I have never uploaded someone else's performance to YouTube but I certainly have watched other people's uploads. I usually justify it by one of the following reasons:
1 - I'm already a paying customer of a particular artist, so watching a pirated video or song here and there is no big deal
2 - This particular thing hasn't been released yet - or I haven't purchased it yet - but I fully intend to.
3 - This particular artist and the record label they are signed to already have bagillions of dollars, so I don't care if this is illegal or not.
I'm not saying these are good reasons. It's just how I justify it to myself.
Here's what happens quite often. A musical artist puts together some sort of release. They put up on YouTube one track or one performance from the release as a sort of teaser. You're supposed to watch it, see how awesome it is, then go buy it and watch the whole thing. But then some asshole fanboy gets a copy and uploads the whole thing to YouTube. Then the whole world gets to watch how awesome it is without actually supporting the people who put the time and effort into the product. It eliminates the need to purchase products and drives down the value of art in our society. This may save you money and time, but it is a travesty.
What REALLY pisses me off is when some schmuck takes advantage of other artists by stealing their videos, uploading them to YouTube, and saying, "Hey! Check out MY stuff, too!" It's just another example of how people can be lazy and still feel entitled to something. Also, by playing illegally uploaded music on YouTube, YOU are supporting this kind of mentality. Lazy and entitled.
It's one thing to try and share an artist you love with the rest of the world. But using them to promote your own crappy music is deplorable behavior.
I think we are lazy when we listen to music on YouTube. Personally, I still buy CDs because I think the listening experience is enjoyable and worth investing in. You don't go to the library to flip through books with pictures of paintings and sculptures. You go experience the artwork where it is installed and (hopefully) where the light hits it just right.
Please continue to use YouTube to search, explore, test the waters, and discover new artists. Continue to use it to enjoy art. Please stop using it to rip people off by uploading content you do not own. And please stop watching the illegal content that other idiots are uploading. And PLEASE boycott any person who uses someone else's hard work to promote their own shitty music.
I'm talking about this guy, who has resorted to uploading songs from the latest Devin Townsend DVD By A Thread. It may seem like a clever way to reach new fans. But it makes you an asshole.
Furthermore, if I ever see you host a party "DJ'd" by YouTube playlists (or Grooveshark or Pandora or anything of the sort), I will not hesitate to take a hammer to your precious computer. You can buy a new one with all the money you saved by not paying for music.
