1. I download illegally because I don't see anything wrong with it. Music, as we all know, is a form of art. Downloading a Nirvana song for free is no different than going on Google Images and looking at M.C. Escher's work for free. If anything, bands/artists should be happy that free downloading has allowed their art to reach such a wide audience. I would be. It's not like they're making very much from album sales anyway.
2. It's not stealing from the artist at all. I guess you could say it's stealing from the record company, but I couldn't care less, honestly. They don't realize/acknowledge that art is above money.
3. I don't think anybody should be punished for it. What's wrong with sharing art? Isn't that what most artists/groups are trying to do anyway? Twenty years ago, people would buy CDs and record them onto blank tapes for their friends. Were they punished? No, and sharing music online is the same thing, really. Are they going to start arresting people for taping TV shows rather than buying each season's DVD, too? Fack off.
4. Well, first of all, I live in a fairly small town in which there are no record stores. So I couldn't exactly buy any CDs even if I wanted to. Secondly, CDs cost way too much these days. And, again, most of that money doesn't even go to the artist. So, really, when I buy a CD from a shop, it just feels like both the artist and myself are being screwed.
5. I use torrents because I usually download full albums and it's too much of a hassle to find individual songs on programs like Limewire. Also, with torrents, the quality/volume of each song is usually the same, whereas with Limewire, some songs are louder/clearer than others. It's just more convenient.
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Free your mind and your ass will follow.
The kingdom of heaven is within.
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