Music on the nonexistent budget
Written: Jan 31 '01 (Updated Jan 31 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun to find rare songs, perfect for people with no money
Cons: Yes, it can be stealing, won't be around for free much longer (stupid capitalism)
The Bottom Line: Use it but don't abuse it
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| sparke61's Full Review: Napster |
I'm about to graduate from college. I have $9 in my savings account, rent is due tomorrow, and I ate Pringles for dinner because I'm not on a budget...I'm out of money. As a matter of fact, I owe about $26,000 in student loans, and just found out I'm qualified to make sandwiches and that's about it. So much for a history degree. I haven't bought a new CD in over six months, and when I did buy it I waited until I was at one of those bargain stores where I could get a brand-new release for about $13. The days of me being able to blow $100 in one afternoon on new music are long past.
Napster seemed to be the perfect solution. I have a computer that I got a couple years ago so I could do homework and web design work (it pays the bills) and I'm connected to the internet for free through school. I figured some bootlegged live songs and the occasional single wouldn't hurt anyone. Considering how much money I have, I figured the musicians whose songs I'm downloading can afford it more than I can. Besides, I make it a practice of owning, at some time or another, every CD I have a copy of.
I was shocked to hear that some major artists are up in arms about their songs being traded. I can understand the struggling up-and-comers who are on indie labels and barely able to afford rent themselves (I always buy their CDs, no matter how poor I am) being hurt by their songs appearing on Napster, but Metallica? Give me a break! These guys are plenty comfortable, they don't need any more money, and they seem to think we have the $18 that my local CD store charges for new releases to shell out every time they make a recording. They also seem to think that everyone who is downloading their music is not buying their CDs. Not true at all. I think a lot of people listen to it on Napster and then go out and buy the recording, because most people want to be able to listen to their CDs somewhere other than on their computers, and not many of us can afford CD burners.
First of all, I'm not a capitalist. I have pretty strong socialist leanings. I feel that people should have enough to be comfortable, but that their main concern should not be making a huge profit so they never have to go without the newest version of Playstation again but rather should be that everyone in the world has what they need to be comfortable. Having said that, I am not arguing that free music on Napster might be violating copyright laws and cutting artists out of profit. It is. What I am saying is that artists who can afford it ought to try and think back to the days when they were poor, put themselves in my shoes, and chill.
On the other hand, Napster users need to develop some sense of fairness. I happen to be a big fan of folk-acoustic musicians who are new, poor, and struggling to make ends meet. I am a thousand times more likely to go out and buy their CDs, concert tickets, etc. because I believe in supporting music. I know a lot of people who don't care one way or the other if they are taking money out of the pockets of those who cannot afford it, and to me, that's wrong.
Napster is a godsend for those of us who couldn't afford to buy the music we liked and who couldn't find it on our local radio stations. I live in rural Maine, I can listen to either classic rock, that nasty stuff that passes for pop, or country music. I download a few songs every month and make them last, because I don't want to be greedy and I only have a 56K connection. Most of what I download is rare stuff, replacements for songs on tapes that have broken or CDs that are scratched beyond belief. I don't have a CD burner, so I can only listen to this music while working on my computer. For me, the one with no money, Napster is the perfect solution.
Too bad Napster is going to become another service-for-pay. Too bad poor folks like me will lose one of their last sources for music. I won't be able to preview new songs and decide to go out and buy the CD anymore. I won't be able to find the rare songs that I've been searching for anymore. However, until Napster switches over, I'm going to keep right on downloading. I can't afford not to.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sparke61
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Member: Sharon Parker
Location: Maine
Reviews written: 115
Trusted by: 42 members
About Me:
Dispatcher who likes cats, computers, bikes, stereos, movies, books and wants to buy a house
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