There’s one thing that I miss about downloading music and that’s knowing that in some cases it’s good the artist isn’t getting any money. Admittedly I’m happier knowing that most of the artists I listen to get paid now that I stream. I know there’s a huge discussion about how artists don’t get paid enough and I agree but that’s not what I’m talking about.
Like if I downloaded their music, uploaded as little as I possibly could, then listen to it alone and don’t share, talk about or popularize their work in any way, am I supporting an artist accused of rape? It’s kind of the same argument as ‘if a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound’ or ‘death of the artist.’ Now to be frank, there are bands/artists that I don’t listen to on streaming services because I know they will benefit from me listening. Rammstien is one of them.