What are people's opinion on it?

Alright... get ready for what will probably be a long rant. Haha.

I HATE illegal downloading. It's theft, plain and simple. I haven't always been this way. I used to be a downloading addict and I got most of my music off of Limewire and similar sites. Why pay for music when you can get it for free?

I changed my mind about all this pretty recently. I'm a college freshman, and originally I was planning on double-majoring in Sound Technology and Music Business. (After a semester in that program, I decided it wasn't for me, and I'm an English major now. But that's a whole different story.) Anyway, two of the classes I took last semester under this degree plan were Audio Engineering and Intro to the Music Business. My Music Business professor was very, very against illegal downloading, and he brought up a lot of points that I had never considered before. A lot of people argue that illegal downloading is OK because it doesn't really affect the artists (who make most of their money from royalties and tours, not album sales), it just affects the greedy record label execs who are so rich already that they don't know what to do with themselves. While I think this is a good point, and there is some truth to it, it's not really that simple. The people who are really getting screwed when you download music without paying for it are the "little people" who work in music production. The sound technicians, the mixers, the mastering technicians, the studio managers, etc. These are the people who make their living off of record sales, and for the most part, they are ridiculously underpaid for the amount of work they do and the amount of hours they put in. (Actually, this is one of several reasons I switched majors; it's becoming harder and harder to make a decent living in the audio production business.) After learning all of this in my Music Business class, as well as experiencing some of the tedious work and the effort that goes into producing music in my Audio class, not to mention the fact that I have friends and know people who work in the industry, I just really don't feel right about downloading music off of Limewire and such anymore. Even if someone burns a CD for me, if I like it, I will usually go out and buy it or download it from iTunes. And if I want to introduce someone to a band, I'll burn a few songs onto a CD for them, then encourage them to go buy the albums themselves. I know that might be taking it a little far, but it seriously weighs on my conscious if I feel like I've stolen music, which is how I feel if I illegally download music or if I get a burned CD from someone.

You just have to take into consideration that people are trying to make their living this way. Downloading music for free is the equivalent of walking out of a restaurant without paying your bill (or whatever analogy you want to use; my family owns a restaurant, so this one works for me, haha.) How would you like it if you put a LOT of hard work, time, and effort into something, and people just took advantage of it and basically stole it from you? I know a lot of people argue that music is an art, and as such, it should be freely accessible to anyone who wants to experience it; that it shouldn't be "about the money". Like I said before, I used to feel this way myself. But again, you have to realize that this is someone's job. This is how they make their living. Stealing from them is just not cool.

I do realize this is a big gray area, and both sides present good points. I'm not trying to come down on anyone for dowloading music. It's none of my business. I'm just saying that, for the reasons I've mentioned, I personally can't do it and feel right about it. I wish more people would stop to consider the people they're affecting when they illegally download music.

OK, I'll stop ranting now. Sheeeesh, this was long! I'm really sorry.

Heck yeah. I always feel bad when I download anything illegally, which is why whenever I do I make sure I eventually really buy it, and some of whoever's stuff I downloaded's merch.

Sleela, that was a great rant, and totally dead-on.

Don't be sorry. I'm in total agreement with you.

Jeannine

No need for apologies. I agree with you. I've always felt badly if I
got something by not paying for it ... with it being music. If you take
it a step further even, look at all the blood, sweat & tears that DC
must've put into Analog Heart just to get it out there and to be
noticed ... I'm talking before AI. I seriously doubt he would be okay
with us taking it for free. To me it's always been about stealing
from the artist, but you've put a completely different viewpoint out
there that I never thought of Sleela.

I'm not here to condemn anyone. You do what you are personally
comfortable with. For me though, I can't take something that
someone else has worked so hard to produce.

Next in line ..... soapbox is vacant again!

Saundra

I've been downloading music for free for a long time.
But
I don't feel bad.

