The Leaking Debate

The issue of leaking and downloading music is a controversial one. Some support file sharing and believe its o.k. while others absolutely oppose it.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, the fact is that there is file sharing going on. With new technologies constantly emerging everyone can agree that the game is continuously changing. What was the norm two years ago has changed today and could become something else by tomorrow. People from both sides of the table need to work together and find some common ground.

Nahright had a dope post yesterday. Eskay and Lupe had an exchange about leaking music. This is exactly what the game needs, an open debate on how the fuck people feel about this shit.

Eskay said:

I wanna see artist prosper, I just dont think chasing iTunes sales and deading mp3 leaking is necessarily the best way to do it.

He makes a good point. What many who are against file sharing fail to recognize is all the free exposure that artists are getting by people sharing their music.

If anything, the more people who download your music free the better the chances of your music selling. After all, isn't it the best indicator of a strong demand for your product?

However, Lupe argues that this type of downloading is illegal and insulting. He goes on to say that it possibly cost his album from going platinum.

The legality of downloading is questionable as there is no clear line drawn in the sand and should be judged on a case by case basis. Whether or not downloading cost Lupe from his album going platinum is not clear. Take Lil wayne for example, he leaks more music than average and his album went platinum.

At the same time Lupe writes about his computer being hacked and people leaking those tracks onto the internet. If this is true, then its fucked up. If Lupe was not ready to share his music to the public and it intended the file to be private, then no one has the right to leak it. That sounds more like stealing than sharing.