It is a pleasure to burn.
It is a special pleasure to see music rip, to see blank compact discs changed. With the computer at our fingertips, with these great burners ripping the music of wealth-engorged artists and record labels of the world, the music pounds in our heads.
With apologies to Ray Bradbury - whose novel "Fahrenheit 451," depicted firemen of the future who didn't put out fires, but burned books to keep people from reading - music fans are actually working against a similarly dark future.
We just want to keep listening.
College students fall neatly into the demographic most actively targeted by record labels. We're also one of the poorest demographics, though, considering that we regularly spend student loan money on frivolous things like shelter and food (and, admittedly, beer).
Now we have burners, and record labels are getting hot. So their solution is...higher prices? Overall, music isn't getting any cheaper - it's actually becoming more expensive. The argument blaming pirated music is bunk.
Music prices have been steadily rising since the average $10 price consumers paid when compact discs proliferated in the 1980s - before burners were available. Now, consumers regularly see prices around $19.98 for the average Celine Dion album.
No one wants to burn a copy of Celine Dion.
However, I take special pride in burning Metallica - the greedy wankers deserve it.
But what about the little guys - the independent record stores, labels and bands that are just trying to "make it"? Hey, even pirates should have scruples - we should know better. Little guys don't like the big guys any more than pirates do.
I won't burn everything. I'll gladly support artists who care about fans, or those who are clearly underrated. I may obtain albums before their release, but if I like what I hear, I'll buy a copy. Recent examples include David Gray, Foo Fighters and Tom Petty.
I proudly bought Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' latest album, "The Last DJ," mainly because of sentiments like those Petty expresses on the album and on Rollingstone.com.
"It's funny how the music industry is enraged about the Internet and the way things are copied without being paid for. But you know why people steal the music? Because they can't afford the music. I'm not condoning downloading music for free. I don't think that's really fair, but I understand it. If you brought CD prices back down to $8.98, you would solve a lot of the industry's problems. You are already seeing it a little - the White Stripes albums selling for $9.99. Everyone still makes a healthy profit; it might get the music business back on its feet," Petty said.
Petty is more in tune with reality than most in the music industry. The mentality of a music pirate revolves around one simple notion: music is too expensive.
What music pirates do is no more ethical than gouging people at the checkout counter, so in a way, pirates are hypocritical - but we can live with that. Pirates are fighting against faceless corporate juggernauts. It's always easier to steal from someone who has no face, or whose face is everywhere.
In desperate times, pop culture mavens resort to desperate measures, and $15 is too much to risk on something that might suck.
So, can I borrow your CD collection?
Write to John at kingseyeland@bsu.edu
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