Why you don’t need to download music…
" Where do you download your music ? " The question, mostly posed by a newbie, floats in a pregnant silence for just a second. My shoulders slump slightly and I feel like some kid of Movie Celebrity being asked the same dumb question by journalist nr 4004. I turn around and face the Newbie, sighing to have to "explain" everything all over again. Knowing that every bit of information I divulge will only reward me with MORE questions. All of it resulting in an endless crossfire of questions and answers ending in the solemn conclusion that "that’s not what they are looking for". In the nightmare-on-newb-street version of this conversation, "el newbo" will proudly declare he is using mall-ware infested software like Kazaa, Lime-Wire or E-donkey. As I wince and (half-sighing to keep oxygen flowing to my brain) explain that such programs are the computer-equivalent of licking the underside of the toilet seat in the restroom of the local train station, I can see the look of disappointment on their face. Not because of the fact that I have just pointed out that the dangers of peer-to-peer file sharing for your computer equals having a full-blown condomn-less orgy with 15 die-hard crackwhores on a bed of second-hand injection needles. Nono, they take issue with the fact that I have just somehow ‘insulted’ their only means of getting the latest Britney Spears album for free. (Never mind the fact that 23 Trojan Horses piggy-backed along for the ride). " Then what do YOU use ?? " they ask me outraged. Now this is a bit of a trick question. One would think that this question is an invitation to further point out why its not a very good idea to use peer-to-peer filesharing. But it is infact an invitation to ‘reveal’ some kind of superprogram you as a supergeek use, to get your music for free. That way, our newbie presumes, he might ‘learn from the master’ and do even more illegal downloading (and get all the porn flicks he’s been dreaming off).
So the correct answer to this question is " I don’t download music of the internet " Whether or not this is a lie is entirely up to you. Pirating of music is the new "masturbation" everybody does it , nobody admits it .. and its not very polite to ask. So perhaps you DO have ways of getting your content for free, but they are somehow too advanced for mr newbie to comprehend ( Rapidshare, Newsgroups, Bittorent). Its not a good idea to share this information, because quite soon you’re going to have to SUPPORT him in pirating content .. And that is a line I will not cross. If he REALLY wants to he’ll be able to figure it out for himself. Lame as it may be, its not a bad thing to say that you ‘buy all your cd’s in the store " It might get you a funny look .. but hey, at least the issue is of the table.
Its like I say all the time : there are Three levels of gathering content. Newbie extreme : The people who BUY EVERYTHING (BUY Office 2007 Retail to open a word document) Newbie-Standard : Pirate the content. (Download some version of Emule, spend hours finding a crack and ending up with and infected system) and GEEK: Find a free alternative for the contant ( Download OPenoffice for free and get to work). With music its the same deal. If you know where to look there are PLENTY of ways out there to get your content. As a personal example I’ll share the following. Using a free application, I am able to get more then 7 hours of FREE AND LEGAL content downloaded to my harddrive (DRM FREE) from some of my favorite artists and Genres. This is the equivalent of buying 7 cd’s a week (One CD a day) getting my content fresh and free without ever hurting the artist (or his money hungry record label) in the process. Its just that I KNOW where to look.
My secret ? Itunes ! Artists these days are more then happy to do a one hour podcast to promote their stuff. Sure there might be a little ‘promotional tainting’ going on in the episode ( ‘check out my new album etc etc’) but it works for me. One hour episodes of our favorite DJ Tiesto ever week ? no problem, Trance music mix from "above and beyond ? " its out there. Ministry of sound mixes ? Paul Oakenfold ? White Sensation ? Or do I want to mellow out with some Chill tunes on "Spacemusic" Its all out there right in the Itunes music store and it does not cost me a dime. (and I’m not even masturbating .. erm .. pirating ! ) So what are you waiting for … Stop mucking about in the cesspool of peer to peer file sharing and pick the free tree ! If Pirating is the new Masturbation then getting your music legaly and for free must be the next step to that .. So get it on people ! Hit the Itunes podcast directory and start looking for the music you like best.
Links.
Tiesto’s Clublife Podcast. Armin Only Podcast Paul Oakenfold Podcast White Senation Podcas t Trance Above and Beyond Podcast Spacemusic Podcast .