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I was reading this article at bubblegeneration (elsewhere on the site I found a link to this article about underhanded RIAA tactics). I had actually meant to read the article way back at the end of November, but all the packing and the holidays got in the way (there’s actually a lot of unpacking left for me to do, but I’ve set it aside today until I could finish reading the article. It’s a fairly good read about the failure of the current business model used by the recording industry, and it proposes several alternatives.

Fundamentally, I’m going to argue that consumers download music, as much to derive extra value from getting something for free, as they do because they want insurance against buying something they didn’t want in the first place. File-sharing is as much about risk-sharing as it is about the ‘theft’ of value. Technological changes have made this possible - but the way the business model of the music industry is at odds with the implicit contract it signs with listeners is what makes it probable.

Umair Haque, the author, hit on one of the many reasons I no longer go out and buy CDs left and right: I didn’t like buying a CD to find that the one track I heard on the radio was the only desirable track on the entire disc. I wanted to be able to preview a CD before buying it, knowing that I’d be getting my money’s worth if I purchased it. For example, having sampled Michelle Branch’s Spirit Room from internet downloads prompted me to buy her CD and attend a show she opened at the Canopy Club in Champagne almost three years ago. Had it not been for my opportunity to sample her work, I would not have known that I loved nine out of the eleven tracks on her CD! At least, I wouldn’t have known until more than a year later, as some of the singles from Spirit Room were not released until long after the album’s initial release. I was free from the risk of buying a shitty CD, and I was willing to pay the extra money for my internet connection. This is contrary to my experience with purchasing Republica’s self-titled CD back in high school, prior to the mass availability of MP3s and P2P. After leaving my stupid job at Woodfield one day, I went upstairs to Sam Goody and bought the Republica CD. I had heard Drop Dead Gorgeous and Ready to Go on the radio or somewhere, and liked them. So I thought I’d give the rest of the CD a try. That was a mistake. I really liked only one other track, and it was just a remix of Ready to Go. I had basically paid $15 for three songs. I took a risk and lost. Repeat this about a couple dozen times, and you’ll know why I loved the birth of Napster, Kazaa, and other P2P clients. There’s nothing wrong with reducing my personal risk when purchasing music. The recording industry is doing little to provide me with consistently good quality work, so I’ve taken it upon myself to do the research.