Kid Rock on Illegal Music Downloads

Interesting video from Kid Rock.  Yes, downloading music without paying for it is stealing, but it's a bit different than the examples he's giving here.  For one, you're not downloading an original recording, you're downloading a digital copy of it...which costs the manufacturer nothing.  It's hardly like stealing a physical product such as an iPod or pair of pants, since the original seller still has something to sell.

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Comments

[Brian]

Wow, that video is hilarious. It's a complicated issue, and I'm glad he took a sarcastic approach. If it were as easy to steal a car as it is to download music, more people would do it!

I think it's human nature to ignore laws that don't have consequences.

I prefer, though, to buy from iTunes, because of its quality and ease of use. With illegal downloads, you never know what you might be getting...

[Gary]

I can't believe that as someone in the music business, you could take a position like "it's hardly like stealing a physical product such as an iPod or pair of pants, since the original seller still has something to sell."

Someone sampling my music or ripping off my copyrights is exactly the same scenario you describe...the reasoning is: it's not exactly the same as the original, it costs the manufacturer (or owner) nothing and I still have something to sell, so it's not stealing. Theft is theft, that's the point Kid Rock is trying to make. It's twisted reasoning and rationalization like you give that makes illegal file sharing such an unstoppable drain on the music business, and is making a whole generation believe that all music should be free.

[David Hooper]

Brian, I agree with you on iTunes and I think you've hit on the key to dealing with this issue-- we've got to make it easier to buy than to get for free.

Gary, as a guy who makes his living from intellectual property, I understand your frustration, but downloading music for free is not like stealing pants...it's like making a digital copy of pants and stealing that copy.

Like a fake Rolex, perhaps? Do fakes keep people from buying a real one? I doubt it.

The way we'll make money with copyrights is changing. P2P and torrent sites are something we have to deal with, not just get agitated about. There are good things about free downloads. :)

[Phil Johnson]

I just wonder how many people aren't going to get the joke and think Kid Rock is telling them to steal things.

Sarcasm goes over a lot of people's heads.

[Lee Fox]

My respect for Kid Rock just went up.

[John Pedraza]

I never know whether or not to take Kid Rock seriously or not. I just love the guy. I would love to hang out with him.

[patsy gallagher]

fuck him if any one know about stealing its him .that new song fuck sake nothing new about that warewolves of london n sweethome alabama stuck togather .why cant he write something with its own melody pure fucking shit .kid rock my ass old man fuck head more like n take that fucking tea cosy off your fucking head your too old to be wearing it . kid fuck my ass.

[Future X]

That's hilarious! I especially loved the "stay in school, and off drugs!" That's like go and play, but don't get dirty! Hi5

[Alisa B]

PATSY:
Kid Rock PAYS to use songs that inspire him.

He has access to great musicians who could record new versions of "almost the songs" and try to get around it, but he doesn't.

You may not like his music, but the artists that he samples make a nice chunk of change when his records sell.

[Terrance]

Kid Rock is where he is today because he has used his talents and his brains too. Unfortunately, some people don't have enough common sense to realize he is being sarcastic, or to understand what it means to steal. Stealing is stealing. Whether it is a pair of jeans.... or a music download. Face it.. music today is mostly sold as downloads and that is what earns money for the Artists and companies that invest in that music being created, and then promote it, and sell it. When you download it somewhere for free, YES you are stealing and it is absolutely NO different than stealing a physical product. If you wanna get metaphysical.. jeans or iPods, or cars (when broken down) are in fact a bunch of energy.. so is a music download. Yeah.. really :)

How would you like it if you worked your ass off, wrote, and recorded an album.. dumped about $200,000 of your money into making the album.. then spent another $300,000 on a tour, and another $100,000 on some promotion.. only to have your profits be lost because you have nothing to actually sell.. afterall, music should be free?

What stupid reasoning to say "oh, a download is just a copy of something so it's ok". That copy is something should have been bought first.. therefore it is stealing. HELLO?

Oh, and yes, sneaking into a movie is stealing too!

[Norm]

(Fist off, fyi, I am not a performing musician, I am a recording engineer.)

I can't believe David Hooper thinks stealing digital downloads isn't the same as stealing a car, ipod or laptop. He says it costs nothing to manufacture. He is a moron if he believes this. It cost the artist plenty. He paid for the recording if not the gear to record it. He took the time to record it. (Doesn't time = Money?), he took the time to write it. he poored his heart and soul into is then put it out on display for the whole world to see and hear.

I tell you what Mr. Hooper, your digital goods cost you "nothing" to manufacture, why don't you give us all your goods for free? Instead of this $97 crap!

Then we will see how much food you put on your family's table and how nice of a car you end up driving.

Music is intellectual property, it takes time, engery, effort and money to produce. Just like any other product out there!

When you download music without paying for it, you are "STEALING" and you are taking food off the table of the artist (who paid in one way or another).

Pratcially every musician I know is struggling to make ends meet. To get a break. It burns me up when I am at a show, and I hear a fan come up to an artist and say, "Hey, I got your music off limewire, it's great man I love it". I roll my eyes back thinking, you jerk, way to show your support. Hear he just played a show for you and if he is lucky earned a couple bucks. (Probably not enought to cover his gas and a pack of cigarettes)and you have the nerver to tell him to his face that you love his music, support his artistry, but at the same time downloaded his music for free from limewire. What an ass, that is not supporting the artists, it is just the opposite. Support means to help survive, (like a parent pays child support)

Kid Rock got it right when he said "Hell let's just start stealing everything, what the hell."

