Illegal Song Downloading.

Leonore Paisley:

I guess that's where our morals differ. I think of it as listening to a song... not stealing. If I can't download it, I'm not going to listen to it, because I can't afford to buy it. At least I'm listening to the music at all. It should be about the music above anything else.

But not only are you listening to a song, you are stealing it, you're taking someones product without paying for it. It doesn't have anything to do with morals, the law defines what you're doing as stealing. If you think the law should be changed that's one thing, but breaking a law to change it is not the correct way to go about something.

The music industry cannot support itself, it never was and never will be just about the music. Without the necessary funding, all of the music you download wouldn't be produced.

There are plenty of things I want that I can't afford, but that doesn't make it ok for me to steal them. Why is music different?

Kurtni Reznor:

Leonore Paisley:

I guess that's where our morals differ. I think of it as listening to a song... not stealing. If I can't download it, I'm not going to listen to it, because I can't afford to buy it. At least I'm listening to the music at all. It should be about the music above anything else.

But not only are you listening to a song, you are stealing it, you're taking someones product without paying for it. It doesn't have anything to do with morals, the law defines what you're doing as stealing. If you think the law should be changed that's one thing, but breaking a law to change it is not the correct way to go about something.

The music industry cannot support itself, it never was and never will be just about the music. Without the necessary funding, all of the music you download wouldn't be produced.

There are plenty of things I want that I can't afford, but that doesn't make it ok for me to steal them. Why is music different?

I guess I disagree with the law. There are still people that are going to buy their music. There always will be. I, however, don't, and I see absolutely nothing wrong with it. The music industry is fine now, and we've been illegally downloading for a long while. Some people are going to do it legally, some not. That's just how it is.

As for my downloading, I only download off of myspace. Everywhere else, there are viruses and spyware. I'm not a big fan of either of those. And, actually, I'm pretty sure myspace is completely legal to download music.

Eh, I don't know if any of that made sense.

I work at a bar and a grocery store. Lots of people buy groceries and lots of people buy beer. But is it okay for one person to steal a stick of gum or a beer even though everyone else is buying things?

Music should be different because music should be art. Art is selfsuficient, the purpose of making art is not to sell art, but art itself.

Notice the ''should'', because that's how things would go in an ideal not-so-capitalist world. Here, as long as we talk about the music industry and music as a product, it's stealing and should be illegal.

But the Mona Lisa is a work of art and if I steal that, I'll be fined.

Lovesick.:

the purpose of making art is not to sell art, but art itself.

Maybe for you personally, but the people who choose to make it their career feel differently.Their survival depends on the sale of art.

Maybe they should get another job if money is their main concern and make music outside of that career.

furthur:

Maybe they should get another job if money is their main concern and make music outside of that career.

I love how people think working two jobs is easy.

Most small, underground, unknown bands do that. But tell me, how would, say, My Chemical Romance (I use them since this site is plagued with their fans) do that? "Oh yeah, I can't make tonight's shift and the next well..year because I have to tour"

Kurtni Reznor:

Lovesick.:

the purpose of making art is not to sell art, but art itself.

Maybe for you personally, but the people who choose to make it their career feel differently.Their survival depends on the sale of art.

The point of art is to make art. We make art because we want to make art not because we want to sell art.
No artist paints or writers for the money. That's why most artists lived in poverty.

Pour l'amour de l'art.

Fentoozler:

I love how people think working two jobs is easy.

Most small, underground, unknown bands do that. But tell me, how would, say, My Chemical Romance (I use them since this site is plagued with their fans) do that? "Oh yeah, I can't make tonight's shift and the next well..year because I have to tour"

I'm not talking about MCR, I'm talking about people in small bands. Many people I know in bands DO work two jobs which is why I said that. It's not easy but who said it had to be? The people I know do that because their passion is to make music but they understand in the beginning it won't make them much money. Yes they are touring musicians too.

Lovesick.:

The point of art is to make art. We make art because we want to make art not because we want to sell art.
No artist paints or writers for the money. That's why most artists lived in poverty.

Pour l'amour de l'art.

Exactly. People who truly care about their work do it for that reason and not to make money.

Lovesick.:

Kurtni Reznor:

Lovesick.:

the purpose of making art is not to sell art, but art itself.

Maybe for you personally, but the people who choose to make it their career feel differently.Their survival depends on the sale of art.

