Saturday, April 7, 2007

Free MP3 Downloads - Good or Bad?

Here is a site I came across recently where many MP3 files are available. This got me to thinking - is this a good thing for musicians?

So in this article I want to explore some basic questions concerning free MP3 downloading. Free MP3 downloading is one of the most important phenomena in recent music history.

The reason is easy to understand. Musicians and music publishers want to get paid for their work. The general public wants access to free music whenever possible. So there is a natural conflict.

On the other hand, some music groups have actually profited by encouraging people to distribute their music for free. One notable example is The Grateful Dead, one of the most famous and profitable music groups of all time.

The Grateful Dead became famous for allowing fans to tape their live concerts and then distribute the tapes among other fans. In this way, the band's following increased, leading to more concert attendance and more album sales.

So should musicians today be worried about free MP3 downloads of their music? Should publishers be up in arms?

Or should the music producers relax and enjoy all the free publicity that comes from having free MP3 music downloaded by potentially millions of fans?

In my opinion, music groups that plan to make most of their revenue from live performances can benefit by having their music download freely in MP3 form.

For music fans, the important thing is getting the downloads fast, easy, and free. So the free MP3 download site is certainly a popular option.

As for the future of
MP3 downloads, we will have to wait and see. Expect many struggles between the music industry and their desire for profit, versus the fans and their urge to download free music in MP3 form for free.

by Lee Reeves

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