Illegally Downloading Music: Singing the Blues

You've worked really hard on your album. You wrote, composed and produced all of the songs!

The album becomes a hit around the world! Everyone listens to it! You depend on the earnings from the album's sale. It's your only income.

But although everyone is humming your songs, the album isn't selling as much as it should, considering how widely the songs are played. Why?

It turns out many fans are illegally downloading your songs from the Internet. Also, there is a chain of people in many countries who illegally burn and sell CDs on the street.

So, illegal copies of your CD are for sale in open air markets around the world, for a street price that's a fraction of the store price.

Although your songs are popular, you aren't earning a penny from the CDs sold illegally on the street.

The money is pocketed by a street vendor who's selling illegal copies of your album!

And you, the artist—who created these great songs—aren't adequately compensated for your hard work.

How would you feel?

It's really your property that was stolen and you've been deprived of your lawfully-earned income.

Only a fraction of the world's artists make it to become millionaire pop culture megastars.

The rest are ordinary people, who try to earn a living off their art, expression and talent. Just like all other people, these ordinary people have bills to pay. They rely on income from their art. But if they can't be compensated for their work, they may need to forget about their aspirations and find another job that pays.

Piracy makes people less willing to invent new things. On a broader level it stifles creativity. This ultimately hurts society.

The world would be a much blander and starker place without artists (musicians, painters, writers, filmmakers, etc).

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