Quit Stealing

Is stealing from thieves different from stealing from honest people? In the words of Futurama's Lrrr, "Yes; but not by enough."

The companies in the recording industry are unabashed crooks. That they steal artists' rights in legal ways is completely irrelevant.

But their status as weasels doesn't excuse those who steal music. Unless it's an act of civil disobedience, stealing music is wrong.

Record company executives: change, or go to Hell. You are thieves.

Musicians: license with Creative Commons. Record companies are obsolete.

Soul Monkey

For those of you who don't know, I took my blog name from a Jonathan Coulton song*. I like his music because it's clever, geeky, catchy, and, most of all, because he doesn't associate with a record company. I respect anyone who can be successful without selling out.

Yes, I just implied that associating with a record company equals selling out. Why? Here's my logic:

A music artist is someone who has respect for their own music as a piece of art. Artists do not let others deface, devalue, or overexpose their art. When an artist's work is exploited, the artist himself is exploited.

To sign with a record company, one must give up certain rights. Any music the artist makes after signing is subject to the record company's whims. The music can suddenly show up on car commercials, as political theme songs, or (worst of all) on MTV.

Why would anyone in their right mind sign with a record company? It's a business decision, which, by definition, is greedy and self-serving. Musicians who sell the rights to their music have sold their souls.

So be an internet star. Keep your soul and make a little less money. Keep the rights to your art!


*A warning: Code Monkey contains some crude language. It's not bad enough to prevent me from referencing it on my blog, but listener beware.