People like Mr. Hooper and Derick Severs, etc. who believe it's ok to take music without paying because, "it's digital, it didn't cost them anything", got it all wrong. Hell what does it matter to them? they got rich themselves convincing young impressionalble musicians their music isn't worth buying so they should just give it away. Way to go guys.

If the music industry is suffering at all and I don't think it is, I think it is just evolving, but I agree it could be doing a lot better if people would just pay the 99 cents.

The result, the artist has money to pay his rent, and focus on writing more great music, and even the rich morons pushing them to give their music away would get richer because with more money to go around, more musicians would order more CD's and merch, and artwork etc., making guys like Mr Severs even richer.

[Norm]

Mr. Hooper, I am afraid you are wrong again. Stealing a digital download is not like stealing a digital pair of pants. What is wrong with your head? A person couldn't get any benefit from a digital pair of pants. I would like to see you put on a pair of digital pants and walk outside, well maybe I wouldn't but, still, a person benefits from a digital downloaded song, because he/she can use it. And because he/she can use it, he/she ought to pay for it.

I swear you have been doing too many drugs Mr. Hooper. Straighten up and maybe you will see it for what it is, STEALING!!!

[Norm]

Digital pants, a copy? You really don't get it do you? When he/she buys it in the first place they are getting a “copy” when you buy a CD you are getting a “copy” of the “Master CD”

[Hoover]

This post has definitely caused some emotional responses.

I thought I'd put in my two cents.

Stealing is stealing if the creator didn't intend to give away their work. It could be a song, an e-book, a movie, or software. Anything available digital is fair game in the p2p world.

I think what Mr. Hooper is trying to say with his digital copy argument, is that the per unit cost for digital copies is practically nothing. There's no cd manufacturing costs, no shipping costs, etc...

That being said, the cost of making that original master can be quite high(recording, mastering, etc..).

If everyone is stealing, how does one recoup those costs and actually make money?

Adaptation.

We can all bitch, moan, and sue people but it's not going to stop. There's a bunch of new business models being tried and we'll see how things turn out, but here's what artists can do starting today:

1. Stop focusing all your energy selling recorded music to consumers (fans). You should of course have some CD's and your tracks available on ITUNES/Digital Music Retailers for those who want to buy it, but making it your main focus may not be the best thing in this new world we live in.

2. Focus more on revenue streams where stealing isn't so easy.

Selling T-Shirts and other merch can be huge cash cows at live shows and online. People who steal your music and really like it may want to buy a shirt to support you, instead of a cd.

Dive into the publishing world. Seek out opportunities to place your music in film/tv/new media.

Make your live show great. All those people who stole your music may actually pay money to go to to your show.

Stay strong and stay positive!

Cheers everyone!

Hoover

http://NewRockstarPhilosophy.com

[Norm]

But Mr. Hoover, it isn't fair game. That is the point. The person who posted the song on the p2p didn't have the authority to do so. Unless it was the copyright owner him/her self. Just because someone puts a stolen car in front of your house doesn't make it ok for you to take it. It's still stolen.

I know this is a problem. But telling people to take their focus off of selling their music is wrong. there are plenty of people out there willing to buy music. And yes a good business person would also try to cash in on film/tv/video licensing as well as t-shirts and other merch sales. This has been done for years, why do you think the Beatles made movies? It created additional income streams. Their management people knew what they were doing.

Focus on all of it, sell the music to the honest people who are willing to support you by buying it.

It's correct to assume it's never going to stop, heck it's been going on for a long time with cassette tape even. But to bend over and except it is not the answer.

The answer is in education. Educating the fans how downloading an artists music without paying for it actually hurts the artist regardless of how "rich" he/she is. He/she is rich because he/she wrote great songs which people were willing to buy. Just because someone puts it up on a p2p doesn't make it right for someone else to "take it". The uploader, was not authorized to make copies (upload) that ARE NOT for his/her "PERSONAL USE".

My advice to musicians is don't support free downloading, but don't focus on it either. Instead focus on and support paid downloading, touring (performing), merch, synch licensing and any other way you can come up with to make a buck.

if we take away the income from music sales, and the income from playing out at the local clubs, which brings up another issue (pay for play or playing without getting paid, we all know its happening), next the artist will be expected give away merch and then there will be no way for anyone to make anything. No income from music sales, no income from performances, no income from merchandise, what's left we might as well all go home!

I would venture to say that most bands out there play for nothing or next to it. They only have income from Merch which would include CD's if not for the "Stolen" download.

We can't totally stop illegal downloading but we can get the honest people to do the right thing. We put locks on the doors to keep honest people out, the theif will get in anyway. Same here, we promote doing the write thing, which is PAY for the download.

Focus on educating the fans why they should buy the CD or pay for the download. be creative in how you say it. Or give a little added extra value to it somehow.

But part of the problem is getting people like Mr. Hooper to realize he is part of the problem by promoting free downloads as "exceptable".

We can turn this around and make it less of a problem if we try. Don't be a part of the problem, be a part of the solution. You have the power!

[Norm]

Yeah and the venue owner who gets all the money the guy who stole your music paid to see YOUR show pays you $50 or your Band maybe if your lucky a couple hundred but you spent $50 in gas to get there. Again, most bands at the level we are talking about here, playing original music are probably playing for free if not near free. The venue is the one making the money of the fan who stole the music. Mr. Hooper needs to get out there and see what is really happening in the real world.

Again that is why I say don't take your focus off selling your music. But don't focus only on selling your music. Those that do will fail but I think that is how it has been for like... ever! The most successful artists I know are very diversified with their sources of income.

Don't take your eye off music sales. You will need income from all sources. Sell your music to the fans that will pay and make a big deal out of thanking those that have paid. Which will in turn make the ones who didn't pay feel, if only unconsciously, bad about doing so.