Since the dawn of time, people have always been interested in things that are free. It seems like a kind and harmless thing that would make the world that much better, but this is unrealistic. Everything costs something, whether it is time or cash, everything is worth something. That one game you play, with all the advertising on it; the free toy in the overpriced cereal; and even the YouTube video that was worth staying up until midnight for. But there are ways around this; Stealing, blackmail, piracy - it isn’t illegal unless you get caught, right? I mean, Besides the obvious issues of the law and morality, what keeps everyone from doing things this way? Were I to want the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album, I could just use Soulseek and get
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When this many people aren’t paying for the music, the statistics to go along with it are staggering. For example, the Institute for Policy Innovation conducted a study that found, on a yearly basis, there are 12.5 billion dollars lost in the US economy, 2 billion dollars of lost pay for employees, and around 70,000 jobs are defined as lost due to music piracy (Storrs). Of course figures like these will cause issues, and so this becomes a highly debated issue. There are many things to look at on the broad spectrum, such as unsigned bands, popularity achieved through media sharing, the similarities to tape recording, and most certainly the often crude copyright laws. These laws were established in a time before computers and - while bills like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act are making copyright relative to today’s technology - most of the rulings turn out as extremes. Programs that obviously aid in piracy can escape a court case unscratched; or record labels can sue for ridiculous sums, as with the case involving the file-sharing program LimeWire by LimeWire LLC, where demands were up to an estimated $75 trillion dollars, more than 5 times this nation’s debt …show more content…
Every decision made is a gamble with the audience, who may or may not buy the albums and see the bands. Then there is piracy, which ends jobs, cuts both budgets and funds, and takes away from both sides. This can’t make it any easier among the countless issues they have, so it is up to us, their audience, to end piracy. It is up to us to aid the process of music sales, so we may ensure music is obtained in a way that is beneficial and enjoyable for everyone. There are hundreds of other points I wished to discuss with you all, and I could stand here talking about music piracy to no end, which is where you all come in. Everyone who has an interest should take time to discover every issue, every scenario, every detail of music piracy; should analyze data, draw conclusions, confirm suspicions then create the solution, lead the way, and solve the problem. Lacking in this room is a single person who can’t make a difference. All it takes is for one idea to come forward, and this major issue won’t have to be the burden it is. Yes, it would be easier to not make phone calls to artists and record companies; yes, it would be rather awkward at times to inform music pirates about what you have learned; and it would be easiest of all to walk out of this classroom today and forget the issue. Artists around the world, countless fans, and myself all implore you to not do this. This issue cannot stand to be ignored
When this many people aren’t paying for the music, the statistics to go along with it are staggering. For example, the Institute for Policy Innovation conducted a study that found, on a yearly basis, there are 12.5 billion dollars lost in the US economy, 2 billion dollars of lost pay for employees, and around 70,000 jobs are defined as lost due to music piracy (Storrs). Of course figures like these will cause issues, and so this becomes a highly debated issue. There are many things to look at on the broad spectrum, such as unsigned bands, popularity achieved through media sharing, the similarities to tape recording, and most certainly the often crude copyright laws. These laws were established in a time before computers and - while bills like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act are making copyright relative to today’s technology - most of the rulings turn out as extremes. Programs that obviously aid in piracy can escape a court case unscratched; or record labels can sue for ridiculous sums, as with the case involving the file-sharing program LimeWire by LimeWire LLC, where demands were up to an estimated $75 trillion dollars, more than 5 times this nation’s debt …show more content…
Every decision made is a gamble with the audience, who may or may not buy the albums and see the bands. Then there is piracy, which ends jobs, cuts both budgets and funds, and takes away from both sides. This can’t make it any easier among the countless issues they have, so it is up to us, their audience, to end piracy. It is up to us to aid the process of music sales, so we may ensure music is obtained in a way that is beneficial and enjoyable for everyone. There are hundreds of other points I wished to discuss with you all, and I could stand here talking about music piracy to no end, which is where you all come in. Everyone who has an interest should take time to discover every issue, every scenario, every detail of music piracy; should analyze data, draw conclusions, confirm suspicions then create the solution, lead the way, and solve the problem. Lacking in this room is a single person who can’t make a difference. All it takes is for one idea to come forward, and this major issue won’t have to be the burden it is. Yes, it would be easier to not make phone calls to artists and record companies; yes, it would be rather awkward at times to inform music pirates about what you have learned; and it would be easiest of all to walk out of this classroom today and forget the issue. Artists around the world, countless fans, and myself all implore you to not do this. This issue cannot stand to be ignored