I'm against illegal downloading - Sleela is right. I've gone off a bit on more than one person for illegally downloading, and several times as soon as I did they said how sorry they felt and that they wouldn't do it anymore (course, who knows...). If it's that easy to make someone feel bad about it, I'd say that's a good indication it's not right It really is stealing, just because it's easy doesn't make it right.

Course, I don't have a perfectly clean record. While I've never once used limewire or any site like that (yeesh, I'd be scared to) I have CDs that friends have burned me, and I have songs that my best friend has sent me (although most of those are songs that I would never even consider DLing myself, haha). In today's world it's virtually impossible to be squeaky clean, but I do my best and when I want music, I download it off iTunes or buy a CD. There's loads of music I'm dying for right now, but DLing it for free just wouldn't feel right.

i download a lot of music for free.

i just graduated from college and I don't have a permenant job yet.. I have bills and loans to pay... I was poor in college and I'm still poor. Didn't have a whole lot of money for music. And yet I love music so it's tough.

Lately, now that I have a BIT of money I am TRYING to be good and actually buy music. There are two new CDs I want (The Weepies and Gavin DeGraw) and I plan on buying both of them (The Weepies I'm going to get on iTunes, Gavin I'll probably buy the actual CD), even though I could get both for free right now if I wanted to. I'm just saying that I really don't have extraneous money for music.

One problem i have with iTunes is that they give you your music in their protected format and I feel like I don't have control over what I just purchased. I have a friend who had her harddrive wiped twice and she lost everything she paid for because you can only re-download once if you lose files. Uh, I'd be pretty pissed if I paid a lot of money and lost all my music. At least if it's in .mp3 format I know I can back it up a lot easier.

Also I've found a few of my favorite bands/artists by downloading: Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, Something Corporate - I downloaded a few of their songs for free, decided that I liked them, then went and bought their CDs.

Let me put it this way too: a lot of the stuff I download is not stuff I would ever pay for. Meaning they technically aren't losing money. Meaning if I couldn't get it for free, I wouldn't buy it anyway. So there you go.

I mean I dunno, I used to tape songs off the radio all the time when I was a kid. Was that illegal too? I guess it was.

I really don't want to get in a debate with anyone here over this because I love you all, I just wanted to express my opinion and maybe explain why some people choose to do it. I'm always going to monetarily support the artists that I love (ie David Cook. and I think I would buy everything John Mayer ever put out, as well as several other artists who I'm big fans of), whereas people like Soulja Boy... yeah I'm not paying money for "Crank Dat"

That is actually pretty much all the reasons I download illegally. I can't afford much music for myself, though when I can I will purchase it. I've discovered bands and artists through it whose albums I now own. Oddly, I never thought of it as illegal to tape off a song from the radio. Is it illegal to tape something off TV, too?
Another point is that I like a bit of obscure music. I'll like one song by an artist, and I can't find it for legal download anywhere. So, consequently, I'll get it illegally. If I could purchase it somewhere legally, I would.

actually, i don't think downloading music is illegal here.
i know it's illegal if you download and then sell it to make profit. now that's just terrible.
if i'm only interested in one song, well then yea i'm not gonna spend 15$ on the whole cd when i can just download the one song for free..
but then again i use limewire which is legal because it's not technically downloading, it's sharing from one computer to another, so it's different in a way.

I admit...I do download songs from the net. I know I shouldn't....but I do.


For the most part,the things I download I have intention of purchasing anyway. I'm not the type to download an album and that be it. It's kinda like,try and buy for me I guess. I wanna hear it first before I go out and spend money on it.....but in 9 cases out of 10...I buy the album.

Sometimes I'll download a leak b/c I just can't wait for it to come out....like I did with E=MC^2 by Mariah. I bought 4 copies of the album though. I downloaded FS/LS by Justin Timberlake....and have since purchased 8 copies. So it's not like I'm just flat out stealing from them. Hell,I've downloaded Sugababes albums,then turned around and spent mearly $50 a piece on the six different albums so I could have the cds themselves.


