Why do people download albums for free instead of buying them, and vice-versa?

Question

Sometimes people download albums for free, but other times, they will pay. Why? What makes you download without paying, versus paying or buying the CD in a store? We often hear "I buy albums from local artists, but I download albums from international acts." Is that true?

Answer 1

I buy albums of artists that I support. And if a cd is at a decent price, and what I've heard about the artist (radio air play time, demos on the internet on the artist's website, and the general buzz) is good.

Downloading is certainly an option to ensure that I only get good quality songs. But because I put a bit more effort into finding out about a cd and the content I have very few cds that I won't listen to the entirety of.

I save the risk of bugs on my computer, and I'm supporting an artist that I enjoy.

It's kind of like a democracy in a way. I know I'm just 'one person' and that my purchase of that cd may not have any effect in the grand sceme of things, but I want to make sure that my thoughts on music are heard. When I purchase a cd it joins in with the hundreds, maybe thousands or millions of other people that buy it, and the record company realizes: "Hey, people want to hear more music from this artist/genre" and they'll go out and try to find more of that genre, or contract/pay the artist to make another one.

So there's a lot of pop-princesses out there. Well they're out there because the majority of people are buying their albums. They'd be less dominant if the people that like ska, punk, rock, alternative, grunge, WHATEVER would buy their albums instead of just downloading them.

The record companies DO want to make money, and that's a sad fact. But if they know that people of a certain genre are downloading an album/artist/genre over buying it they're less likely to produce those albums. And instead the airwaves and cd stores are saturated by the 'crap'.

You want to have a say? Then shill out the $12-20 for an album, or if it's just a song then shill out the $1 it takes to download it from online (via whoever is out there).

The artists I love have all had their cd's purchased by me. Yes they only get a small amount of that cd sale, but it also says something to the record company: I like this music and I want to hear more of it.

Answer 2

People download albums for free, because they can. I think many people download albums because they don't want to pay for a whole album if they only like maybe a few songs out of a dozen or more tracks. As for buying local artists, and downloading international acts- I can't see why they'd do that, unless they think they're more likely to get caught by a local act, as opposed to an act on the other side of the world! It's too bad that people can't see that downloading free music is as good as stealing. It 's like you going to work, day after day, and not getting your full pay! How long would you keep working?

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth- when I was a teenager- there wasn't the technology to download songs.
If groups wanted to sell albums, all the tracks had to be good ( think Beatles), or the albums wouldn't sell . Maybe some of the groups today should work a little harder, and produce better music to fill a CD, instead of just a few good tracks, and mostly not so good. I think people would be willing to pay for quality, instead of quantity!

Answer 3

There are plenty of times I will buy CD's, but I see no problem with downloading. After all, this is material that has been, and continues to be, broadcast over a free public medium such as radio or television. I could just as easily have taped it off the radio, just as I taped my old LP's to cassette in the past. When recordable cassettes first appeared, there was a similar reaction from the recording industry...many people predicted that it was "the end of the recording industry as we know it" yadda yadda yadda. Well, it didn't happen then, and it's not a problem now with downloading and P2P file sharing. File sharing is not a threat to artists, though it may be a threat to the production companies themselves. CD sales are NOT the major part of any artist's income. The only ones losing any significant sales from downloading are the recording and production mega-corporations, and in my opinion they are parasites who have been bleeding money from the artists and fans for long enough.

I will happily lay out my cash for CD's, or purchase online when:

1) I actually want all or even most of the tracks on the CD.
2) the CD is not blatantly over-priced..I feel $20 for a CD is about the highest reasonable price I would pay.
3) I am supporting independent artists, or newer artists who are still building their careers, NOT a conglomerate, or an artist who already makes more money in a week than I will in my lifetime.
4) The online store does not include any coding on files which would limit my use of them, i.e. limitations on copying and sharing those files. Sorry, but if I buy it, I own it, and will do as I please with it from there on.

I download when:

1) I'm in a country where getting the music I want is just not possible.
2) I only want one or two songs, but don't like the rest of the album.
3) The music I want is no longer available on CD.
4) I bought the CD, but now it's damaged or lost, and I want that music on my MP3 player. I paid for it once, I see no reason to pay for the same thing again.
5) I feel the record company and or the artists is gouging, or vastly overcharging for it's product, or is motivated by sheer greed.

Well, there's my opinion, agree or disagree as you like.

