Fleet Foxes: filesharing's fine

Robin Pecknold offers an interesting argument in favour of filesharing - forget the question of paying for music, think about what exposure to music does for the culture:

Pecknold, 23, says his band, one of the success stories of 2008, would have been different had he not had access to Napster and similar music sources while growing up.

"That was how I discovered almost everything when I was a teenager - my dad brought home a modem," he said.

"That was how I was exposed to almost all of the music that I love to this day, and still that's the easiest way to find really obscure stuff.

"I've discovered so much music through that medium. That will be true of any artist my age, absolutely."

Pecknold's comments are a timely reminder that we're now seeing artists come through whose entire experience of music has been in a world where you can get it for free, online, anytime. The major labels would have you believe such a world is one where creativity doesn't thrive; early indications are it's looking good.