Downloading and the Morality Thereof

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

An easy question. Do you download things like music? If so, what kinds? Why do you believe it is right/why do you do it even if you believe it is wrong?

To answer the question myself, I do download music, but the only music I download is the music that I cannot find a CD for, mainly video game and anime music. If I CAN find the CD, I'll buy that instead. All the classical music I have I actually own a CD for (or borrowed it from my father's collection). I believe that, given the choice, I will support the artist or label that produces the music I like.

[Casey]

I download music because I can. Money is short, and why go out to the store and buy a 10-16 dollar cd when you can get it for free. I think most people that do have that same idealogy, besides downloading somthing they can not find. And yes its some what wrong, I guess...

[The Captain]

I'm on the fence, since the Record Companies and Labels are known to commit highway robbery against the artists that they represent in that something close to 88% of the profits go directly to them.

Take care all.

[Shadowdust]

I download music, tv shows, and games. Is it wrong? To some degree, yes. I guess we have to question whether the we, the public, are the real thieves or the distributor for charging 48 times the cost of a single cd. But when it comes to downloading music, movies, or anything else that can be profited from the debate always ends up one sided on both sides.

[eestlinc]

I do not download music. Sometimes I get mp3s from friends, but if I really like the music I will go buy the album. Most of the mp3s I have are taken from cds I own. When you download tons of mp3s in lieu of purchasing albums it is theft.

[TheAbominatrix]

It's theft yes, but I most definitly do it. Usually I dont buy albums anyway, not if I only like a song or two. Most of the bands I really enjoy are dead, like for instance The Beatles. The Lennon and Harrison families dont need the money, and neither do Paul and Ringo. Of course I still have some of their albums from when I still bought cds, and some on vinyl and whatnot.

Not to mention it's hard to find cds cheap anymore.

I will, however, buy the albums of underground bands I like because I dont mind supporting them. They dont have any money to begin with usually, and I dont mind shelling out 10 bucks for a cd for them.

[edczxcvbnm]

I download TV shows and music(mainly video game and some anime music). I don't think it is wrong considering that TV shows are broadcast publicly and can be viewed for free anyways. I would probably buy the music if there was a cheap viable way to buy the music...but considering I own the game, I also feel I own the music already. It is part of the total product that I bought.

I say the movie and music industry should just shut the up already. So your not making 4 billion a year or your movies cost too much and you are not seeing a big return. DON'T PAY ACTORS $20 MILLION TO BE IN THE MOVIE! Its really not that hard. If they will not work for $1 million a movie I am sure there are people that gladly will.

Artists are afraid the music they make will not be listened to very much with downloaded music because people will only buy the radio song. I wonder why that is? Oh wait, people have bought enough albums where the rest of your songs were complete in the past too many times. MAKE GOOD MUSIC!

Music industry needs to charge like $6 for an album. all your billions.

[Doomgaze]

It's theft yes, but I most definitly do it. Usually I dont buy albums anyway, not if I only like a song or two. Most of the bands I really enjoy are dead, like for instance The Beatles. The Lennon and Harrison families dont need the money, and neither do Paul and Ringo. Of course I still have some of their albums from when I still bought cds, and some on vinyl and whatnot.

Not to mention it's hard to find cds cheap anymore.

I will, however, buy the albums of underground bands I like because I dont mind supporting them. They dont have any money to begin with usually, and I dont mind shelling out 10 bucks for a cd for them.

By Paul, Ringo, and the Lennon and Harrison families, you mean Michael Jackson, right?

[Kirkpatrick]

I've downloaded music before, and the only thing stopping me now is that I"m too lazy to get a p2p client / find one that's decent that isn't spywaralicious. I've almost never downloaded tv or games or such, because my connection is far too slow .

However, as I've said before, the morality issue is somewhat different here in Canada, as copying music is legal. This doesn't really change whether the whole idea is right or wrong, but it definitely does make things easier on the conscience - whether that's a good thing or not I'm not sure.

Aslo, edczxcvbnm raises a good point about TV shows. Is downloading an episode of a show worse than taping the broadcast? What about taping radio shows? Couldn't one say that downloading a song to play it is just like requesting that song on a station and listening to it over the airwaves?

[edczxcvbnm]

Exactly. Things that are free to listen to on the radio or TV should be available to download for free. It is the extra quality, commentary, songs, features and all the other stuff that you should be paying for when you buy an album or DVD boxset. Not the barebones episodes that you could record for free anyways.

[Meat Puppet]

I usually just download rare tracks of bands I like. Usually because those rare tracks are impossible to find on a CD rack in New Zealand, and I'll have to pay some hellish price to get one imported. Loads of them are bootlegs anyway, so that's my punishment.

I also download old movies that I can't find the DVD for. I'd rather own the DVD than data on the computer, I don't care if anyone gets paid or not.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

I do realize that generally many labels price gouge terribly, but the music I listen to is usually really cheap, which is why I don't mind paying $5-$10 for a CD of great music.

[DMKA]

By Paul, Ringo, and the Lennon and Harrison families, you mean Michael Jackson, right?

Good to see someone else knows about that.

Yeah, I download music. If I like 10 out of 13 songs I download and all happen to be from a particular album (like Savage Garden's "Affirmation"), then I'll go and buy the CD (which I did). If I only like a song or two, forget it. I don't have money to spend like that. If however I'm going to make a video using music that I can't find a decent quality version online of, I'll go out and buy it as well. Not to mention that half the music I listen to you couldn't find in a music store (an American music store anyway).

Do I think it's wrong? No. You could just as easily record music off the radio onto a tape, or off MTV/VH1/Fuse onto a VHS/DVD. It's the same thing. Do I think it's wrong to download every song off say, Evanescence's "Fallen" CD, and burn it to a CD? Yes, yes I do.

I also used to download anime, but I lack the patience to do that anymore on dialup. When I did I'd only do it to see if I liked it. However, I have no problem with that either, because in Japan they get to see it on TV anyway, and the same principle applies. If it's an OVA though, I think it's wrong.

Not to mention that I think the RIAA is a group of dirty robbing money hungry bastards that lack the poor hygene.

[-N-]

I don't have a system of morality, so I do whatever I want without being burdened by thinking about whether it's right or wrong.

Like copying music that my friends have, for instance.

I don't care if it's unfair to someone, because I don't really care about them to begin with. If I like the music, I go out and buy the CD. But there's a lot of music that I have that I simply don't feel like it's worth my money to buy, so I don't. And, that's about it.

[LifeAsABullet]

I download music only if I want to know if a CD is any good, I mean I don't download the whole damn thing but like a few songs and I just decide from there. I usually burn mixed CD's if I don't like but a couple of songs from various artists.