

From a legal point of view, you're completely out of line and all that jazz, but frankly, as somebody who'd normally have respect for the law (except when abused by those at the more w*nkerish end of the music business) if you're doing it as a labour of love and you reckon it'll get more people buying in the long run, flake away at it!

Nailz

Yeah sure Bono doesn't need the fùcking money!! We should make him go hungry for a few weeks and see how he likes it!