Com125- Assignment 3: "Oh no she didn't..."

When it comes to the subject of copyrights, my mind immediately jumps to the problem recording artists are having battling people downloading music for free. I stand firmly on my soap box and unfortunately for the popular vote, I say that all music should be paid for. Am I saying that $.99 per song on iTunes is the appropriate cost per song? No. A dollar per song does add up quickly, especially when you are downloading a whole album. I do not know enough about the cost to produce a song; however, I do know that the people who produce and write these songs do this for a living. If you want to get music "for free", record your own stuff. It is not up to all of us college kids to determine what is fair. Yes, these artists make a lot of money, but they also work very hard doing what they do. And thanks to them, we have a variety of music always at our fingertips.

I used to be one who ignored the fact that downloading music for free was like stealing. "It's not really stealing... I am not one of those people." Once I sat down and thought about it, there really is no difference than filling up your gas tank and driving off. Also, a close friend of mine is pursuing his dream and became a recording artist. From talking to him, I see how what really goes into writing and recording songs is not that obvious to people, like me, who are not in the industry. He is one of the reasons that I am now so passionate about paying for every song that I download.

"If you think being caught infringing on these copyright laws will result in a small fine or "slap on the wrist", think again! In the U.S., the online infringement of copyrighted music can be punished by up to three years in prison and $250,000 in fines. Repeat offenders can be imprisoned up to six years. Individuals also may be held civilly liable, regardless of whether the activity is for profit, for actual damages or lost profits, or for statutory damages up to $150,000 per infringed copyright." (http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/2004/music_downloading.asp)

I don't know why one would risk that kind of punishment. From talking to others in our Com125 class alone, I have heard of a few cases of friends of classmates getting caught for illegally downloading music, movies, etc. So, when I hear people say "oh, what are the chances of getting caught?", I would have to say that a chance alone should be reason to not do it in the first place. A 12 year old girl even faced a law suit. (story found at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,96797,00.html)

Spending $.99 on a song would save you $149,999.01. As someone who pays for all her music, I know how quickly this $.99 adds up. It just seems way more worth it, though, to just play it safe. As technology continues to quickly advance, who's to say that software or some kind of tracking devices to find people who illegally download music and movies won't make prosecution easier and faster? Again, that's a risky chance.
Visit http://youthink.worldbank.org/issues/trade/singingtheblues.php. It may put some of this in perspective...