Dear Internet;
I respectfully disagree with the argument that Mr. Schafer has presented to you all. His argument that downloading is stifling "successful" bands only works if you define musical success as selling lots of records, leaving career fulfillment and the actual product (the music) out of the mix. Right now there are PLENTY of bands who are making great music with what little they have, and don't need stadium tours and blowjobs from groupies to feel good about doing it.
In fact, there have always been artists like this, especially in independent music, where I'd assume Casey Schafer and the majority of this site's [Alternative Press'] readers draw their allegiances. Watch interviews with dudes like Henry Rollins or Ian MacKaye; those guys slept on floors for years and it never seemed to negatively affect their musical output or outlook on life. And hey, they don't look like they're starving these days, either.
The fact of the matter is, there are many ways to make a living in music. While Radiohead and the Pumpkins were playing arenas and sleeping in 5-star hotels, bands like Hot Water Music and Converge were sleeping on peoples floors and eating off the dollar menu. Fast forward to today, and all four of those bands are still around, living more or less off music. Granted, while the latter two bands are probably not as well off, they've also had to work much harder to get to a point where music pays the bills for them, which should be endearing to anyone who genuinely loves music/has a soul, and probably feels pretty damn good if you're those bands.
If anything, downloading has opened more doors for underground artists to achieve a "Converge status" so to speak. I can tell you for a fact that the only reason I started listening to this kind of music is because I was able to download it illegally. Why would I take a chance on a style of music I'd never heard if I had to pay a grossly inflated price to buy a punk record at HMV? I can't be the only person in this scenario, either. The bands that I genuinely enjoy would be sleeping on a floor with or without the hit downloading takes to their records sales, so they really have nothing to lose and everything to gain with the easy avenue of exposure that downloading provides. And hey, when I finish school and have a decent full-time job, I'll have a bit more money to drop on music, so there's a good chance I'll be in a better position to reimburse the artists that have impacted my life.
It all boils down to this: Models change, and people either change with them or get out of the game. Trying to stop downloading is a) impossible and b) ridiculously short-sighted. What we're seeing with downloading isn't the death of rock and roll; if anything it's the opposite. We're seeing the beginning of an age where musicians are judged on talent, work ethic and creativity as opposed to a sexy image. Isn't that something fans of punk/music in general should be embracing? I mean, no matter how important music is to us, at the end of the day, musicians are just playing fucking songs. If anyone believes they're entitled to make millions of dollars for doing it, I'd advise seeking therapy. And as for the whole "being the biggest band in the world" thing, go ask Cobain/Hendrix/Morrison/Elvis how fulfilling it was to them.
PS: It's all speculation on my part, but I don't think we'll have to wait too long for the next Nirvana. The underground now looks a lot like it did when Nirvana came out of the woodwork; there are a ton of really creative, diverse bands popping up everywhere building a lot of momentum within the underground. I wouldn't be surprised if something huge came up in the next 2-3 years *coughtigersjawcough*.
PSS: This article doesn't even delve into the business start-up/political ethics issues presented by the Stop Online Piracy Act. This act is seriously some draconian horseshit, and I encourage you to do something about it. I dunno, maybe occupy something or whatnot...
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