War on the Music, downloads on janis ian's article.

Essay by mimieyesCollege, UndergraduateA-, November 2004

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War on the Music

In Janis Ian's article, "Free Downloads Play Sweet Music", published in Performing Songwriter Magazine in 2002, is trying to argue that free internet downloads are good for music industry and its artists. The target audience Ian focuses on is all the artists and musicians the music industry. The author tries to preach the thought of supporting free music downloads by telling the audience why people should support it. By reading through the three pieces of articles, Janis Ian's article seems to be the most balance one on the three rhetorical appeals.

First on the ethos part in Ian's argument, she establishes her credibility by telling the audience that she is a musician as they are. "In 37 years as a recording artist, I've created 25-plus albums for major labels..." (Ian, 259) She was also nominated for Grammy's Award numerous times (259). That way, her audience would not think of her as other people, like those who support free online downloads just for their own benefits.

She also shows how internet had helped her on her publicity, where her last hit was more than 25 years ago. Thus, instead of harm, Ian believes that internet would bring more benefits to all the musicians. "Who gets hurt by free downloads? Save a handful of super-successes like Celine Dion, none of us. We only get helped" (259). She explains how online downloads would only help the artists and the musicians by spreading free advertisements to everywhere in the world, and this widely exposure is the main way to get an artist or musician successful. She also tells those songwriters that prohibit free online downloads would only hurt the sales because people would not pay fifteen dollars to try an album (257). The record sales might raise a...