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Living Room / Re: The entitled generation....Are they right?
« on: April 15, 2009, 10:20 AM »
I think it is interesting to note that what CWuestefeld describes in his last paragraph is actually already happening to a large extent. Many artists have taken the route of cutting out the middleman (or dealing with less oppressive middlemen, sometimes banding together to create these themselves.)
This issue stirs up a lot of heat, as it touches on things that people care deeply about, and we are still in the midst of it. We all wish it were over, except for the record companies, who wish it had never started.
It's a difficult issue. Record companies want to produce as much product as possible, as cheaply as possible, and sell it as expensively as possible. But the biggest market for this product, the people who have the most time and disposable income to spend on music, and the ones who are most likely to consume music without as much regard for its quality - teenagers - are also the ones most likely to steal music and figure it's no big deal to do so.
The original question is about entitlement, and I think the way it is phrased says a lot about the views of the framer. Are people stealing because they feel a sense of entitlement and have no morals? Or are they stealing because they believe the system is corrupt and are reluctant to support it with their money when a viable alternative is available?
Is it our duty to obey the laws of the state, even when we feel those laws are unjust? Or do we have a duty to disobey unjust laws? Should businesses respect the decisions of the marketplace, even when it's handing them their hat and shoving them towards the door, or should they smack back at the invisible hand in hopes of staying or diverting that final push?
Or maybe it boils down to, who do you dislike more: insolent, ill-behaved teens and their surly ways, or bloated, arrogant record company execs and their surly ways? :-\
This issue stirs up a lot of heat, as it touches on things that people care deeply about, and we are still in the midst of it. We all wish it were over, except for the record companies, who wish it had never started.
It's a difficult issue. Record companies want to produce as much product as possible, as cheaply as possible, and sell it as expensively as possible. But the biggest market for this product, the people who have the most time and disposable income to spend on music, and the ones who are most likely to consume music without as much regard for its quality - teenagers - are also the ones most likely to steal music and figure it's no big deal to do so.
The original question is about entitlement, and I think the way it is phrased says a lot about the views of the framer. Are people stealing because they feel a sense of entitlement and have no morals? Or are they stealing because they believe the system is corrupt and are reluctant to support it with their money when a viable alternative is available?
Is it our duty to obey the laws of the state, even when we feel those laws are unjust? Or do we have a duty to disobey unjust laws? Should businesses respect the decisions of the marketplace, even when it's handing them their hat and shoving them towards the door, or should they smack back at the invisible hand in hopes of staying or diverting that final push?
Or maybe it boils down to, who do you dislike more: insolent, ill-behaved teens and their surly ways, or bloated, arrogant record company execs and their surly ways? :-\