On the pros and cons of digital music ...

Music downloading creates listener apathy

I could buy this idea. The widespread use of mp3s, mp3 players, and CD burning makes it incredibly easy to get music without really doing any work. You could just download what is popular at the time without any thought. There's definitely less emotional (or financial) commitment than buying a CD and if you don't like it, you just delete it. You lost only 99 cents (or even less).

However, I do think that the digital music revolution has caused some good developments in how we get our music. Instead of some gigantic record companies controlling which CD's get released and the consumers having to choose from that group, you can find music by artists who aren't famous and who haven't signed to a record company. Anyone, absolutely any musician with internet access can spread their music through mp3s. A lot of the time it's even free (on sites such as purevolume and myspace).

Is this a good thing? Yes and no. Yes, because it creates a sort of liberty in the music world. It doesn't require money to share your music. However, it also allows TONS of crap to be put out there as well, but that seems to be the nature of the internet. For every good site, there are thousands of crappy ones (usually porn).

So, my advice is: be discerning in your tastes for music. Don't allow garbage to flourish. I support the digital music revolution because it makes music truly free in the philosophical sense of the word.