Do You Steal Music?

Do You Steal Music?

In my humble opinion, there is nothing morally wrong with downloading songs illegally over the Internet. 

When an artist creates a musical composition, it automatically has value. When I say ‘value’ I’m not referring to the cost of the song on iTunes, or royalties an artist may receive. It may have special meaning to the musician, seeing as it is a personal expression of the self. Its value may stem from the meaning it has to a certain individual who relates to the song, or to someone who’s mood is lifted when they hear it on the radio. However, music, upon creation, also has value in and of itself. Music, as an art form, has so much importance and relevance in our lives as human beings, it seems impossible for a piece of music to not have value. A piece of music automatically has value, because it’s a piece of this beautiful sanctified thing.          

Since music’s importance and meaning is undeniable, no one should be denied their right to access music.

Everyone should listen to music. When you’re feeling down, music can cheer you right back up. When you’re angry, music can soothe you. When you’re bored, music can keep you entertained. Intelligent lyrics can even expand your vocabulary. So the more music you like the better. The more music you like the more culturally aware you become. Putting a price tag on music just discourages people from listening. Thus, charging a fee for music limits people in a lot of ways. I have over 2,000 songs on my iPod. If I had to spend my money, I’d have 0 songs, and life would be a little bleaker. Many people don’t even have the ability to spend money on music. People should not be denied the right to hear music because they have a less than stable financial situation.

Studies have shown that the illegal sharing of music files online has not really hurt the income of well known musicians. It even increases sales. This may seem alarming but it all makes sense. People download one or two songs to check out their favorite band’s new album. If they like what they hear, they purchase the hard copy. Musicians still make a lot of money off of their songs. Musicians make plenty of money from concerts and merchandise anyway.

Of course this is different for the starving artists out there. Local bands and small scale musicians don’t make much money off of shows or merch, so stealing their music is basically like stealing out of their pocket. They need the financial support of their fans as well as the emotional.

There are a few drawbacks to illegally downloading music. Often time the audio files are of lower sound quality than the iTunes version. And when you use youtube to mp3 converters, there’s often a 5-10 second pause before the song begins. Of course there also the risk of getting a virus, or being fined. But the pros outweigh the cons.
Everyone deserves access to free mp3 files for all their favorite songs. Music is a beautiful thing and should be shared with the world.

Music Note Imagery

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