What are your thoughts on DJ Shadow's comments?

That was an interesting read. I agree with some of what he said, but some of it was complete bullsh*t like when he says, "If you take away the compensation, guess what...the art stops." Art shouldn't be created with the intent to receive compensation for it. Unless he means he will literally stop making music if he doesn't get paid for every single copy that's produced, I don't see how that's possible. The art will continue to be created with or without him regardless of how much record sales drop and downloading increases. Personally, I feel like money usually corrupts artists, or it at least makes them lose their hunger and that's usually when the art stops. And if he thinks aspiring artists are giving up on their craft because of downloading, he must live in a bubble. He used a bad example when he said, "how many young rap artists are grinding away these days in New York, trying to get a deal? Not too many, certainly compared to the ‘80s and ‘90s." That's crazy! Every day there are more and more aspiring artists, not only in New York, but all over the world. I agree that artists should get paid for what they do, but they shouldn't do it to get paid. I'm a graf artist, and I don't get paid for what I do. I rack paint, dodge cops, and I never saw a pot of gold at the end of what I do. I just do it because I love doing it, and if he considers himself an artist, he should too.