MP3 Dilemma: Should Music Be Free?

Isn't it time we stopped wanting everything we can get for free? Why aren't music fans respecting the creators who give them something that enriches their lives? If songwriters and artists choose to put their work out there gratis, for practical (PR, exposure, etc.) or philosophical reasons, fine. And the Internet is ripe with such opportunities. But any songwriter knows that there is work involved in the creative process-a considerable investment of time, heart, energy, and money goes into creating the work and then the physical product, and without which it would not exist. Songwriters deserve to be paid for the fruits of their labors. (If record companies and others take undue advantage, that is a separate issue for a future discussion.) Legal copyright is an essential aspect of this. Most songwriters and artists are not living high on the hog, despite any myths to the contrary. Buy the damn thing.

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