Copyright - A comment on the Lars Ulrich and Chuck D interview

The violation of copyright, especially in the music business, has in recent years, created many serious problems for the artists that depend on selling their records. The countless platforms providing any internet user with pretty much anything they desire have developed to be the biggest enemy of artists and record companies. In the interview with Lars Ulrich, drummer of the band Metallica and Chuck D of Public Enemy it becomes quite clear how far apart opinions about download culture can divide from each other. Lars Ulrich states that he is strictly against the possibility of downloading music from the internet. He explains that the most important aspect for the artist is the control they have over what they produce. He makes it sound like his main concern led with the intellectual property of every artist. In the first part of the interview it seems that Ulrich’s main concern was the artistic value of the work. Later on it becomes quite clear that his main concern is the loss of profit. For the artist to be able to “keep the control” in my eyes means, that the artist should be able to control their output. I agree that it is difficult for the music business to keep up with the changes and deal with the great availability of its produce. However, there has also been a change in the way the internet has contributed to the success of artists and music in general. Chuck D argues, for example, that a download service also provides a platform for the artist to increase their popularity as the material can spread a lot quicker and easier. He has a good point and it has shown in many cases that online platforms and download sites have improved the position of many artists and even made them successful in the first place. I think downloading has mainly increased the awareness about the music industry in general. More people have access to the material and the amount of people visiting live concerts has actually increased on the back of that. In my eyes new forms of music being available online like the project “Spotify” are the way forward. To use the labour that the online community provides by placing adverts within the program just as sites like Facebook have done for years is a good way to be able to guarantee profit to the artist as well as making music available for the broad mass.