Downloading music from the web is outrageous! It is unethical, horrible, degrading, and I would never, never, NEVER do it.

Just kidding.

Just like most people from these days, streaming has become a great tool to discover new artists. With just one click, I eliminate all opportunity cost. Streaming has practically no opportunity cost. Which is why I do it all the time: because I love music, but I never find myself in the mood to go around spending small bucks on iTunes or Amazon.

All these time I’ve been feeling guilty (not that much, I admit) about this. I always thought of the artists working really hard to make a living, and there I was, crushing their dreams. Good for me, my agony came to an end when Tom Dobrzanski, Sauder graduate and musician, came to speak at our fascinating and amazing Comm 101 class. To my surprise, when he was asked what he though of people downloading music from the internet for free, he said it was good!

Dobrzanski explained that easy streaming gave starting bands the opportunity to grow. Music junkies like me are a huge market for starting bands. We’re always looking for the next, next hit.

So, is piracy good business? Well, it is at least for starting bands. But the main thing here is that what has to happen is for labels and bands to change their business model and move away from a album-selling-oriented revenue to something more creative. I’m talking concerts, advertising, shirts, events, etc etc etc.