Million Isaac writes about why we should say no to copied music
The joy we derive from music is immense – for many people, if not all, everyday life without an appropriate music soundtrack is unimaginable. It is what we want to hear while we are driving, having a meal, going to sleep or simply, dancing and having fun in the street. Music is, as it were, at the centre of everything we do in life.
For many people including me, music is the most essential element of life besides bread and water. And I know I am not alone in thinking this – there are so many people who would agree with my claim. In short, deprived of music, the world would be a sad and lonely place. But thanks to the talent of recording musicians – the makers of music – our lives are made that much more meaningful and interesting.
By now, I am sure you have worked out where I am going with this – if you have not, here it goes. My complaint here is – and please do believe me, I do have a major complaint – about the wholesale victimisation of many of our recording musicians in the hands of thieves. And just in case I haven’t mentioned it already, I am talking about music piracy, including the willy-nilly burning and copying of legally produced CDs and distributing them.
Music piracy is a major headache facing artists, music producers and businessmen the world over nowadays. In 2005, a British newspaper reported that during the preceding two years, British record labels lost around £650 million to illegal reproduction of music. A recent study in the US also mentions that the impact of music piracy was such that the American economy lost around $13 billion in a single year.
While this is the global context of the destructive consequences of music piracy, I just want to moan about a problem that is a bit more close to home. I believe that now is the time to speak out against the scourge of a major crime against our musicians. Please do not think I am exaggerating too – this crime is very real and has a devastating effect on the lives of many of our musicians and music producers.
Following years and years of suppression, Eritrean music has been, slowly but steadily, growing both in substance and quantity in the last 18 years. We’ve seen many innovative musicians release album after album. This has been a positive trend as far as the Eritrean music scene goes.
At the same time, the illegal reproduction of albums seems to continue unabated. Often, you see people talking about it so openly and with complete lack of any moral pangs. It is the strangest thing in fact – seeing many people brag about theft so openly.
Whatever justification a person may put forward, music piracy is, first and foremost, an act of flagrant theft. Those who copy music instead of buying it legally are no different from common thieves. Each CD copied illegally, whether for personal use or distribution, is the same as stealing money from a musician.
Our musicians, as well as creating great works of art, need to earn a living. They have, to use the common parlance, put food on the table and pay the bills. To do that, they have to sell records. They put a great deal of time, energy and money into creating and producing the music that we enjoy and take for granted.
If our musicians cannot make a living from their trade, they simply cannot produce music. Rather than wasting their time and energy, they would have to give it up and do something else to earn a living. Simply put, this will mean no music.
As well as individuals who would rather copy a CD than buying it legally, there are many dishonest businessmen who copy and sell illegal CDs in their shops. Many of these shop owners display on their shelves rows and rows of fake CDs with absolutely no shame.
There needs to be tough sanctions against these so-called businessmen. As well as being actively engaged in one of the worst kind of thefts, they are killing our music. They need to be stopped before we get to a stage where we will have no music to speak of.
While tackling this problem at national level will take a lot of investment of both time and money, I think there is a lot an average person can do to prevent the scourge of this crime. For starters, you can vow never to burn CDs – instead, if you like any piece of music, just go out and buy it. You can also educate your family and friends if you see them copy records.
You should avoid buying records from outlets that sell illegal CDs by falsely claiming they are original. You can easily tell whether a CD is original or not. The telltale signs are that the graphics will be shoddy and hard to read. If you know for a fact that a shop sells copied or counterfeit CDs, name and shame it. Encourage your friends never to buy anything from these shops.
The least our musicians deserve is never to fall victim to thieves. They need our support not for charitable reasons but out of respect for their craft. We should do right by them for the sake of our music.
Instead of being part of a destructive force that is threatening the survival and prosperity of our musicians and subsequently our music, we should help in combating it. Ultimately, if we do our bit in making sure that our musicians are properly rewarded for their craft, we will be the main beneficiaries. After all, we cannot live just on bread and water.
