First let me say that I am kinda drunk ATM so if this post will make any sense I don't know. I'll try and form my thoughts correctly.
Usually when an album comes out it contains two perhaps three songs that you think is good, rest is mostly crap songs. To pay full price for this is ridiculous. To pay for the albums of the mostly exposed artist, those played on the radio, is also kinda stupid. What if I don't like the most recent fame factory or some other stupid show winner? I hate those massproduced artist that are supposed to appeal to the greater public. The artist I enjoy are those who are original and not copies of some other artist, if you took two of todays artist and played them after each other I wouldn't probably notice the change.
The artist that are unique are the ones I enjoy and they can't be found so easily, that should say bought that easily. Those who sell music sell the most popular, the most recent music, to earn more money by selling to the grey masses.
The really unique can only be found on, let's say Direct Connect or some site that offers free music.
Recently I discovered a band called Ugress from Norway that has enticed me very much. They are really good and offer some of their music for free, I have never heard them before! I also like Binary Mind which you can download from Jamendo for free.
What I am trying to say is that the independent artist that offer their music for free have surpassed what the record companies have to offer, unless you are the victim of liking what you are told to like.
As the recording companies go for, what they think is, the most famous, those who can make up their own mind don't have anything to listen to. When hell freezes over I'll download a <Famous Artist> album.
To comment the Pirate Party, I think it is an interesting initiative because I am nothing more than an poor student that can't afford all the music/games/movies I like. But I agree that somehow the creators of the music/game/movie should be payed, that could be accomplished by paying some tax to the ISP for letting you download all the music that you want, perhaps that could be made a national tax. We Swedes already pay a tax for television, as soon as we get something that can capture the signals to TV we have to pay a tax, no matter if we use the TV only to watch DVDs or as a computer screen. This tax also counts for our radio.
If the tax wouldn't satisfy everybody, I'll gladly pay the artist in person, if I like his music that is. Because of the advance of mp3 the CDs have become somewhat obsolete.
To summarize everything:
1. More online content in the form of MP3, actually I'd rather see it in the form of .flac or .ogg but that isn't likely to happen.
2. The pay going directly to the artist instead of some company taking almost everything and paying the artist minimum wage.
3. Perhaps a tax or a fee payed to the ISP that goes to the artist you download.
Now when I have written everything it seems kinda offtopic but nevertheless it is and interesting debate that probably will go on for some years.
To credit those band mentioned:
Ugress binarymind - Home
A site to download great music from! Mostly electronica though:
Jamendo : Open your ears
Another site that offers free legal music:
Magnatune: license music and MP3 download
Please visit their sites, they have free music for you!