Music Piracy

Music piracy - downloading or sharing music from the internet, without paying it.

The debate is this: Is it wrong? These artists are incredibly rich as it is, usually. Their record labels are even richer, and the RIAA, are richer still. Should they sue people for 'stealing' the odd song?

Extending from this, is DRM a justifiable technology to use?

Discuss.

Naa. Lets ses how much does it cost to make a CD and package it? Certainly isn't the £10-12 they charge me for an album.

Soon as record companys stop ripping people off then people might start paying. I wont, i'm happy to just "steal" it either way.

Music Piracy is the same as going in a store and stealing an album.

I'd disagree with that. Stealing said album is wrong - but you are stealing the CD and said CD's case, which is wrong.

Downloading music, though, I dont think that is so wrong. True, the record labels dont get so much money, but it should not be the record labels that get the money. It should be the artists. Have you ever noticed how a book is copyright to the author, not the publisher; but a CD is copyright to the record label, not the artist? Just an interesting fact about the music industry.

I think that music is something that should never be bought or sold, nor should information or fiction or anything like that. The books, as the paper that holds the story, can be sold, just as the CD, as the plastic and metal medium that holds the music, can be sold, but I do not think music or stories or information should ever be sold. Downloading something requires no physical medium, therefore downloading it, in my opinion, can be done.

If I were an artist, and I saw people downloading my music, I would be very happy. I lots of people were downloading my music, it would probably be because of word-of-mouth interest, proving people like the music. That would make me happier than the money.

What I think-

I don't think that downloading music for free is that big of a deal, but people that upload the music should be punished, if anyone gets punished, instead of the downloader.

In any way that it's explained, it's still stealing and, yeah, I realise that. But, I don't really feel bad about it. I think that for a lot of artists, it helps spread their music to a massive audience. For the insanely rich artists who think of this as a "big issue", I think most of them are just out for the money anyway.

I would pay for music if it were DRM-free and I could pay a monthly fee for unlimited downloads. I see that as fair.

I think a price of a cd is outrageous. The artist stick it to the people for the price of a cd. So i do and will download music the the future. There rich enough.

The truth is that people pirate your music only when it's good. No one's going to pirate some terrible songs. People will buy your music if they think it's good because people like to "own" their own music. (I'm talking adults and people who are really into music.)

You can download music. How the hell is it illegal? You pay for the internet and downloading songs are an included feature. People are saying its illegal because they want you to downloiad music on their website.