Monday, August 16, 2004
(8:12 AM) | Adam Kotsko:
The Consequences of File Sharing
As a result of peer-to-peer file-sharing, I have listened to the following CDs to the point of getting tired of them then rediscovering them, without ever having purchased them:- Pavement, Slanted and Enchanted
- Pavement, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
- Pavement, Wowee Zowee
- Pavement, Terror Twilight
- Smashing Pumpkins, Gish
- Smashing Pumpkins, Pisces Iscariot
- Smashing Pumpkins, Machina
- Pink Floyd, Meddle
- Pink Floyd, Animals
- Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Lift Your Fists Like Tiny Antennas to Heaven
- Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Slow Riot for Zero New Kanada
- Sigur Ros, ()
- hood, cold house
- Neutral Milk Hotel, On Avery Island
- Neutral Milk Hotel, In an Aeroplane Over the Sea
- The Beatles, The Beatles [White Album]
- Coldplay, Parachutes
- Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head
- Muse, Origin of Symmetry
- Muse, Absolution
- Soundtrack to Magnolia
- Foo Fighters, Self-Titled
- The Shins, Oh, Inverted World
- The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow
- Squarepusher, Feed Me Weird Things
- Tenacious D, Self-Titled
- Steve Malkmus, Pig Lib
- They Might Be Giants -- complete works
- Wilco, A Ghost Is Born (I was able to get this illegally on the very day it was released, if not the night before)
- Starlight Mints, Built on Squares
- Starlight Mints, Dream That Stuff Was Made Of
As a direct result of file-sharing, I have averaged less than one CD purchase per year for the last four years. The last significant investment I made in CDs was the nearly complete works of Nine Inch Nails, purchased because various frustrations came together to make me feel considerable solidarity with Trent Reznor. Other than that, I usually hold off on stealing certain CDs just so that I can get them for Christmas, because my family likes to have a list.
I've been taking a lot more trips lately, so I've come to be sick of all my CDs. It's my own fault, however, since they're basically the exact same CDs I've had for the last four years. Rooming with Jesse Bridges, and previously with Justin Woolery, has helped to give me access to more CDs in emergency situations, but there's only so much time one can spend poking around in one's roommate's room while maintaining one's self-respect.
This has been a shit and garbage post.
UPDATE: I have found the rationalization I crave! The irony that I paid full price when listening to bad music and now steal good music is almost overwhelming. A list of all the shitty CDs that I paid good money for during my young and impressionable years would be ample evidence that the record industry owes me something -- let's just credit all the money I spent on Stone Temple Pilots and Bush toward my account for Pavement. And then let's keep in mind that CDs were and are overpriced (in my opinion, $9.99 is a fair price for a full-length album -- not a penny more!), and my account might still be paid ahead.
I expect my check to arrive shortly.
