Although I think that giving music away for free is a good option for many artists these days, I still have minor collywobbles doing it with our label. My brain says it’s alright, but my guts don’t always agree. It still feels strange to me to give something away for free that is of so much value to me. It’s not about the profit we don’t make by offering our music for free. It’s something else I miss.
When someone transfers 10 Euro for a record to our Paypal account, I take it as a compliment. By spending that money, this person decided against all the other stuff she could have exchanged it for: a pizza, a cinema ticket or a CD from another artist. In that moment, our record was more important to her than all the other things she could have spent her 10 Euro on.
Money serves as a tool to acknowledge one’s achievements. It is, of course, not the only way to do this. That guy in the first row who sings along to all the songs is worth more than the money he paid for his concert ticket. A fervent fan letter can show more appreciation than a 15 Euro money transfer. Musician can’t pay their guitar strings with fan letters and applause, but the economical implications of downloading music for free are another issue. This posting is not about business, although the word money is mentioned repeatedly. It’s about paying respect to the artists and anyone involved in serving you with the music that brings you joy and delight.
The internet enables artists to connect with fans and vice versa in a way we couldn’t have dreamed of a couple of years ago. That’s a great thing. But to me, 10.000 listeners on last.fm don’t feel as good as 1000 sold copies. 500 MySpace friends are nothing compared to 50 people who ordered our records from oversee. Adding a friend on MySpace takes no effort, it’s just a click. Sacrificing your hard-earned money however is much more of a commitment.
If you download your favourite record for free, how do you acknowledge the accomplishments of the artist (and everyone involved in making that record happen) adequately? If you don’t pay for your music, how do you show that it is of any value to you? Most people don’t do anything. They just take.
For me, the lack of acknowledgment is harder to deal with than a lack of profit. Business models can be adapted swiftly, it’s a rational matter. Adjusting to those new circumstances emotionally takes some time.
