To Download or Not to Download? There is No Question. Posted by Jacques "Jooks" Morel on 10/26/09 | Filed under Features, Jacques "Jook" Morel

I am a twenty-year-old college student. That means my income is spread out into three avenues.

1. Food
2. Essential Payments (Car, Phone, Etc)
3. Beer/ Entrance Fees/Girls

The normal student in my position is forced to split their money in the same ways. I call it “shadow budgeting,” budgeting that is done in your head and not on paper. Why?

Because old people budget. And I am not old.

Nowhere in my description is a place for “music”; which means when I do spend money on music, it must be well warranted. I frequently attend shows, which go under “entrance fees”, but I only purchase three to five CD’s a year.

Now some people might be sitting there and screaming at their computer that I do not “support” the artists. Yes my friend, and I hope you're buried under the avalanche of your surmounting CD collection.

The last album I purchased was" Man on the Moon: End of Day" from Kid Cudi. Surprised? I hope not. The album itself is a fantastic journey into the life of Scott Mescudi. From the first track until my favorite “Up Up and Away” the album is full of twists and turns, taking the listener on a rollercoaster of emotions.

But most importantly, I bought this album after I downloaded it. This was also the case for Fashawn’s "Boy Meets World", which I downloaded before I purchased. I know Fashawn personally and I have no intention of stealing from him, however, I need to be sure I am not wasting money that I so dearly need. Other notables include, "Church League Heroes" from Pac Div, "Should’ve Been The First Album(Unofficial from 2dopeboyz)" from B.o.B, and "A Matter of Time" from Mike Posner.

Now that's not a very long list, and considering how much music I listen to, that means I download 300+ albums a year; and I am sure you do the same. Looking at this staggering number we can infer that I purchase less than .01% of the albums I listen to every year. Look at me, a terrible, cheap, non lover of Hip-Hop because I am not supporting the artist’s livelihood.

Cut that nonsense out please.

I attend shows. A lot of shows. I am supporting their livelihood. I buy the shirts and send their music to everyone I can. I support their livelihood elsewhere - just not in CD sales. I am not going to blindly purchase an album and find out it might not be that good.

If I am going to purchase an album, it means that I will listen to the CD itself; which means I HAVE no choice but to listen to it in my car. I have not had a CD/Walkman in six years. I cannot afford to take chances and purchase something that I might never listen to once. That would be a waste of money.

The main problem I have is artists telling me to purchase AND NOT download their albums, knowing that it might be trash.

Unless you are Jay Z, you cannot have that many “yes men” in your life to lie to you.

I hate risks, and hate wasting my money even more. I am not going to purchase something without testing it first. I do not buy a car without test driving it nor do I marry a woman that cannot make rice like my mother can.

Because that would be a damn right travesty wouldn’t it?

"Jacques is an aspiring hosting personality and writes freelance. He can be contacted at [email protected] "