DRM @ PTC

But I did in my sordid past.

I have a semi-boycott on RIAA backed music because the lawsuits against music fans left a very bad taste. I do buy a handful of songs or CD’s that I like on iTunes and I sometimes buy CD’s and t-shirts at festivals and concerts. I don’t buy nearly as much as I did prior to the RIAA lawsuits. I buy music at Magnatune, a Creative Commons label, as well. I haven’t used any of the file sharing programs to illegally download music since the before demise of Napster. A lot of the music I downloaded back in the late 90’s was stuff I already had on CD. Had I known I could rip it from the CD, I would have gone that route. I just wanted to listen from my computer and shuffle the songs, a typical tailing baby boomer scenario.

In short, I do think that music created and performed by artist beholden to a label should be legally purchased. If enough people buy the music, the artist may be able to make enough money to live on. Music lovers should also check out some of the alternatives. I have put links a few of these in the Alternatives section. The artists that license their work with Creative Commons need to survive and make money, too. They didn’t get a bonus and marketing from a record company (well, except for Nine Inch Nails).

I donated to one guy I liked from Magnatune via a Paypal link and got an email back from him offering to send me a gift if I provided a shipping address. Such personal service is sorely lacking in the music business.