Comments for Emilie Kirkpatrick's Blog

Comment on Are You A Pirate? – Teens & Piracy #2 by M

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:54:51 +0000

I don’t download very often, and even when I do, I usually buy merchandise from that band. So it’s not as bad, but I do understand what you’re saying.

Comment on Are You a Pirate? – Teens & Piracy #1 by Emilie Kirkpatrick

Emilie Kirkpatrick — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:46:40 +0000

Thanks for the comment, RK!
The vast majority of teens in this day and age discover new music that way, so I get that. It’s just the way people get their hands on fresh tunes nowadays. But yeah, it doesn’t exactly make it a right thing. Now, I (reluctantly) will go as far as to say that illegal downloading does have one benefit for artists as far as expanding their fanbase–but a lot of those “fans” won’t go on and buy their music, go to their shows, or support them otherwise, and the cash they gotta spend to make new music far exceeds the money coming in. And on top of that, obviously, piracy isn’t legal, since music is copyrighted material.
Free downloading is definitely a huge phenomenon in the teen culture, and I realize that a lot of people wouldn’t be familiar with a lot of bands/artists if it weren’t for piracy. But it isn’t legal or beneficial to the people that made that music; it’s not used with their permission. (That’s why I dig platforms like Pandora and Spotify… they are free to use and a perfect tool for discovering new songs and artists. There are other great ways to find new music that are legal and can support the bands and artists that made the music.)
I know purchasing music legally isn’t free so it’s not a very attractive option for people, but I’m going a bit deeper into that aspect in the next post which debuts tomorrow!

Comment on Are You a Pirate? – Teens & Piracy #1 by RK

RK — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:13:58 +0000

There are so many bands I would have never heard of if it hadn’t been for free music. (Not saying it’s right) but, after I got to hear some of their tracks in my own leisure. i start to really like the band. Then I’ll buy their songs and go to their concerts. if it hadn’t had been for free mp3′s, they wouldn’t have even have had me as a fan at all.

Comment on Are You a Pirate? – Teens & Piracy #1 by M

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:26:07 +0000

Okay, I’ll watch for the next one

Comment on Are You a Pirate? – Teens & Piracy #1 by Emilie Kirkpatrick

Emilie Kirkpatrick — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:37:39 +0000

I didn’t take it as harsh, all I’m asking for is opinions so I appreciate you helping get the convo started!

Comment on Are You a Pirate? – Teens & Piracy #1 by Emilie Kirkpatrick

Emilie Kirkpatrick — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:36:23 +0000

Saving money is definitely the issue in most cases. I’m going in depth about the money issue in my post for next week to let you guys know exactly where I stand on that issue, but all I’m saying is that I understand what you’re saying about it.
I use Pandora and Spotify a lot, which are both free ways to listen to music. The biggest difference between that and piracy is that it’s actually legal. I recommend using one of those two platforms instead of going in and actually downloading illegally, since even though the artist doesn’t get as much money from Spotify and Pandora, they still gave permission for their tunes to be used on those sites, and every penny counts.
One thing that I do is keep a list in a notebook of every song or album I hear and want to buy after hearing it on the radio, Pandora, or Spotify. Then, when I have the money–or get an iTunes card for like my birthday or Christmas–I can go to that list and cross out the tracks and albums that I buy. That’s just one of my piracy-prevention strategies that works for me personally. (:
But like I said earlier, I don’t want to judge or condemn anyone that does download their music illegally. It’s just something I hope people realize is illegal and that it doesn’t support the people that worked so hard to make it.

Comment on Are You a Pirate? – Teens & Piracy #1 by Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:10:31 +0000

Yeah, I get that and in essence I suppose it is not much different than using Spotify or Pandora, both of which I use extensively for the reason you said you download it: I simply could not afford all the music I like otherwise. Also, I’d never try something new and different if it weren’t for those two sites.

Comment on Are You a Pirate? – Teens & Piracy #1 by Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:07:48 +0000

That sounded harsher than I meant it, I suppose. I’ve never criticized people who do but I just don’t.