WARNING: Soap-box time…I’m pretty passionate about this topic…
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If you were to go my car right now and search through my CD case that could be found there, what you would see would look drastically different than what it used to look like during my college years. The music is not that different. The genres are not that different. What is different in my CD case is the number of legitimate, store-bought CDs that are now in there.
In college, my CD case was filled almost completely with burned CDs that were either copies of my friends’ CDs or burned CDs that were filled with illegally downloaded music from the Internet. In Spring 2000, I discovered Napster, an online music file-sharing program, where you could find and download any audio file you could think of at the click of a mouse. After Napster was shut down by court order due to copyright violations, I started using other imitation online music file-sharing programs to find all the music I needed.
So what changed? It started when I listened to a sermon on pirating music. Now I had heard people say things to me about the fact that pirating music was stealing and I had shrugged it off. However, this sermon came from Louie Giglio, who happens to be the leader of Passion Conferences and Six Steps Records (a record label that produces artists such as David Crowder Band and Chris Tomlin, among others). Because of his position in the music business, his words carried a lot more weight and authority as he spoke. After hearing that message, I began to slowly change my music habits.
Here is the bottom line: ILLEGALLY COPYING OR DOWNLOADING MUSIC IS STEALING. I know you can give me justifications why 90% of your CD collection are Memorex, Maxell, or another brand of rewritable CD with Sharpie-written words in your handwriting telling you what is on that burned CD. I have heard all the excuses. It is still stealing. You would not walk into a music store, grab a CD off the shelf, and walk out without paying for it. Why should we do the same thing with computers and the Internet? Why does that make it ok?
The FBI Anti-Piracy Warning, which can be found on CDs, says, “Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.”
Why is stealing music such a big deal? According to the FBI “piracy of media and other commercial goods causes huge losses to the U.S. economy each year…and it’s American consumers who are paying the price.” According to Louie’s message I heard years ago, stealing music really does affect the artist. It keeps food of their table, keeps clothes off their kid’s back, and keeps them from being able to produce more of the music you like enough to steal. I have heard people say that ripping music never actually affects the artist because they make so much more money other ways. Sure, that is true for mega-artists like U2, Coldplay, Jay-Z, and Justin Timberlake. That is the not true for the majority of artists we all enjoy like David Crowder, Leeland, Chris Tomlin, Mutemath, and Jars of Clay. Music sales really matter to those guys.
I understand that the one exception if I see a burned CD in your CD case could be a CD filled with music that you legally downloaded off from legitimate music sites (like iTunes). That is cool.
I challenge you to take a look at your CD case today. How many burned CDs do you have that were either ripped or downloaded illegally? Remember that it is stealing. Support the musical artists you like by buying their music. When you do, you put food on their plate and you invest in them being able to make more music that you will enjoy in the future.
You cannot plead ignorance on this topic anymore. Now you know and like my favorite cartoon G.I. Joe would close every episode, “and knowing is half the battle.”
i’m a pirate. but the ARGH ME HARTY type moreso. lol. i see what you’re saying. that’s why iTunes is grrreeat.
-kel
Ouch!! Who doesnt have burned CDs in the cd case. I tried the iTunes for Tori. I also did Limewire. Which you can be a member for a year and down load music like that. But I understand what you are saying. Everyone is guilty as charged…
I’ve been thinking about this very thing lately. I had not tons, but between 10-15 CD’s that people sent to me. I’d bought some of the songs from iTunes, but not all of them. So I threw away the CDs that had illegal music on them. I also deleted those songs from my iTunes library, as well as the songs that I’d gotten from checking out CDs at the library. Just like I wouldn’t check out a library book, go make a photocopy of it for myself, and then return the book, I decided it’s not right for me to check out a CD, copy it for myself, and then return their copy. It’s stealing.
Chauceriangirl - I applaud your dedication to doing what is right regardless. Most (including myself) simply stop ripping music. You even went the extra mile and got rid of that music as well. Good for you. QUESTION - did you go back and legitimately purchase the music the music that you deleted?
Teresa - is Limewire legit? I know a lot of teens use it but I have never looked into it.
Kelyn - yeah, you are very Jack Sparrow-ish.
Well from what i understand…you download their program for free and then you can download SOME music…not all….if you become a memeber you have access to all the music in their library….and from what i am told you can get a many of viruses to your computer by using Limewire.
I haven’t gone back and purchased the music I deleted, mainly because we’re on an extremely tight budget right now. I don’t know whether I will or not in the future.
Actually my CD collection looks better now than it did in college. Back then they were all labeled with sharpies but now they are all professionally labeled with my Dymo DiscPainter. I get original CD covers from usenet groups and print them right on my discs. I also create kewl labels for my personal mix CDs. Don’t worry though, all of my downloaded music has been paid for mostly.
yes… I download. my iTunes library would not be nearly as hefty if not. Ive always justified myself by buying the CDs I like a lot, but downloading music that I wouldnt buy otherwise.
nowadays though Im reconsidering. I dont download near as much, but its hard to break the habit. although with the disappointments death cab for cutie, mae, and panic at the disco have given me lately I might hope that they dont make anymore music and preserve my still favorable opinion of them.
at least coldplay’s new album is something to look forward to.