We live in a time where you can find everything online. You can shop, download music and find a great sushi place in Denver, all in the palm of your hand. Accessibility to the world and all it has to offer has never been easier.

This is especially prevalent when it comes to illegally downloading music. Consumers can illegally download their favorite artist’s new song within a few days of it coming out. People no longer have to go to iTunes and buy a song for $0.99 or $1.29.

You certainly still can do that, but why would you when you can get it for free online? See, you wouldn’t, and that’s the issue.

When it comes to illegally downloading music, my opinion is that you shouldn’t have to illegally download it in the first place. Look, yes, it is illegal and I suppose you shouldn’t do it (although I’m sure everyone has), but that isn’t the problem. The real problem is that you have to pay for it in the first place.

I have no problem with people selling their music. It was a great way to earn revenue and establish credibility as a legitimate artist if you could sell your work. However, the key word in that previous statement is “was.”

Selling music is an outdated practice that is a leftover fragment of giant record companies from the past struggling to stay relevant in the Internet era.

In today’s world, the reality is that selling music no longer works. People have too many cheaper alternatives to buying music. They could download it illegally (and for free) or they could get a subscription to a streaming service (which is what I recommend and addressed in a previous column). Buying music makes no financial sense in today’s world.

Giant record companies, like Interscope or Sony, have not adapted their business tactics to the Internet era. They still believe, and try to enforce, the norm of selling your music. This practice could hurt an artist’s chance of expanding their brand and music and is ineffective.

The solution to illegal music downloads is to lean into it. Artists should release their music for free and avoid the problem of people stealing their work by just giving it directly to them instead. If they already know people will steal it, why bother selling it?

The worth of music is, for the most part, subjective. You could argue that studio time and production costs could make it objective, but people decide how much they are willing to pay for music. Those costs do exist, but it doesn’t purely dictate how much each song or album will cost. Cost of music has been, and will continue to be, mostly subjective.

And people, especially Americans, have decided they are no longer willing to pay for it. According to Musicmetric, Americans illegally downloaded more music than any other country in 2012, with more than 96.8 million downloads recorded in just six months. Artists have to recognize this change in the music industry and adapt to it.

Now, there is still the question of how artists will make money if they aren’t selling their music. I’m here to tell you that your favorite millionaire singer will be just fine if they don’t sell their music. Touring, selling merchandise and becoming a spokesperson for a company are all legitimate streams of revenue for artists.

If you don’t think that model won’t work, just look at Chance the Rapper. He has never sold a single song, yet he is incredibly successful, with Forbes estimating he earned $33 million in 2017. In a recent interview, he said that selling merchandise is his “main revenue.” I would also add that his deals with Kit Kat and Apple Music, along with his aggressive touring schedule, aren’t disappointing him either.

I want to say that releasing your music for free does not decrease it’s worth. Just because something is free doesn’t mean it is worth less than a product that is sold. Free music has as much value, if not more, as music that is sold.

Illegally downloaded music is only a problem because it is not already free. Artists and record companies need to recognize that the Internet era has changed how people access their music and adapt to that new demand. Music has always been made for the people, so give it to them. And give it to them without a price tag.