Beethoven and sharing music
I’m sorry I missed this – apparently the BBC recently offered all nine Beethoven symphonies for free download, together with introductory commentaries. That would have been really nice to get hold of, especially the introductions.
The silly part is that the BBC are actually being lambasted by the classical music record companies for doing this. Apparently, it “devalues” the music, and leads people to believe that it’s OK to download and keep these tracks. Well, given the BBC own the copyright to these tracks, it is OK to download and keep these tracks. The record companies will just have to deal with it! And as for devaluing the music – perhaps, but why should the BBC care? The BBC has a remit that demands that it further public appreciation of the arts, so making some of the finest music in the world more widely and easily available is something it ought to be doing. If the record companies can’t compete, that’s too bad. There’s no law saying they have a right to earn money. Indeed, remember that these are the same companies that used to make money selling sheet music, and made a huge fuss when radio and, later, television were invented and brought to the public.
Music is for entertainment and enlightenment, not for profit. Musicians need to earn a living from their art. If someone can make profit by acting as a middleman, good for them, too, but the music doesn’t exist for them. It exists for the performer and the audience.
pax et bonum
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