"Economic Shortfalls" of the Music Industry

An article found in The Lantern, a student run newspaper talks about the effects of music piracy and its huge impact on the music industry. It talks about this from an economical point of view a does not address any moral issues or social concerns surrounding the debate. It explicitly talks about the individuals working in the music industry, excluding artists. They are referring to the individuals who work 9 to 5 jobs and how their positions have been eliminated due to the lack of revenue and inability to produce new and upcoming music. The article can be found at:

http://www.thelantern.com/opinion/music-piracy-not-end-of-music-industry-1.1167356

On one point the article talks about a British student whose iPod was confiscated and it was believed to have over 800 illegally downloaded songs on it. Following this statement the author states, “Regardless of the accuracy of those numbers…” That statement alone makes me question any quantitative evidence referenced throughout the article. However, after this statement there are no other forms of quantitative evidence found throughout the article. In an argument with a predominately economic framework, wouldn’t it be appropriate to use numbers?

Regardless much of the article is spent focusing on the inability of recording artists to produce new music because of the increase in illegal downloading and music/file sharing. I think it is important to look at a couple of different factors. The first being how the economy has changed. With our country in the midst of an economic downfall the demand for music and entertainment is not as high as it used to be. Especially with increase online resources encouraging interactivity such as YouTube and Pandora Radio etc. Also, it is important to look at how the music industry is changing. The popularity of shows such as American Idol has stars gaining popularity in a variety of ways, through reality television, YouTube videos, and social networking sites. Why would any new artist pay to have their record professionally recorded, when they can upload themselves on YouTube or try out for American Idol with the hopes of being discovered at virtually no cost. Personally I do not believe the economic shortfalls of the music industry are a direct effect of music piracy, and the lack of quantitative facts this author has to support this claim is enough for me to continue not to believe it.

-Andrea