Yes,I download....but I don't do it avidly. And wehn I do,I usually try to do something to make up for it.

ok my 2 cents....

I DO download music illegally, it's a great way to expand your taste in music. There are ALOT of bands that I wouldn't have known if I didn't get to sample their music through peer to peer sites. And if I find a new band I like, I'll buy the album. But I, like others that have already posted, don't have the financial ability to buy a whole cd for just one damn song. Now if it's a band or artist I really love, like Aerosmith (I've been a fan since I've been 12 yrs old) I'll gladly buy every bit of music they put out, no question. But I don't feel the need to do the same for one song on a cd.

Here's my two cents, not that it makes a difference.

Everyone has different out looks on this.
I don't download music, UNLESS [there's a catch], it's from an indie artist that's unsigned.

There's a lot of bands that are unsigned, & put music out there willingly for fans to DOWNLOAD, completely FREE, so they can get some promotion, & get their shit out there.
Is that bad?
In my opinion, no. I've come across A LOT of good bands that are unsigned over on MySpace, that have had music up to download, & I have downloaded it, because it's legal. If a band is giving you the rights, IT'S NOT ILLEGAL.

Now, there are actually big named bands, & I will drop this name because it's the truth. Nine Inch Nails.
Trent Reznor just recently posted a blog, telling people the new 10-track album is up for downloads, & for FREE. Now, I'm sure there are many people that will just download it, & not actually BUY a copy when it comes out on CD, as Trent is promising. However, I am a die-hard fan of NIN, & I buy all his music, respectably. I did download one track from the new CD, & I'm considering downloading the new CD, because Trent is allowing this. He doesn't feel jipped, he's giving back to his fans, he even stated so. But, will I buy the CD when it comes out? F*ck yes I will. I'll be getting that the DAY it comes out, as I had done with "Year Zero".

I think there's respectable downloading, & none-respectable, so you REALLY have to break it into those barriers.

When it's independent or indie artists that are unsigned, & allowing it, it's not illegal. You're not stealing a profit. And there are unsigned bands that put out albums, which I DO buy as well.

So there for, I'm only for downloading when it comes FROM the artists.
But illegal downloading, I don't mess with that shit.

There's the new law being enforced to for those that DON'T know. You get caught, they take away ALL internet privileges. They aren't screwing around anymore kiddies. They can ban you from ever getting or registering another internet account. Remember that.

The real theft is charging $14 for a CD that cost $3 to make.

I don't agree with downloading illegally but I think that the prices of CD's are sometimes ridiculous. Especially over here in the UK, if you change pounds into dollars and buy a CD based on the price in England then you'd pay between $20 to $28.

I pay. If we keep taking music for free, the artist gets nothing for his/her music... That's not fair and affects sales, which affect if they continue making music or not.

Musicians make enough from touring and endorsements alone.

This is exactly the kind of mindset I have a problem with. Go back and read my first post in this thread. It's ridiculously long, but worth reading, I think.

The truth is, the artists don't make much of anything off of record sales. Their money comes from. like you said, touring, endorsements, and royalties.

The people who are losing money and getting screwed by illegal downloading are the other people who make their living in the music industry. Audio engineers, etc. For the most part, those people make peanuts for the amount of work they do.

haha. that's me too. but if i REALLY like it i might just go and buy it.

Actually, no, it doesn't take $3 to make it.

You aren't thinking of the cost of studio time [if the artists don't have a studio of their own], then the production fees, putting together booklet work/art work, distribution, ect..

So therefore, when you think of it, $10-14 isn't really THAT bad, because it doesn't cost $3 to make.

So I think some people need to put that into consideration as well, that is why I actually BUY CD's from artists I really like, seeing as they deserve money back for their hard work & efforts THEY'VE put into it.
I think that's something people overlook.