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Downloading; is it just me..
or is the new found positive attention of the broadsheets etc labeling this period as the "myspace generation" covering over the fact of the the extreme high (growing) numbers of illegal downloads?
This is spurned on by another sunday paper article covering all the same valid points that now the power is in the bands hands due to the abilty to share their music amongst fans so easily (insert obvious arctic monkeys quote who didn'y even use myspace before their 2 sold out tours did they- was more their forums?). These stories have wormed their way into the actual papers now (including front page spreads for particular positive remarks about new record levels of legal downloads) yet to me seem to show just out of touch the "record comapanies", to be that bloody vague, are with the pros and cons of downloads.
The way i see it as that the record companies are enjoying their new start in finding artists in a new way, and see the possibilites that these ways can easily be corrupted (hello Mr.Murdoch-Myspace), so the power is going back to the record companies, yet the issue of the millions of pounds "lost" through illegal downloads seems to ignored.
Of course it could be that some people in high places have realised that a great way for a band to be heard is for their stuff to be shared, not neccessairyl on a myspace but just on a torrent site, as the number of downloads increases so does the buzz and soon the number of people in the tangible world relates to the number who have found them in the digital world.
(to round this up then) SO, do you think this recent blind-eye to illegal downloading is because the "record companies" are unsure of just what part of the "downloading culture" is vital to these new hot bands (tm); because they are enjoying the new wave of publicity in music everywhere; because they literally can't stop it and have given up; or because they actually have discovered the benefits they gain from it as are strong as if they bought down the prices of their own cds???