I used to think that largesse was just something Superman had on his shirt, but then a while ago I read this blog by Andrew Dubber and became convinced that for a musician in my position giving away music was a necessary part of a successful promotion strategy.
But, as Andrew makes clear, it's the "strategy" part of that phrase that's important, and I think a corollary to this is that it has to be the musicians themselves (or at least people acting on their behalf) who decide when and where to give their music away. For instance, my music is available in many different places on the web; podcasts, downloadable versions of radio shows, various social network sites etc. But the best place to hear it in full, in the best sound quality, is on my own website.
This is an intentional strategy on my part - I want to spread my tunes to as wide an audience as possible, but I also want to attract that audience to my site so that they can find out something about me, perhaps develop a two-way relationship with me and the music and therefore be more likely to buy the tunes.
Torrents can also be a useful tool in this context. I know that many musicians now are releasing their music under Creative Commons licenses and making it available as torrent files, again with a view to getting it to as many people as possible.
Obviously, this doesn't account for the vast majority of the torrents out there! That being said, this is by no means going to develop into an anti-torrent rant. They're a fact of life now, and I think musicians, record companies, film-makers, software producers and many other people whose work is distributed via torrents have to accept that they're here to stay, and so have to take them into consideration when trying to build sustainable business models or artistic careers.
What I do find a little galling though is the idea that some torrent users have that they're somehow striking a blow for freedom. I read a very interesting blog today by Jens Roland, which you can find here. It puts the effects of torrent files on record company income in the context of other developments in the music business over the past few years. He includes a chart showing music business gross earnings. One of the blog comments runs as follows:
"Anybody else upset/notice that the industry has made 200 BILLION DOLLARS in that chart? Those gangsters have made more than 20x times the money it would take to end world hunger TODAY (27-Feb-2009). Then they go after collage kids, single mothers, homeless people, pre-teens, people with fatal illnesses etc etc 'Pirates' will rather bite a bullet than ever 'contribute' to any of those scumbags ever again..., and btw; they have the gall to call US pirates!"
Leaving aside for a moment the fact that it's gross earning and not profit, ..er..what???!!! Homeless people?? People with fatal illnesses?? ("I tell you what would really take the edge off my tragic and untimely death - a free copy of No Line on the Horizon..")
Yes, torrents are a fact of life, but no, you're not striking a blow for freedom when you use one. I think (and I'm aware of the "let he without a download on his computer cast the first stone" reservation) the appropriate feeling when downloading using an illegal torrent should be at the least a mild sense of unease. And in fact I think this is how most people do feel - it's why iTunes is a successful business model!
I think iTunes' success should encourage musicians and all the other people mentioned above that it doesn't take much to make people switch away from illegal downloads to legal ones - just a sensible pricing structure and the nurturing of relationships with the people who might want to buy your product.
OK, I'm off to develop a site that posts information about when people living down my street have left their windows open (but I'm in no way responsible for any law-breaking that may result). You'll find me at www.openbays.com..
Cheers,
Chris
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