Why I Don't Like Telling People About My Master's Degree

Me: I have a master's degree in music business and entertainment industry

Person: Why would you do that? The music industry is going to be dead inside five years.

Me: Oh, is that the five years that started when Napster went mainstream? Or the five years after the iPod launched? Or the five years that started right now when you just provided that stunning in depth and detailed analysis of the complexities facing the music industry currently?

Person: Whatever, I mean, they should just get rid of copyright.

Me: Yes. Because artists and songwriters should just give up the right to earn money from their work and control how it's used because it's inconvenient for you in that you want music but don't feel like paying for it. Splendid.

Person: Record companies are evil.

Me: Admittedly they haven't done a great job of splitting profit fairly with artists. But they wouldn't exist if artists didn't by and large need other people to coordinate the recording, mastering, release, publicity, accounting, and other non-creative aspects of their work. Funny enough, most artists STILL don't want to handle that shit, they just don't want to work with record companies either.

Person: I think you just don't GET where music is going.

Me: If you'll excuse me there's a fairly large bottle of rum I need to confer with on this topic.