Artist Support

What is written below is something I've been thinking about for a long time and how I should write it, so I just sat down it all came out. I'm just a normal person, who is trying to do something to have a clear conscience about the world around him. I'll admit I've used file sharing in the past, and have watched snippets of TV shows on the Internet (but never full episodes). When I've downloaded music in the past, however, if I did not like the song, I deleted it immediately; but if I liked the song, I bought the CD. I believe every person, whether a writer, actor, musician, or author should be compensated for what they do, and not fucked over by the industry they represent.

I DO NOT file share because the artist/group does not get paid!!! I have always disliked Metallica, but understand why they did what they did with Napster. It's very simple - download for free, the artist/group makes no money; buy the CD, the artist/group makes money. They took a lot of time to create what is released, so they should be compensated. It is their job (just like I have a job that I get paid for doing), and if it's a real musician/group, they will tour to promote said CD and make money from merchandise -because, in the end, they are eventually screwed up the ass by their record company. The only exception to this, when I had any software for P2P sharing was for songs and/or albums which were out of print and no longer available from the recording companies.

From Janisian.com:

One other major point: in the hysteria of the moment, everyone is forgetting the main way an artist becomes successful - exposure. Without exposure, no one comes to shows, no one buys CDs, no one enables you to earn a living doing what you love. Again, from personal experience: in 37 years as a recording artist, I've created 25+ albums for major labels, and I've never once received a royalty check that didn't show I owed them money. So I make the bulk of my living from live touring, playing for 80-1500 people a night, doing my own show. I spend hours each week doing press, writing articles, making sure my website tour information is up to date. Why? Because all of that gives me exposure to an audience that might not come otherwise. So when someone writes and tells me they came to my show because they'd downloaded a song and gotten curious, I am thrilled!

I DO NOT buy used CDs or DVDs because the artists/writers/actors/etc do not get paid. Simply put, artists/et al only get paid for first sale of the CD/DVD and there is no tracking of sales from used records, VHS tapes, CDs, cassette tapes and DVDs. People deserve to be paid for their work - no matter how many times one item is sold.

(Note: However, the only exceptions I have to the above for myself are for "out of print" items. These are CDs or Movies that the record company or movie studio no longer produces for sale.)

I WILL NOT (not that I have in the past) watch any TV show on any network website until the WGA strike is resolved. Writers deserve to be paid for what they do, and compensated fairly. From what I've read, and from what I understand, not all writers are equal. Not all writers make the same salaries. Some writers don't work for periods of time and rely on residuals. As you can see by the banner at the top of this blog, I support the WGA in their efforts to get what they deserve and I support them.

And finally, I WILL NOT buy used books if they are still in print (and the writer is still alive and kicking). This does not included publishers making money on authors who have been dead for centuries and will never see a fucking dime - can you say Shakespeare??