Sunday, January 23, 2011

Why Steal Punk?


Do punk rock bands care if people download their music without paying for it? Are punk bands really affected by the illegal downloading of their albums? For the most part, many punk bands are on small record labels that cannot afford to press over a couple thousand copies of a record. Any person who listens to punk will tell you their ideal format for their music is the vinyl record. Not only is the sound quality superior to CD's, they are just much more fun to have. The seven inch 45's are always a great way to preview a band. This is something we do not get anymore with CD's.

Punk enthusiasts are always looking for the vinyl version of an album instead of settling for a CD. Since some albums are notoriously difficult to get a hold of, the only way to obtain a copy is from peer-to-peer file sharing online. I agree this is not the most honest thing to do, but when you see the band in concert you have a really good chance of purchasing the album you previewed ahead of time. And sometimes it is still difficult to find the exact album you want when seeing them live. Here is an article about bands that have free downloads online, like a lot of punk bands offer.

I don't really understand how a band could be angry at you for downloading their album when in certain cases that is the only way to listen to their music. Given the choice, punks would much rather purchase the album on vinyl, which is much more rewarding the an mp3 download. I agree that downloading music without paying for it is wrong, but what is a fan supposed to do when they have the money to buy an album and is not available for download through iTunes or available for purchase from the record label? I think most bands are less concerned with money and more concerned with being true to their music and their message.

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