"You're not a fan..."

Unless you've supported the artist/writer. And that means paying the piper.

That said, I can probably say that I haven't been much of a fan of anything for the past couple of years thanks to the internet. "ZOMG TORRENT PLS" et cetera. I have twelve gigs of music in my computer, and the two dozen or so CDs I ripped from my actual collection only account for a small percentage of that space.

Being someone who knows enough to say that most writers and performers are underpaid (or at least aren't paid very much and have to cling to every cent to get by to the next paycheque), I find it bothersome now to think. But for some reason... the economy and royalties and what have you seem to mean zilch if it means I can have what I want as fast as my internet connection will allow.

Oh, and fansubs. Haha... I'm terrible about fansubs. Even if licensed anime doesn't appear/disappears on AnimeSuki, it will eventually appear on Tokyo Toshokan, and then YouTube, Veoh and crunchyroll. Not to mention Pirate Bay, Mininova, Demonoid and assorted IRC channels. It's just too easy.

I feel kind of at odds with buying translated and licensed releases because when a mistake is noticed it's put up online for everyone to see (such as a typo in Yotsuba&!). And it brings me no peace knowing that an inferior product is being sold as official.

On a completely unrelated note... when Radiohead's In Rainbows came out for download I abstained out of guilt... and then later resolved to buy the CD after it was ripped to YouTube.

Anyway, it's frustrating. I think the best way about it all is to be a responsible consumer. Only buying responsibly and not blindly snatching something because it's licensed. Or in the least being aware of what you're buying... I know I'm BAWWWing inside over that typo in Yotsuba&!, but I'll still buy it because I love that series and I want a copy of it that I can flip through and hold.

Back to Radiohead and downloading music... I kind of like the way things are right now. Being able to listen to whole tracks through download and deciding whether or not the whole CD is worth it or going the iTunes route and buying that one song you really enjoy. It's safer that way instead of having to troll through the hit and miss-tags of P2P programs. And once a song is out there, it can go through as many hands as people are willing to share. I wish I understood the music industry better, but from what little I understand, it's an outdated model that needs to adapt with the times for the sake of its own future and that of future recording artists.

Well, that all went all over the place, didn't it?

I guess the bottom line is that you're being a bit of a dick if you call yourself a fan of someone but you don't support them financially if you just download their releases. The only way to ensure the future of these creative minds is to be a consumer whore--but not really.

Ugh.