Headz...the file sharing debate...

So it's the weekend, Saturday morning, and I'm at work...again. I've just listened to Flunk's For Sleepyheads Only, a gem of an album that is a great way to mellow out. There's enough variety in the music to capture the many moods and rail them toward a singularity of pensiveness.

Next on the playlist was the Headz compliation from Mo' Wax records from the mid-90s. This thing is long out of print on CD and command upwards of $100 to obtain. I happened across it online and have this volume as well as Headz 2A (currently listed at amazon for $158) and 2B (not listed at amazon). Both 2A and 2B are being listed on ebay at the moment, 4 LPs each for a total of 8 LPs. Bidding is at $30. If I were to pay this price for any of these, I couldn't bear to listen to them because they cost so damn much money.

So I downloaded all three comps. Respect to the musicians and the record label. Reality check. The record label and musicians will never see another penny out of out of print merchandise. The only ones profiting on these now are the owners and ebay. The sad truth is I do not feel any remorse for downloading these.

In fact, had I not downloaded these I may never have discovered some of the artists on the package and sought out their other work, some of which I've actually paid money to obtain though obtaining them used, the artist/label won't see a dime of my money.

But I enjoy the music. It's some of the finest I've heard in a long time, especially in today's musically sanitized bubble filled with corporately cloned imitation of music. It's a throwback to the time when the beat actually meant something. So I rave about the compilations and, more significantly, the musicians.

So in terms of file sharing. It's no different than swapping vinyl as a teenager in the 80s or sharing cassettes or copying an LP onto cassette for a friend. It's just that as technology has changed and become more efficient, the methods of copying and sharing has also gotten more efficient. The Internet has merely taken what has been a rite of passage and put it on an infinitely greater scale. Now the little that the record companies lost by friends trading tapes has increased to a worldwide market of individuals on an anonymous scale.

Everything in this day and age is exaggerated. File sharing is no different. And I avoid Morpheus, Limewire and the rest like the plague. It's easy pickin' for lawsuit hungry record company lawyers. There are other means of downloading that avoid this route altogether.

So I agree, support your favorite artists. If at all possible, go see their show (though, again $50 and up for a ticket is about a day or more's wage for most fans). Buy their merchandise, hopefull from their own site, if available, where they may reap the most benefit. The day is coming when the means of distribution will no longer be in the hands of the few but will, for the savvy musician, be in the musician's own hand to distribute as seen fit.

My personal favorite idea is this: if you download some music, send the musician/band a check directly.