Music From The Internet example essay topic

Everyday millions of kids are committing theft in broad daylight. Their parents don't care, they " re stealing too, or asking their children to do it for them. No one tries to hide it and no one calls it stealing. People who wouldn't shoplift a stick of gum or take more than one newspaper from a street rack think nothing of stealing music. This is an issue that is rocking the music industry and cannot continue if we, as listeners, want to hear new songs and new artists.

By now, most people know that distributing copyrighted music over the Internet is as easy as checking your e-mail. Millions of people download music from the Internet, robbing musicians, recording companies and retail stores of profits. I do it, you do it, and our neighbors do it. If we all continue, there will be no profit for anyone in the music industry.

Artists will not make the money that they deserve and will, in turn, stop making music. New artists will not want to put their lives and life savings into a market that doesn't seem to be a profitable one. Someone downloads the music onto the Internet, and everyone else swoops in and takes it. This is called file sharing.

Despite the court-ordered demise of Napster, hundreds of other downloading sites are thriving. The three most popular sites, Kazza, Morpheus, and Audiogalaxy, have a combined 70 million active users (web). Let's say for example, the average amount of songs those 70 million users have is 25, that is 1.75 billion songs that are being shared for free. Sure, some are duplicates but I think that you can see how the music industry is being hurt by piracy.

Music doesn't just happen. It's made and brought to you by millions of people, from songwriters and recording artists to warehouse workers and record store clerks, who all work very hard to get it right. All of these professions are watching their salaries go down the tubes. If you were a songwriter, wouldn't you want credit for writing the lyrics to a great song? How would you be getting the credit, money in other words, if people can hear the song without paying a dime? The answer is simple, you can't.

There is not a way to make money on something that is being given away so freely in such a public scene. From the artists themselves all the way down to the clerks at a local music store, this is what is happening. Stealing music over the Internet is no different than shoplifting from a department store. Say you made shoes for a living and someone sneaked into your shop, took your shoes and gave them to people on the street. You would lose your customers and, in turn, lose money and would soon no longer be able to stay in business. It's wrong and should be punishable.

Perhaps more laws aren't the answer because they would be hard to enforce. Instead, adults need to instill in young people that copying music is nothing more than shoplifting. It's a lesson that some adults need to learn as well. According to "Rolling Stone" worldwide sales of music fell 6.5 percent last year, about three billion dollars worth. The ten most popular albums in the world last year sold a total of forty million copies combined, which was down twenty million from the previous year. Not one of the world's top ten albums in 2001 sold more than five million copies.

The previous year, seven albums topped that number (qty. in Rolling Stone). Still others claim the reason for the numbers being down isn't because of file sharing, but that today's music just isn't any good. Hey, there's no accounting for taste but if the music isn't any good, why are millions of people illegally downloading literally billions of new songs each month? On a more serious note, if we want to continue to hear good music we had better stop sharing music freely. Who buys music anymore when it's there for the taking from the convenience of your home?

Fast, free and easy at that. As fast as the music can be made, it's on the Internet, sometimes before it hits the stores. This slippery slope is a worry because of what it could mean for business beyond the music industry. It is also a question of personal ethics. Electronics retailer Circuit City, last month, said they are going to stop selling films on VHS and only stock DVDs (Brant Stevens, sales person). Other chains are sure to follow shortly.

Technology now lets people easily copy not just songs but feature-length films. The Internet allows people to send copies of movie DVDs to friends or strangers around the world. If stealing music isn't enough to grab your attention, maybe stealing movies will. That would eventually take its toll on a huge part of America's economy. And I don't think that is an exaggeration. Everyday millions of people are committing piracy of music.

Some know that it is wrong and continue to steal because they think they can't be caught and because they think it's free. Wrong. This comes as a huge cost to everyone involved, including you. Have you seen the price of CD's lately? If not, it's probably because you are too busy stealing from the Internet. If you have seen the prices, you will agree that they have gone through the roof.

The next time you think about "sharing" music on the Internet, maybe you should also think of how hard the artist worked for that song. Perhaps try giving them something in return. If we, as listeners and fans, want to hear new songs and new artists we must stop robbing those who bring it to us.