| I'm fine either way, as long as there's no DRM As long as no DRM is involved (remember the days of copy protected CDs? They cannot even be called Audio CDs. I still remember trying to rip a bunch of CDs protected with Cactus Datashield Copy protection), I'm fine.
There is one major issue on top of distribution, that is licensing/copyright. There are TONS of excellent music in the international scene, but most of them are unheard of locally, especially in the US. Most of these music can only be attainable via import CD (or as usual, P2P). If you pay attention to Audio CDs, there is usually a fine print telling where the CD can only be sold. Obviously this is not fully enforced as people can import CDs just fine. However, this is easily enforced in digital downloads. For example, I cannot easily buy music from a non-US iTunes store. There are ways around it, but sometimes it's easier to just import the CD, or find it via P2P.
You would think download services like iTunes/Amazon would get rid of the physical barrier of countries, but no. Simply log into iTunes UK or Japan, and you'll find a LOT of music not available in the iTunes US store.
I just hope artists realize that this licensing issue only hurt their music/fans. Until then, CD will still be media of choice for importers that really want to support the artist (vs finding the music via P2P). |
