IS PIRACY STILL KILLING MUSIC?

   Let me ask you a question, before we begin this rant. How long has it been since you last heard the phrase "piracy is killing music"? It's a phrase all of us who were born before 2000 are all too accustomed with, a mantra that had been playing in our heads (and on tv, on the radio, written on ads on the subway back when those were still a thing) every time we listened to our bootleg copy of a CD we loved but as teenagers couldn't afford. Don't play holy to me. I know you indulged in illegally acquired music as well. Just nod behind your screen, I'm not here to judge you.

   And up until a few years ago, with the rise of torrents and the european union's threats to get to everyone illegally sharing these files, we all harbored a secret dread that our time was coming up. From taping songs off the radio, making copies of copied CD, youtube to mp3 dowloads, Limewire (rememebr Limewire?!) and piratebay, we were all neck deep in what we were told was the systematic killing of the music business. Shortlived guilt, as then we'd see rappers pouring thousand dollar bottles of champagne into a hot tub their strippers were indulging or setting wads of cash on fire and we were like "nah, fuck this".

   Yes, "piracy kills music" was a mantra repeated way too often and a thought we, despite our actions, were indoctrinated in. Now answer the question. When was the last time you heard that?

   Think back. Think hard. Think harder.

   The phrase that has haunted all our lives and that we took for granted, has not been witnessed by our physical senses-whether sight or hearing-for years now. I will give you a few seconds to let that sink in and let the shivers wash off of you.

   So what exactly happened? Is piracy no longer killing music? Has the industry come to terms with it? Is it no longer illegal? What is going on here? The reality is more mundane than you thought. You haven't heard the mantra that has filled your sweet teenage rebellion years with a vague sence of dread every time your new classmate caught a glimpse of your bootleg CDs as you switched them in your CD player because, as simple as that, piracy does not exist anymore. Not in the way it used to anyway. And we have online streaming services to "thank" for that.

   Pay attention. How many of you have used a service provider like Spotify or Deezer to listen to your favourite music? How many of you have made playlists there? Which one of you still goes to YouTube to listen to their favourite music and when you find out your favourite tracks are not included, unavailable in your country, or haven't reached it yet, have resorted to one of the afforementioned to listen to them instead? And how many of you are paying a subscription to them for all the added benefits included in premium memberships? I thought so.

   Everyone has an internet connection. Fuck, all of us are permanently connected to the internet on our phones, at all times! (resulting of course in spending most of our time stranded unable to go anywhere with our "mobile" phone anchored to a power outlet because the excessive internet use is killing our batteries). We communicate for free. We learn all sorts of news for free. We have access to any information for free. It was only time until music was for free too. Right? Or is it?

   It is very simple my darlings. No one is pirating music anymore, because no one needs to. Everyone has free access to all the music they desire. Years ago, when you wanted a song, you had to either buy the entire album, or pirate it one way or another. Now no one needs to resort to either option, as you can buy a single song for 0.99 or use a streaming service to listen to anything you want for free. A standard, fixed fee every month allowes you to access all the music you want on demand and "download" it so you can listen to it on the streaming app even when you are offline-a very useless feature since no one is offline at any point anymore, and no one buys albums anymore, nor pirates. The monthly fee is usually the amount you would have paid for two brand new CDs only instead of 24 songs, you get access to virtually anything!

   This is the new societal norm. New phones come without radio apps and the radio apps on older phones are no longer supported, as the radio is considered "dead" anymore. A free, listening service, has been replaced by a not-so-free listening service without DJs making clever jokes, annoying adds that are completely irrelevant to what you are listening to (at least on the radio the ads were more or less in line with the station's "theme"), and no one gives you important updates on gigs and release dates. The only "benefit" is that you can listen to what you want instead of what is on, but is that really a benefit? I shall come back to that at a later rant post, hold tight.

   The industry solved its number one sore without breaking a sweat, without the dreaded lawsuits and penalty fees rumored to befall anyone illegaly dowloading music, and "best" of all, by making people see this as a glorious, easy, life saving solution, instead of a downright rip-off not only against thair own pockets, but against the artists that do not receive a cut from streaming services as they would by actual sales! No, my dears, artists do not get a cut from music streaming. They never did, and never will, get a cut from their song being broadcast on the radio. From being listened to on YouTube. Nor from it being streamed online. The fees that all of us know an establishment that broadcasts music in its premises or a radio station needs to pay in order to do so are paid to the record company, not the artists. The artists never get a cut from the cafeteria that plays their song. Get real. They don't get a cut from YouTube. They don't get a cut from your unlimited, online streaming. Frankly, the only way artists maky any money these days is merch, so go buy that t-shirt already.

   And there you have it already. Piracy isn't killing music anymore. Piracy does not exist. Like the real, sea-faring pirates of old, music piracy is a thing of the past, dead and gone and on its way to become romanticized. The industry has found a way to combat it and kill it without a single voice in protest. They get their money now, and we are more than happy to oblige. CD prices have dropped by 25% in recent years since streaming took hold. Artists not funded to record new albums anymore. They no longer get paid for what they do. Music is merely a wonderful hobby to indulge in if you have a lot of money that for some reason you want to throw away. The industry is booming, the artists are starving, and we dance along to that online playlist.

 

   Piracy didn't kill the music. The man did. Buy the fucking T-shirt.