“Should music be free?” is the question posted by Steve Guttenberg in Stereophile. It’s a fascinating article that talks about various aspects of the digital music revolution. Every audiophile should read it. From the loss of the concept of an “album” to the relative infrequency in which bands now publish new material, the article takes a great anecdotal look at the status of recorded music and musicians today.
Equally interesting is the counterpoint view of the article by Fred von Lohmann. He argues that the Internet has offered constructive and positive opportunities for musicians and that streaming services have exposed artists as never before to a more diverse audience.
Perhaps the truth (as it sometimes is) is somewhere in the middle. In any revolution, there’s change. There are wins and losses. There will be pros and cons. The hope is that when such revolutions take place that they are not phyrric victories (a victory where the losses are so great, they often offset the victory itself).
