Support the artists

Music is one of those things that can really define a person, especially for the typical college student. It would be rather hard to find someone that doesn't enjoy some form of music and many college-age consumers get their music free by utilizing music web sites, some legal others not so much.

According to an article in the Boston Globe, CD sales dropped 26 percent and downloads dropped 13 percent in 2007 alone. These numbers are making artists and record labels very nervous, because if this continues, there will be a reduced revenue stream. Potentially reduced revenues may deter some start-up bands and labels and just leave the most popular ones around, which doesn't cater to everyone's taste.

The ability to listen to all kinds of music is very much a privilege. There are plenty of college students that pride themselves on the fact that they listen to "bands that you have never heard of," but without the support for music, those bands would more than likely begin to dwindle.

One of the answers the record labels have come up with is to sue those who are downloading illegally. Some bands have come up with their own answer and it is the exact opposite of what the labels are proposing.

According to a 2007 article in Time Magazine, the band Radiohead let fans download their album "In Rainbows" for free, or fans have the option to pay as much as they want to. This is a concept that seems to be working because other bands such as Nine Inch Nails and Bad Religion have similar setups and encourage their fans to just download the album, and if they like it, pay as much as they think it's worth.

The free album idea seems to be working great, but one more idea is to sell digital music without DRM (Digital Rights Management) licensing. This is a system that was used most notably by Apple with its iTunes music store.

In an article written by Steve Jobs on the Apple Web site, he argues that DRM-free music should be allowed.
 
The simplest answer is because DRMs haven't worked, and may never work, to halt music piracy."

There are obviously many people and groups working to fix some of the problems within the music industry. But what it really comes down to is the consumers and their commitment to the artists.