I don't download music because I only have a slow dial-up connection; that may change soon enough though. I haven't been in years, and would not pay to go to any concerts now. The last CD I remember buying was Tool's Lateralus, and I will continue to support Tool (and other atypical bands). But my days of buying the new such-and-such CD ended badly with Static Girl's $17 purchase of Beautiful Garbage. (How can such an amazing band put out such an average album?)
From now on, if there is some kind of music that I really want to own, I will PAY somebody with a CD-burner to make me one--just to MAKE SURE that the record industry gets no coin from me, those worthless fucks. Eventually, along with high-speed internet, I will "invest" in a specific big mutha hard drive so that I can have a "library" of music to work with; I may not even need a CD player most of the time. Cool
I do have a suggestion for the music big-wigs though; give us the new CD's for free. Why free? We already have the music we want to listen to; we don't give a shit about some new crap you have. But if you GIVE it to us, then MAYBE we'll listen to it, and talk about it. I mean, probably not, but it's your dumbass line of work; we sure as hell aren't going to spend any of our $9 an hour to line your pockets even deeper.
It's a shame, too. I've read some good things about the new No Doubt, and the new Sheryl Crow; a couple of people have even told me that I would definitely like the new Eminem CD, too. But I'm not buying shit, okay? I couldn't care less about CD sales being down; I don't see any record companies filing bankruptcy, and I'd just laugh if they did.
So let's wrap this up: Concerts have been overpriced for the last 10 years; 1996's Telecommunications Act wiped out the effective small radio stations; and all the good independent record stores have been closed for at least a year now. I've grown tired of waiting for the corporate music business to deliver some sort of an apology--obviously they are not going to. THEY ruined the music business; so screw them all sideways. To them I say; "You can give me a stack of CDs for free, or pay me to, and maybe I'll listen to them. I mean, probably not, but it's your dumbass line of work."