Re: Metallica "Death Magnetic" out today (9/12)!!!
| Well, I DON'T agree to disagree, because I pretty much agree with everything you just wrote. I just don't think that providing their own music on their own terms makes Metallica hypocrites for being against bootlegged music. |
That's good, your first reaction made me think differently. I'll try to better explain my position.
Putting music on the internet and then expecting it to not be stolen is akin to leaving your car unlocked with the keys in the ignition. Somebody will take your car and that's just the fact of the matter. I'm not in anyway condoning auto theft or music theft, but you have to do whatever it takes to protect yourself. If they are as against illegal downloading as they say they are then they need to go all the way.
Second point, I get equally exasperated that every time there is a leak they go after the guy at the bottom of the ladder who just grabbed what was already out there. Why not go after the guy who stole the music in the first place who was most likely employed at one of the studios or replication plants. This is the same as our drug enforcement policies in this country. 90% of the busts are some kid with a dime bag or some crack head with just enough to get himself through the day. Go after the sources or the enablers and leave the little guys alone.
| Sure, we all used to swap mix tapes and stuff. The major difference is that we never had this attitude that taking music instead of buying it was somehow justified rather than mischief. Back then, if I got a copy of an album and liked it, more often than not I'd end up buying it anyway -- the whole point of copying was to hear new stuff, and there was no online venue, legal or otherwise, for that yet. Heck, you couldn't even hear stuff like Metallica on the radio in those days (excepting college stations). |
Agreed, and don't think that it's a whole lot different these days. Sure there are many more people getting their hands on illegal copies than in the old days because it's much much much easier, but these additional people were never a threat to become a customer in the first place, so I don't see much harm being done. In fact, there may be a small percentage of these additional people who do end up loving the material and decide to buy a legit copy. Yes there are going to be people who take it in order to avoid having to pay for it, but these people are thieves and are not fans. If they call themselves a fan, they are indeed hypocrites. Maybe I'm being naive, but I feel that these two groups of people pretty much offset each other.
Now we can hopefully get back to the album discussion.
Hopefully that Rolling Stone article will draw some attention and a new master will be released, but I won't hold my breath. If they do, I'll give it another whirl, but I have a feeling that Hetfield's singing attempts are enough to dissuade me from a purchase.
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I just don't think that providing their own music on their own terms makes Metallica hypocrites for being against bootlegged music.
