On Death and iPods: A Requiem | WIRED

I’m not shy about it: I still buy my music. Gladly.

Part of it is philosophical: I like the artist to directly benefit, however small their slice of the pie is. It’s like a vote for them.

Also, I’m old school in that I like to collect and organize my music library. My music belongs to me. I paid good money for it. And if I stop paying for it, my music will still be there – either on CDs or in iTunes. It doesn’t vanish to The Cloud™.

I know, I know, I’m old school. And it’s hard to fight trends like this one. We don’t watch TV via antenna signal anymore, no one signs up for Netflix’s DVD subscription service (except guess who!?), etc. The world of music is changing.

But for artists, they still have the same bills and responsibilities. They need to make money, and selling t-shirts doesn’t work for everyone.

I’m not sure what the answer is, exactly, but if you care about the artists that make the music you like, buy their stuff. Vote for their music with money.