Artists Aren't Starving Because of Piracy

This is a great article debunking the common idea that piracy is the main reason for artists losing money. It is in fact the RIAA's unfair business practices that have taken most of their money. In this day and age it's just ludicrous to be a part of those industry practices. Artists involved with them should spend their time getting free of those practices and not turning on people who download/share their music.

Buy directly from the artist or through a specific channel that they point you to.

Here are the rest of my thoughts from the comment I posted to the article:

Buy music directly from the artists. If you buy it somewhere else, assume the artist is ok with selling it there, they have agreed to do so. If you signed a contract with a label that you're unhappy with that sucks but wise up! Business is about making money and big business is about making big money. If you think the entertainment (or any other business) is about anything else you have been misled.

The RIAA and the rest of the entertainment industry/media have also created all this celebrityism that is rampant today. Everyone wants to be a star. Everyone thinks they have an equal chance to make lots of money from their craft. If you love doing it do it. If you can make a living from it make it.

The real value in anything great is the sharing with others. Make a good living but don't lose site of the point which is the process of getting it out of you and/or sharing it with others. The money is just to enable you to spend most of your time doing your thing.

Do good work. Share a little for free. Offer the rest for a reasonable price. If people like it they will buy it. Otherwise find some other way of making a living. The only reason business should mix with art is for the sake of making a living. Not getting rich or becoming famous - both of which make life worse, not better.

Quit whining and do something worthwhile!

Enough said.