Massless

Copy-protected CDs quietly slip into stores. I'm tired of this ongoing war with interests more powerful and many times richer than the artists who just want to make music universally available or the consumers who enjoy the works of those artists.

But I'm also tired of having to work all the time and save money just to pay for album production...and of not having the money to spend on a recording studio...

 and not having the time to mix songs...
 and not being able to find or afford decent rehearsal space...
 and not being allowed to have people under 21 at a show...
 and not being in control of a bill or lineup...
...in addition to being tired of contemplating the unfortunate near future where I may not be able to enjoy music on my home computer that I've purchased.

Are these feelings contradictory? What are my options? Who owns what? Do people appreciate mp3s I release? Are you "stealing" from me? Are you not "stealing" at all? Am I destroying your ability to make art? Should this all be free? How free is free? Who has the right to create art?

A certain level of complexity in the dance of consumer and artist has been reached - really, it's puzzling - and I'm concerned I'm losing the strength to put forth enough effort to learn the steps.

...Copyright is not an air-borne disease. As True as Kaycee: Placing a CD under a microscope, you can see copyright bacteria. The symptom: you will believe that

a sound you hear belongs to someone else, and in time - incubation
continues weeks after being first exposed -

you will believe these words you are reading belong to me. And you will feel guilty

for moving the air with your breath.