Answer 4

1. Half the "artists" are worth crap even though they have a few good songs, they'll be around for 2 years or so and have no artistic value to add to society.
2. Sick of paying 20$ for a CD with 2 good songs on it and the rest crap. I will however buy a CD from an artist that I know and trust that all or most of their songs are good.
3. Good artists always make enough money because people support them by, among other things, going to their concerts and making them popular so they can receive endorsements.
4. It's free on the radio and on tv. The only difference is that I have to listen to some stupid commercial. Years ago we'd sit with the tape recorder and record the songs and the borrow the tape to our friends. Nothing different now, except its much easier to get.
4. People who are all up in arms about it being stealing, listen to this: If i couldn't download a song that I liked, I would just choose not to listen to it. Simple as that. So there was never a choice between buy the album or steal(download) it. The choice was download it or not listen to it.
5. Some music you just cannot find in store or on itunes. Therefore, the only way to hear it is to download it from some website on the other side of the world.

Conclusion: People are sick of paying money for some bozo artist who has one hit on MTV. And there are hundreds of these artist. Their albums are not worth buying unless you want to use their cds for coasters.

Answer 5

I feel a mild stirring of guilt when I download for free ... only cuz by not buying the $20 cd at a record store, I'm depriving an artist that I genuinely like of their (this is just ballpark estimate) 70 cents. When I buy a cd, the bulk of that $20 is going to some talentless overpaid industry shark to pay for his second @#$%ing vacation home in the Hamptons while the hard-working artist(s) get(s) a pittance. Materials (hmm, I can buy a spindle of 50 CD-Rs for about 5 bucks) and distribution can't justify twenty freakin' dollars. Why I'll buy the band's cd from the merch table if I attend their concerts (which is where the bands make the real money ... concerts, that is ... and if I'm attending their concert, it's probably cuz I was impressed with some songs I'd downloaded) ... I'm under the impression that they get a larger share of the profits from merch sales. Otherwise, yeah ... I download. Free. They'll see me at the concert if it's any good.

Answer 6

Most artists pump out an album quickly after creating 1-2 good songs on the album. Of course with all the publicity and radio air time they create an illusion that the rest of their album is amazing. You then go to your local retail store and dish out 15-20 bucks on a cd and realize that it was crap. After a few of these you realize "I could save myself money by not buying the cd but only downloading certain tracks."

Yes it's illegal but in a way the consumer feels as if they were being taken advantage of. It's not in a sense getting revenge at the artist but with gas prices the way they are sometimes you just gotta download.

Personally if I download a few songs and realize that the artist is good I go ahead and buy the CD. I think a lot people support the artists. ITunes is amazing. Get previews of the CD before you buy them. Also FYE does that as well. Do your research then buy. Thats what I feel sometimes downloading feels like.

Answer 7

If someone puts out an album with only one or two good songs on it, then I wouldn't even bother downloading it because they aren't very talented. A good album has only one maybe two tracks you don't particularly care for. Too many artists go for the big single. That's why I like heavy metal. They know what the music business SHOULD be about...putting on live shows all over the place (not just a US tour of a dozen places), and putting out a solid album.

When I hear a band is coming into town, I usually download an album or two to see if I like their music, and if I do, I go to see them live, and if they put on a good show I will buy their CD, and if I really was blown away i'll probably buy some other merch too.

Answer 8

The reason why people download albums for free instead of buying them is simple, they do not want to pay to listen to music. People who download do not understand that the art that is writing and producing music. They simply think that songs are put together for commercial purposes and songs take no effort to write and record. These people are also under the perception that the artists who write and sing music are already "rich" so buying an album will not make them "poor" all of a sudden because they have many endorsement deals therefore it is okay to download instead of buy albums. When some people download albums but other times they will pay they are placing more value on one artist over another when really they are exactly the same. If you buy one artists album you shouldn't download from another. I consider downloading the same as stealing.

Answer 9

I used to only listen to (and buy) music from a few of my favourite bands because I was always overwhelmed walking into a music store and reluctant to spend money on a CD I wasn't sure I would really like. Now I have a yahoo jukebox subsciption and I download and listen to anything and everything. I've found so many new artists (Malajube included) just by following links to other users who are listening to the same stuff I do. So basically - I'm always willing to pay to download but if I can listen to something new without paying up front or paying a flat fee for unlimited downloads, I'll listen to a lot more.

Answer 10

Personally, I would never buy anything that comes from the Big Four, knowing that for all the 20 bucks I spend, only a penny ends up on the artist; add that to the shares that they have to pay to producers and featured guests, best-selling artists would still be poor unless they have their own label.

On the other hand, if it's an upcoming artist being hailed as the next Biggie or the next Michael Jackson, I'll probably buy after I get a sample of it.

Really, the Internet has been a gift and a curse for the music industry. If you want to download it, go ahead, but if you like what you hear, then buy it.