The author makes a lot of very good points in this article. I'm certain that free samples are a great way to increase legitimate sales.
Put one song from your CD on the net for free download and maybe people will buy the full CD. For many new artists, it's the only way they can build the following they need.
But what happens when someone else puts all of an artist's work on the net for free download? If you can get it all for free, will you still go out and buy something that you already have?
I totally agree that free downloads can be good thing for the artists but I do not believe that they always are.
Of course, I don't have the answers to what makes the difference but one thing I do believe is that it is the right of the artist to make that choice. Whether it is the recording industry squelching the artist's ability to gain exposure through free distribution or a file-sharing fan who posts an artist's work on the net without permission, the artist has been equally violated. As long as those two opposing viewpoints continue to combat one another, the artists, caught in the middle, are the ones who suffer.
Posted on Jul 14, 2002, 6:33 AM from IP address 207.195.139.200