Last night at our University of Virginia show (thanks people, you were greeeeeatttt!!!) when we told folks that this Tuesday’s release of iLL-Lit’s iB4the1.1 will be absolutely free, some either looked at us like we were dipping our faces in hot oil, or like we were offering them lollipops dipped in ether.  So even though this particular altercation between pop star Lily Allen and filesharers throughout the cybernets happened in September, it definitely speaks to an ongoing debate that has been occurring for as long as I can remember being an avid music fan.

A couple of months ago, Lily posted a couple of Myspace blogs explaining her stance on filesharing.  In it, she attributed much of the downfall of the big entertainment industry to music piracy which (so she claims) results in new artists not getting signed, and as a result our listening pool remaining altogether monochromatic:

The long and short of it is, even before this economic downturn Piracy has been affecting all areas of entertainment, except maybe theatre. CD sales, Film DVD sales, book sales , TV DVD sales, everything. Now, if people go on consuming at the rate they are and do not pay for what they are consuming, not only will the artists within all these industries be without jobs and unable to express themselves but the behind the scenes people too. Thats literally millions of jobs .

If this sounds like I’m siding with the record bosses, I’m not. They’ve been naive and complacent about new technology – and they’ve spent all the money they’ve earned on their own fat salaries not industry development. But as they start to lose big from piracy, they’re not slashing their salaries – they’re pulling what they invest in A&R. Lack of funds results in A&R people not being able to take risks and only signing acts they think will work, which again makes British music Cowell puppets.

The response was a huge backlash on part of bloggers, listeners, and music sharers alike, which fueled 3 very important questions:

1) Who still posts blogs on Myspace?

2) Who still reads Lily Allen’s blog?

3) How much does filesharing truly affect new artists?

A most entertaining and eloquent response to Lily comes from Dan Bull, who produced an amazingly comprehensive open letter explaining why filesharing is actually beneficial to new artists:

Touché, Dan Bull, touché.  What I personally like about this exchange is that both sides come from a place of respect and a real interest in continuing a dialogue, as opposed to Madonna who yelled at her fans, and in turn got her site hacked with links to steal her album.  But it’s true…at this point trying to convince people that ending filesharing will save the record industry is like saying eating corn flakes will save teenagers from sexual immorality.  Although I’m a fan of Lily’s music, it’s ridiculous to me that someone who has to credit so much of her success as a new artist to the internet can have such a skewed idea of how the online music community works.  The main flaw in her argument is the relevance she draws between an artist getting signed and an artist getting paid or listened to.  While there might still be some truth behind a record company’s ability to publicize an artist’s name more so than sitting in front of the computer adding friends, just a quick flip through any issue of the indefinitely-on-hiatus Vibe magazine’s breaking-artist spotlights (the vast majority of which were signed to major labels) demonstrates how a record deal is not a full-proof pass from obscurity.

Oy vey, I’m ranting now.  If you’re interested in more about the whole filesharing freeworld debate, I highly recommend checking out The Pirate’s Dilemma, a book and blog that has been one of the main inspirations for iLL-Literacy’s belief in always and forever providing free music.  Pirate out.