Intellectual Property

I am proud to proclaim that I have never illegally downloaded music or plagiarized. But I am not someone who is necessarily against pirating music. I am simply lazy and have my dads credit card hooked up to my itunes. So I am fortune to simply be able to click the buy button as I please and begin downloading the purchase of my choice, whether it be music, a movie, or a TV show. Not everyone is as lucky as me. So I don't judge or relegate when someone utilizes file sharing. In particular when it is a major label artist, because although they are loosing profit, don't they make enough of one from people like me anyways? I think so. Why make someone who's already rich richer when the majority of people that are pirating are in debt college students? RIAA themselves claim that, "college students are some of the most avid music fans." If they had to purchase all of their tunes, they wouldn't have a large selection, if one at all. Along with that when you buy a song on itunes you only get to hear 30 seconds of it, so spending either 99 cents or for the more popular artists $1.29, can be risky business. So some folks will illegally download and then if it's a good jam they'll purchase it, which I think is acceptable. I do think it's a little callous to pirate the music of a struggling independent artist. Because they are working hard to do what they love and provide entertainment for you. Since their not a major label artist, they most likely won't charge as much and all the money goes directly into their pocket, or whoever they are in debt to. So if you're a fan, it's only right to show your support and pay, if you don't, there's a good chance the production will stop. When it comes to something like downloading a copy of a song you've already purchased, I think you have every right to illegally download it. You've already made your donation and shown your appreciation and desire to listen. Unlike shoplifting a CD from a store, which is not acceptable. In this situation not only are you taking away from the artist and their record label, but the store as well. Especially now that CD's are outdated, the stores are fighting to stay afloat, so it is just wrong. If you want a CD and don't want to buy it, download it offline and then make it into a CD. This way you can also share with friends. Or if a friend has a CD you want, it's totally cool to copy it and then continue the movement and hand it over to another bud to enjoy. A similar approach to this is making your music available online to a couple of friends, this is quick, easy, and harmless. On the other hand, making your music selection publicly available online, is not such a great idea. Mostly because you can get into massive amount of trouble and it is going to people you don't even know or care about. So it's pointless. Mixed CD's are fun and practical. Personally, I'm not a fan of listening to one artists work over and over again, I like variety. So by creating mix's you not only get a selection of different artists but can share them with friends. Selling them is immoral, especially if you didn't purchase the music to begin with. It's fine to share and download for free if it's only for enjoyment. But when it gets to the extreme of selling to others, its just not morally right. This whole scene of file sharing isn't my forte of expertise, since I don't even do it. But I definitely have my opinions about it.