i love love love love love love ballet on saturdays.
man oh man. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE EVEN BETTER??
a ballet class done to jack johnson...kinda contemporary jazz ballet with a modern flair. oh man that would be sweet like nougat.
some day.
***
on a different note, i wanted to talk about something that i've been thinking about for a long time now--i've been having discussions about it with over 10 people, so i figure its nice and controversial and will make for a good post. hopefully y'all will have something to comment!! :)
As Christians, what should our stance be on "sharing/downloading" music illegally--i.e. not paying for it. The Christian community is pretty divided. On one hand, most of my musically inclined friends i.e friends who are pretty into music, whether it be performance wise, or avid listeners (i include myself in this mix) are fairly adamant that "sharing" *cough*stealing*cough* is wrong--if you haven't paid for your music its stealing (unless its offered for free on the artist's website or through the free song of the week on itunes..you get the gist). i believe, that as Christians, we shouldn't buy what most of the world says about how its okay to "share" music--stealing is stealing. Regardless if someone who has bought the CD OFFERS to let you rip it off of them or you actively seek it.
Additionally, its not the big corporations like Virgin or Sony Records who ultimately lose out...its the artist. I know the general flow of thought is.."well, they're rich anyways...what is U2 going to lose out on if i download their music off of Kazaa"... but to me, thats like saying "i can steal a car from a millionaire's house because they're rich, they can buy another one without even a blink of an eye."
stealing is stealing. I mean come on, if you love an artist enough to download their music, then pay the $0.99 cents per song because you love their music. Sharing takes away the value of music and degrades it to nothing. Music is art..and art should be prized and valued. Artists make their living off of the music they create (albeit, not all "music" is art haha...but that's another subject altogether...)
On the other hand, there are the Christians who think its fine to share music--i can't really speak for this side, because i don't really see how its fair or right. i suppose it comes down to the question "is it actually stealing?" While I believe it is, i have many good, solid friends who disagree.
this debate, of course extends beyond the realm of religion, into the secular world, where it is just as much of a question that is posed, as the Christian world. in fact, i'd say a larger proportion of my non-Christian friends do not download music illegally...but that's also probably in part because a larger proportion of my non-Christian friends are super artsy and indie.
i simply have taken this debate and moved it into a Christian context, because i believe that we should be living our lives differently that the dictates and standards of the world--and thus should really be focussing on these questions in addition to theology and such.
Anyways, i'd love to hear your opinions. haha i'm not sure why i'm so adamant about this issue...maybe its because i'm surrounded by many talented artists who i would love to see make it big..and would be angered if people started stealing their music...or maybe its because i pay the $0.99 cents if i want a song badly...or maybe its empathy... because if i was a famous artist, i'd be pretty pissed off that people were degrading my art into worthless cacophony...maybe its a combination of both. at anyrate...go now and comment! Type away children, type away!
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3 commentaires:
I'm definitely opposed to it in principle, but in practice I *do* download songs - only in order to check out a band that I'm interested in. My legally purchased music vastly outnumbers / outmegabytes (that's a new word for you!) my illegally downloaded music, and in most cases replaces it after I buy the album that has songs I liked. People who use the "I'm a poor student" excuse aren't fooling anyone - I'm a poor student, but I don't steal my books or clothes or candy from the corner store - I can't see a distinction.
Now, religious or secular, I don't think there should be a difference in peoples' opinions - whether or not you think society created its laws and rules as a result of the ten commandments, or the other way around, the fact remains that stealing is, has been, and will always be fundamentally wrong. There are still countries where you can get your hand chopped off for stealing from a market - yet kids in Europe and North America have no problem with flipping a switch, pressing some buttons, and stealing the results of a musician's hard work.
The problem is that with all of this DRM (digital rights management) stuff floating around lately, it's all just getting more publicity - if there hadn't been such a commotion with Napster awhile back, the majority of society wouldn't be aware that any of this is even available. No matter how much time software and record companies spend trying to stop people from copying music, there's going to be an equal amount of time spent circumventing everything.
The way I see it, there are two options. One, people should just grow up and realize that what they're doing is wrong, or two, musicians won't be able to make a living selling records. This isn't, obviously, going to stop people from playing music, but the number of bands who can support themselves solely by touring is waning.
...I guess that's my two cents.
Love,
Anonymous
Anonymous has said some good things. I still love having the whole cd, booklet, and whathaveyou, but I would not have bought half of the cds that I know own (which are many) if i had not found them on Limewire. Anyone who knows me knows that I go to concerts more often than I should. I sometimes even by a t-shirt. By the way, buying a CD from a band at their show is better for them anyways, and it usually cost you less, at least they dont charge tax. My problem is that I feel absolutely no conviction about this topic. I just love music. I think there are lots of great reasons to share music. Have I just been justifying myself? I'm not sure if Romans 14 can bail me out here...but then there is alwasy Romans 13...man, I have nothing to stand on here...maybe I shouould force conviction...is that possible???
wow. brilliantly said anonymous!! :) far better than my ramblings.
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