The point of art is to make art. We make art because we want to make art not because we want to sell art.
No artist paints or writers for the money. That's why most artists lived in poverty.

Pour l'amour de l'art.

Whether they make art for the money or to simply make art they deserve to be paid for their work. Say I was a tattoo artist and I loved my job. Even if I was doing it for myself and not money do you think I'd be okay with not getting paid? I doubt you would

Lovesick.:

The point of art is to make art. We make art because we want to make art not because we want to sell art.
No artist paints or writers for the money. That's why most artists lived in poverty.

Pour l'amour de l'art.

And what makes you qualified to speak on the behalf of every artist in existence and tell us what their motives are? Regardless of what you think art should be about, there are people who use it as a source of income, and they have every right to the money from their product's profit.

Kesey.:

Maybe they should get another job if money is their main concern and make music outside of that career.

That's ridiculous, they shouldn't have to. "Oh, someone is stealing from you, we won't punish them, but we'll punish you by making you work more to support yourself, even though you did no wrong."

How is that logical?

It's not always because of downloading they don't make that much money. It's usually not. Artists beginning to work in music do take jobs because they don't make a sufficient amount of money.

It's not just small bands that are suffering, major bands do too, you know the ones that fought really hard to get where they are? The deserve to be paid for what they do.

I love being a bartender (most of the time) but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be paid for it.

I also love how you completely misread/didn't read what I wrote

Most small, underground, unknown bands do that.....

I think if you can't afford to buy the song/album, if you can't find it anywhere else, or if you only want one song, it's acceptable.

I still buy albums if I have the money, though rarely, because I like owning the actual album, and having quality songs. But then there are some artists who only appeal to me with a couple of songs, and I don't want the entire album. I know I can pay for single songs on iTunes for like, 99 cents, but if I bought all of the songs on my iPod like that, there'd be a severely hot hole in my pocket. I have a little over 500 songs on my iPod. That'd be like... five hundred dollars. I cannot afford that, and there is no way in hell my parents would pay for it. Why should I not be allowed the privilege of listening to music because I can't afford to pay for it? I don't think anyone should deserve to listen to music, and I don't think money is the base of good music anyway, although I do believe the artist should get what they earn. I do understand that it's what they live off of, and I try to stay conscious of it, but it's just disheartening to not be able to have your favorite songs because you have no money. But, like I said, I do buy the album when I want it and know I can afford it.

songbird.:

I think if you can't afford to buy the song/album

Does that rule apply to everything? If I can't afford something, that makes it ok for me to just steal it?

Kurtni Reznor:

songbird.:

I think if you can't afford to buy the song/album

Does that rule apply to everything? If I can't afford something, that makes it ok for me to just steal it?

No.

It's not like something extravagant like a nice car. It's music. It's something alot of people take to heart. It's human nature to connect with music, in my opinion. Forgive me if I'm being dramatic, but hypotetically, wouldn't even a small part of human development/etc, change if there was no music, or if it just became a rarity?

If people stopped downloading music, and eventually not buy music at all (more seldom than they already do), then the whole of music would . . . well, in a way, fall apart. If I want to plant a garden and discover I can't due to lack of resources, I'd eventually lose interest in doing it. Laziness? I admit, however, if people wanted it bad enough, they'd buy it anyway with whatever source they had.

Money money money money. Unfortunately, there has always been and always will be a part of music that is dependent on money. Then of course, talent.

(I probably sounded reeeaally confusing) :shifty

songbird.:

Kurtni Reznor:

songbird.:

I think if you can't afford to buy the song/album

Does that rule apply to everything? If I can't afford something, that makes it ok for me to just steal it?

No.

It's not like something extravagant like a nice car

So its ok to steal things... as long as they aren't extravagant? How is that fair to the people depending on the profit of nonextravagent things?

Kurtni Reznor:

So its ok to steal things... as long as they aren't extravagant? How is that fair to the people depending on the profit of nonextravagent things?

No. It's just... like stealing a cheap peice of jewelry that means something to someone, who doesn't want anyone else to have it. You shouldn't do that.

Music is there for people to listen. Artists want to be heard, right?

songbird.:

Music is there for people to listen. Artists want to be heard, right?

1. Listening is different from taking. You can listen to songs on the internet, on TV, on the radio but you're not downloading it for yourself without consent.

2. Artists, also want to be paid too.